Influences of human waste–based ectopic fermentation bed fillers on the soil properties and growth of Chinese pakchoi

The reuse of human wastes as biofertilizer resources offers a new option for meeting the growing demand for food and addressing poor soil productivity. Feces and black water are ubiquitous human wastes that usually require proper treatment, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, to remove potentially harmful substances before they can be applied as fertilizers. As an effective treatment technology for livestock farming wastes, the ectopic fermentation bed system (EFS) provides a new means of treating human waste and producing organic fertilizer from decomposed filler. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the nutrient content and fertilizer potential of decomposed fillers obtained after EFS treatment of human feces and black water under different application conditions. The results showed that the application of fillers increased the yield of pakchoi by 3.60?29.32% and nutrient uptake by 8.09?83.45% compared to the CK, which could effectively promote the growth of pakchoi. This approach also improved the quality of pakchoi and enhanced soil fertility, and differences were observed in the effects of different kinds and application amounts of fillers. Soil EC was the soil property that had the greatest effect on the growth characteristics of pakchoi in this study. These findings help to better clarify the agronomic value of human wastes, but the effects of long-term filler application need to be further explored.