Comparison of Chemical Analysis of Compost Leachate and Commercial Fertilizer to check the quantity of heavy metals

Leachate can be defined as a possibly polluting liquidproduced during composting of organic waste that may lead to some harmful effects on soil, public safety and health, surrounding aquatic ecosystems, and groundwater resources. Solid waste Compost Leachate is a liquid that percolates through the organic solid waste and brings out dissolved or suspended materials of the process and normally contains a complex variety of organic compounds and materials such as heavy metals, fatty acids, humic substances, and many harmful chemicals. This study was designed to compare the concentration of heavy metals present in compost leachate and commercial fertilizer. Municipal solid waste compost leachate and commercial fertilizer were analysed for the physico-chemical parameters. Samples of municipal solid waste compost leachate were collected from the leachate collection tank of Lahore Compost Company. Samples were digested and analysed in duplicates for Temperature, pH, BOD, EC, TDS and COD. The metals (Ni, Cr, Zn, and Cu) quantity in the leachate was also determined using the Atomic Absorption technique with a flame photometer system. It was concluded from this study that the quantity of heavy metals (such as Cu, Ni, Zn, and Cr) present in leachate waswithin permissible limits and lower than the commercial fertilizer. It is safe to use compost leachate for plants and other crops.