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Modern technologies (especially with the help of autonomous measurement and control systems) introduced automatic composters for the disposal of household food waste production. Environmental risks connected with the utilization of these composts can be characterized by the high electrical conductivity caused by a presence of sodium chloride in food. Electrical conductivity influences the ecotoxicity of the composts. The presence of pesticides in composted food also represents an important environmental problem. The following pesticides were found in compost samples from household food waste: 1,3,5-triazine, methyl trithion, bifenthrin, bifenox, carbophenothion, pirimicarb, dioxacarb, desmetryn. Pesticide content in composts varied from 0.3 to 16.3 μg/kg, the average value being 30.4 ± 10.1 μg/kg dry matter. The higher decomposition was found of “modern” pesticides in the composters. The removal of salts can ensure that inhibition will be

Resource recovery from biodegradable waste is essential in order to reach the goals of zero circular economy waste generation and zero greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector. Waste whose management is a real challenge is sewage sludge, mainly because of high concentrations of heavy metals. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of material stabilization during aerobic stabilization of two feedstocks with sewage sludge obtained from different sources, namely, digestate from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and digestate from a co-digestion process. Moreover, the goal of the experiment was to assess the quality of compost in terms of remediation potential. The composting process was carried out for four different mixtures consisting of the mentioned digestates, municipal solid waste, and grass. A better composting efficiency with digestate from the co-digestion process was observed. In that case, a higher temperature in the thermophilic phase (>55 °C) and a higher organic matter loss ratio (60%) were obtained as compared to the process with digestate from wastewater treatment plant. Taking into account the fertilizing properties and the concentration of heavy metals, all obtained composts met the requirements set out in the Polish Regulation for organic fertilizers. Only the content of Helminth eggs in the composts produced with the digestate from the wastewater treatment plant was above the acceptable level. The research also proved that the produced composts can be used in the phytoremediation process of the degraded area. It was found that all composts caused a significant increase in fescue biomass. The highest yield was achieved for compost produced from a mixture with the addition of 30% sewage sludge from the co-digestion process.

The main aim of these studies was to determine the potential for carbon sequestration in brown coal open-cast mine by phytoremediation using scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) plants. This paper presents relationships between soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and carbon phytosequestration in waste dump associated with open-cast lignite mine in Central Poland. The research is the continuation of previously carried out experiments, but was conducted in field conditions. In reclamation of post-mining landscapes, during field experiment, an effect of sewage sludge, compost and lake chalk amendments and in combination of plants was investigated. The impact of soil amendments on carbon stock, CO2 emission reduction, plant biomass production and carbon content in shoots and roots was studied. The highest SOC stock was found in soil treated with sewage sludge (33 Mg*ha−1) and compost (45 Mg*ha−1) stabilized by lake chalk. These fertilizer combinations also contributed the most in relation to CO2 emission reduction through SOC stock (83 Mg*ha−1 and 127 Mg*ha−1 respectively). In addition, greater amounts (60–100%) of soil organic matter was converted into humic acids fraction. This phenomenon could be the initial stage of the progressive process of organic matter deposition and carbon sequestration in post-mining area. Carbon phytosequestration was determined through carbon bound in plant tissues. The highest carbon content (60%) in both plant species was recorded in treatments with sewage sludge and compost with lake chalk. Stabilization of compost by lake chalk application was good method to improve the efficiency of carbon sequestration in soil and carbon phytosequestration. Improving the efficiency of these two processes, through skillfully selected soil additives and plant species, may be used on a larger scale in the future as an alternative to the storage of carbon dioxide, especially in degraded areas.

Sewage sludge (SS) is a byproduct of wastewater treatment which is commonly used as fertilizer in the world. However, due to the possible contamination with heavy metals, xenobiotics and fecal pathogens, its application on fields is not so common in Poland. A safer alternative for agricultural use is the SS produced by food industry in small "inhouse" wastewater treatment plants, as substances that are used in its production are usually less harmful. As pretreatment of industrial wastewater is required before dumping the wastewater into common stream, the SS is an abundant byproduct that needs to be managed in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner. Because the water content in SS is usually high, the dosage and logistics are problematic and thus we propose converting the sewage sludge into solid granular fertilizer in the vermicomposting process. Not only are the weight and volume of product decreased as a result, but also the nutrients such as N, P, and K become concentrated and made more accessible for plants. The SS is also further stabilized and less prone to produce odors and becoming putrid. The aim of this study was the in-depth analysis of the SS process vermicomposting with biochar. The SS was acquired from a local soft drink factory wastewater treatment plant. The batches of SS were inoculated with 20% mature vermicompost and E. fetida worms. Instead of typical bulking agents (like woodchips or straw) powdered biochar was used in the concentrations of 5, 10 and 15% as it exhibits beneficial influence on the process and increase the value of the final product. © 2019, Journal of Ecological Engineering., Polish Ministry of Science and Higher EducationMinistry of Science and Higher Education, Poland [BS/PB -401-304/11]

Carbon storage in soil increases along with remediation of post-mining soils. Despite many studies on the issue of carbon sequestration in soils, there is a knowledge gap in the potential and mechanisms of C sequestration in post-mining areas. This research, including nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, determines the soil organic carbon formation progress in a long-term study of limestone (S1), and lignite (S2) post-mining soil under different remediation stages. The main remediation target is reforesting; however, S2 was previously amended with sewage sludge. The study showed that for S1, the O-alkyl groups were the dominant fraction in sequestered soil. However, for S2, increased fractions of acetyl-C and aromatic C groups within remediation progress were observed. The remediation of S1 resulted in improved hydrophobicity and humification; however, the decrease in aromatic groups' formation and C/N ratio was noted. For S2, we noticed an increase for all indicators for sequestered C stability, which has been assigned to the used sewage sludge in remediation techniques. While both post-mining soils showed huge potential for C sequestration, S2 showed much higher properties of sequestered C indicating its higher stabilization which can suggest that soils non-amended with sewage sludge (S1) require more time for stable storage of C. Web of Science 14 22 art. no. 7613

Wastewater treatment plants play a key role in preserving the resources of the environment, as well as human health. The applied technological system of a wastewater treatment plant determines the efficiency of wastewater and sewage sludge treatment, but also energy efficiency and operating costs. The aim of the presented work is to analyse the technological unconventional system of a small wastewater treatment plant with some modifications generating ecological profits, mainly the fertiliser, biomass or peat substitution ("biosolids factory" concept). The modification of the technological system consists in the application of sewage microfiltration, conditioning of sewage and sludge with cellulose material and application of short-term thermo-composting (Bionor technology). The use of a belt filter for suspension separation reduces the load on activated sludge bioreactors and aerobic stabilisation. The basic modification is the use of thermo-composting of separated sewage sludge with the addition of a structure-forming agent (straw pellet). Importantly, no precipitating or flocculating chemical substances or agents are used in this technology. The technology used enables the processing of sewage sludge into biomass with high fertilising and energy potential. In the following work, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a wastewater (and sewage sludge) treatment plants was made, comparing different possible concepts of sewage sludge management. The LCA was performed on five applied sewage sludge treatment scenarios: incineration of biomass (S1); biomass as a fertiliser product - "fertiliser substitution" (S2); biomass as a soil addition - "peat substitution" (S3); biomass as both fertiliser and a soil addition - "fertiliser and peat substitution" (S4); and biomass as a filling without any substitution benefits - "no specific use" (S5). The LCA analyses of the Bionor sludge technology applied in the wastewater and sewage sludge treatment plant confirm the environmental benefits and minimise the environmental impact with conventional solutions. The fertiliser and peat substitution scenario cause the least impact on climate change. This scenario was found as beneficial for avoiding net CO2 emissions (-5.8 kg CO2 eq/1 m(3) wastewater) and eutrophication potential (-1.7 to -2.0 kg N2O eq/1 m 3 wastewater, -2.78 to -3.0 PO4 eq/1 m(3) wastewater). The eco-toxicity study also showed low impact potentials for a land application scenario. Incineration of biomass yields higher environmental impacts than any application scenario (13.8 kg CO2 eq/1 m(3) wastewater). The LCA analysis confirmed that the peat substitution scenario was found as the most valuable. Web of Science 319 art. no. 128655

Sewage sludge/biosolids are by-wastes of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. As sources of nutrients (C, N, P) they are widely used in intensive farming where large supplementation of organic matter to maintain fertility and enhance crop yields is needed. However, according to the report of European Commission published in 2010, only 39% of produced sewage sludge is recycled into agriculture in the European Union. This situation occurs mainly due to the fact, that the sewage sludge may contain a dangerous volume of different contaminants. For over decades, a great deal of attention has been focused on total concentration of few heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria Salmonella and Escherichia coli. The Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) regulates the allowable limits of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg and pathogens and allows for recovery of sludge on land under defined sanitary and environmentally sound conditions. In this paper, a review on quality of sewage sludge based on the publications after 2010 has been presented. Nowadays there are several papers focusing on new serious threats to human health and ecosystem occurring in sewage sludge – both chemicals (such as toxic trace elements – Se, Ag, Ti; nanoparticles; polyaromatic hydrocarbons; polychlorinated biphenyl; perfluorinated surfactants, polycyclic musks, siloxanes, pesticides, phenols, sweeteners, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, benzotriazoles) and biological traits (Legionella, Yersinia, Escherichia coli O157:H7)., Highlights • Sewage sludge contains organic and inorganic contaminants not regulated by law. • Total content of many compounds (heavy metals) is not a reliable indicator of toxicity. • Regular monitoring is crucial to limit a release of toxic substances to ecosystem.

The progress of civilization, industrial development, and improper waste management results in an increasing concentration of heavy metals in the soil. Their high toxic nature, which is well known, creates a necessity for the constant and accurate monitoring of their contamination level. Moreover, the toxicity of soils contaminated with heavy metals is closely related to their mobility and, hence, availability. Deepening the greenhouse effect regulates the migration capacity of heavy metals. The futuristic climate makes the diffusion of heavy metals to occur in the soil substrate to the lower layers of the soil profile, and the accumulation in organisms inhabiting this medium changes. This chapter presents the effect of futuristic climate on the mobility of heavy metals in the soil, as well as the risks associated with this influence. Attention was also paid to the possibility of remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals during futuristic climate changes.

The study was aimed to model and optimize the removal of cadmium from contaminated post-industrial soil via Sinapis alba L. by comparing two modeling approaches: Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The experimental design was done using the Box–Behnken Design method. In the RSM model, the quadratic model was shown to predict the closest results in comparison to our experimental data. For ANN approach, a two-layer Feed-Forward Back-Propagation Neural Network model was designed. The results showed that sewage sludge supplementation increased the efficiency of the Sinapis alba plant in removing Cd from the soil. After 28 days of exposure, the removal rate varied from 10.96% without any supplementation to 65.9% after supplementation with the highest possible (law allowed) dose of sewage sludge. The comparison proved that the prediction capability of the ANN model was much higher than that of the RSM model (adjusted R-square: 0.98, standard error of the Cd prediction removal: 0.85 ± 0.02). Thus, the ANN model could be used for the prediction of heavy metal removal during assisted phytoremediation with sewage sludge. Moreover, such approach could also be used to determinate the dose of sewage sludge that will ensure highest process efficiency.

The state of global warming in the last few years is appalling. The temperature increase on the Earth carries a serious ecological imbalance including decomposition of organic matter. The fate of the terrestrial carbon consists of an important issue due to the possibility of the occurrence of feedback mechanisms to atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The sensitivity of soil carbon to warming consists of suspense in the prediction of future carbon dioxide concentration and further climate changes. So far, many ecosystem models proposed show a positive impact of global warming on the microbial organic matter decomposition. However, a terrestrial experiment does not coincide with those reports—they show an initial limitation of CO2 loss from the soil as a consequence of warming. This work concluded an influence of climate warming on organic decomposition as well as a difference between labile and nonlabile soil organic carbon decomposition under global warming. Attention is also paid on the possible consequence that could be even stronger than predicted.

This chapter summarizes the main and challenging aspects of soil enzyme research in regards to changing climate. Overall, the chapter focuses on recent advances in soil microbiology and enzyme research to assess the impact of climate change on microbial activity and extracellular enzymes. Recent studies expressed a growing need to understand how specific properties of soils including its biological, chemical, and physical aspects can influence the production of soil enzymes. Such knowledge can allow for alterations in extracellular enzyme synthesis and secretion, which can lead to an increase in bioremediation efficiency, improve plant growth, and carbon sequestration. In recent years, assays for extracellular enzyme activity had been developed and advanced as standard tools for researching the effects of climate change on microbial activities. Therefore the chapter compares the benefits and drawbacks of traditional and well-adapted methods with new techniques that had been developed for the assessment of the climate change impact of enzyme activities in soil.

High anthropogenic activities are constantly causing increased soil degradation and thus soil health and safety are becoming an important issue. The soil quality is deteriorating at an alarming rate in the neighborhood of smelters as a result of heavy metal deposition. Organic biowastes, also produced through anthropogenic activities, provide some solutions for remediation and management of degraded soils through their use as a substrate. Biowastes, due to their high content of organic compounds, have the potential to improve soil quality, plant productivity, and microbial activity contributing to higher humus production. Biowaste use also leads to the immobilization and stabilization of heavy metals, carbon sequestration, and release of macro and micronutrients. Increased carbon sequestration through biowaste use helps us in mitigating climate change and global warming. Soil amendment by biowaste increases soil activity and plant productivity caused by stimulation in shoot and root length, biomass production, grain yield, chlorophyll content, and decrease in oxidative stress. However, biowaste application to soils is a debatable issue due to their possible negative effect of high heavy metal concentration and risks of their accumulation in soils. Therefore, regulations for the use of biowastes as fertilizer or soil amendment must be improved and strictly employed to avoid environmental risks and the entry of potentially toxic elements into the food chain. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the effects of biowastes on soil remediation, plant productivity, and soil organic carbon sequestration.

Safe soil application of sewage sludge is a challenging environmental issue. Scientists' views on the impact of sewage sludge on the phytobiome are very different and inconsistent. Also, practitioners have differing views, especially foresters and farmers who are strongly opposed to the use of sewage sludge while sewage sludge producers and environmental engineers are in favor of land application. The aim of the present work is to assess the influence of sewage sludge soil application on the phytobiome. Changes in microbial functional diversity, community level, and physiological profiles due to sewage sludge soil treatment are measured and assessed using specific indicators. Moreover, the indicators are also strictly correlated with the sewage sludge processing and treatment before soil application.

The quality of sewage sludge depends on many factors and the final disposal is also very diverse. This chapter provides characterization of possible dehydration, stabilization, hygienization, and final disposal of municipal sewage sludge, including indication of barriers in the use of specific technologies and providing common reuse strategies. The chapter also shows that the potential of sewage sludge is still largely untapped while the resource recovery from sewage sludge is promising. The paper also reviews and evaluates ways of collecting data on quantity, quality, methods of sewage sludge treatment, and disposal. The existing problems have also been identified with regard to the management of sewage sludge in the sewage treatment areas (legal, economic, technical, and environmental issues).

Although sewage sludge generated by most large wastewater treatment plants is treated as waste, this 'waste' is both a source of energy and nutrients. Moreover, mainly in the small and medium-sized installations of municipal wastewater treatment plants is produced sewage sludge that meets the standards for soil application. Unfortunately, the overly simplified operating systems of small wastewater treatments plants cannot provide the satisfactory content of water in sewage sludge for energy recovery purposes. Therefore, new solutions for sewage sludge treatment are required. The study presents an innovative, energy effective, wastewater treatment and sewage sludge processing in one operational sequence, with significant energy consumption decrease and autothermal biomass production. Current research contains detailed technical information about the novel integrated waste water treatment plant and sewage sludge treatment installation as well as cost analysis in comparison to conventional treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the operation of the one prototype line for wastewater and sewage sludge treatment and the assessment of the obtained biomass and fertilizer. This new technology is a solution for small and medium-sized municipal wastewater treatment plants and is leading to change the conception of wastewater treatment process as a whole and is resolving the management of sewage sludge at the place where it is generated. In described process the sewage sludge is adequately treated by the installation apparatus and can be used in two ways: as a source of pathogen-free compost, or as a biomass and feedstock for simple thermal installation. Obtained sewage sludge can be recycled as biomass for combustion with the remaining ash acing as a plant nutrient-rich source (soil properties enhancer). Finally, in a modified wastewater treatment process, an odorless and stabilized compost or biomass for thermal energy recovery can be obtained and utilized directly at the place of origin. This alternative system allows for the systematic (and technological) adjustment of already existing, upgraded and newly-designed wastewater treatment plants. This new and innovative technology driven by assumptions about the best possible use of the resources and energy, allows for a more sustainable functioning of the treatment plant. The present study provides a significant insight into closing carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and energy loops in wastewater treatments system.

The challenge of environment management is a sustainable development of both environmental systems and the green economy. The main objective of this study was the optimization and testing of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria soil biopreparation and soil amendments as the alternative to or to help offset use of mineral soil fertilizers. A field study was conducted on a degraded area to improve plant biomass yield using inoculated bacteria. Moreover, organic additives (sewage sludge) and inorganic fertilizers were also used to compare their effectiveness. The conducted study investigated the combined effect of immobilized microbial consortium and soil substrates for plant growth (red fescue) on degraded areas and confirmed synergistic interactions between plants, microorganisms and soil substrates in the process of phytoremediation. The formulation consisted of immobilized bacterial consortia having mechanisms for the synthesis of compounds preferably affecting growth and development of (crop) plants. The conducted studies confirmed that the PGPR bacteria used in the experiment have the potential to promote plant growth, increase organic nitrogen the bioavailable P pool in soil. The results of the field study (synergy effect of alternative fertilization and bacteria) can be used to create effective methods in assisted soil bioremediation. This approach has a high social acceptance and reduces resource consumption of fertilizers having an impact on sustainable development. Implementing methods of supporting plant growth using microorganisms can undoubtedly contribute to the development of 'green' resource management.

The main aim of this study was to assess the modification in soil organic carbon (SOC) content in different fertilization strategies and changes in its chemical structure using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique. The field study was conducted using biosolids: compost from municipal sewage sludge, sewage sludge, lacustrine chalk, and two plants species—pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) for wood biomass and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus) for green biomass as energy crops. For miscanthus, the biomass production was improved when the abovementioned amendments were used. The biomass yield was much higher on plots with all applied amendments after 1 year growth. For energetic plants with very fast increase in biomass, soil treatments using amendments are reasonable. It was assumed that modification in SOC resulting from different fertilization strategies provides the SOC chemical structure changes. The cultivation of miscanthus for biomass production on degraded soils with the application of wastes and by-products can provide an example of rational management of available resources.

Energy crops are one of the possible solutions for reclamation of degraded or contaminated terrain. Their cultivation requires adequate fertilization typically containing high content of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorous. While sewage sludge may be one source of these necessary nutrients, it may also modify some plant biomass properties, such as total carbon content. In our study, we determined whether sewage sludge (containing different value of heavy metals) could be an effective fertilizer to obtain good quality energy crops (such as Miscanthus x gigantheus and reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea) and simultaneously play positive role for improvement of phytoremediation. The 3-year experiment was performed on degraded soil from terrain of steel mill of Czestochowa (Silesian region, Poland). During the study, it was confirmed that sewage sludge (also in combination with urea, CH4N2O) influences the mobility of Pb, Zn, Cd in soil solution, however the intensity of the process can be limited by plant species and time. Both miscanthus, and reed canary grass were characterized by the low value of bioconcentration factor (BCF), but because biomass was high, the total concentration of heavy metals in crops was comparable with hyperaccumulators. Additionally, modification of the fertilization affected energetic parameters, such as the content of carbon, S/Cl ratio, unitary CO2 emission. However, this effect was not statistically significant.

To investigate the effect of organic and inorganic amendments on heavy metal immobilization in soil and organic carbon sequestration, a growth chamber study over a period of 18 months was conducted. Phytoremediation of two degraded soils, smelter-polluted soil and post-mining soil, was carried out using Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris L.) and Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus x Giganteus). The increase in organic carbon content for lake chalk amended soils was noted. In addition, the largest root biomass production after fertilization of heavy metal contaminated soil with lake chalk was observed. This soil additive increases soil pH and reduces heavy metal mobility, which finally minimizes the harmful effect of metals on plant life and growth. Root biomass production of Giant Miscanthus was significantly higher than Scots pine root biomass for both soils. This may indicate better phytosequestration properties of Giant Miscanthus, especially in the case of land degradation due to mining and destruction of soil profiles.

This study evaluated the content of bioavailable forms of selected heavy metals present in the waste from Zn and Pb processing that can potentially have an effect on the observed difficulties in reclamation of landfills with this waste. The particular focus of the study was on iron because its potential excess or deficiency may be one of the causes of the failure in biological reclamation. The study confirmed that despite high content of total iron in waste (mean value of 200.975gkg-1), this metal is present in the forms not available to plants (mean: 0.00009gkg-1). The study attempted to increase its potential bioavailability through preparation of the mixtures of this waste with additions in the form of sewage sludge and coal sludge in different proportions. Combination of waste with 10% of coal sludge and sewage sludge using the contents of 10%, 20% and 30% increased the amounts of bioavailable iron forms to the level defined as sufficient for adequate plant growth. The Lepidum sativum test was used to evaluate phytotoxicity of waste and the mixtures prepared based on this waste. The results did not show unambiguously that the presence of heavy metals in the waste had a negative effect on the growth of test plant roots.

Land application of biosolids, such as sewage sludge or compost, has a great incentive in view of its fertilizer and soil amendment values, unless they contain toxic elements. The heterogeneous nature of biosolids produced in different processes necessitates knowledge of the chemical and biological properties of biosolids prior to the land application. Plant wastes are being increasingly used to produce compost, which is an important amendment to improve the properties of degraded soils. Some soil amendments can be used directly for the remediation of degraded areas and to fertilize the soil. One of the challenges of environment management is connection in usage as many resources towards achieving maximum benefit with minimum damage to the environment and even with achieving the improvement of the soil conditions. The biomass, land, and wastes are extremely important resources in the green economy. The biomass becomes an increasingly important raw material that can be produced using a wide group of wastes and by-products during the soil reclamation process. The main objective of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of the conjugation of three processes: waste, land, and biomass management. The pot and field studies were conducted on degraded area, using by-products and organic waste, in order to achieve soil phytoremediation effect. The study was conducted using biosolids, e.g., compost from municipal sewage sludge, sewage sludge, and lacustrine chalk and two plants species, for wood biomass—pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and for green biomass as energy crops giant miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus).

Sewage sludge, in particular from the food industry, is characterized by fertilizing properties, due to the high content of organic matter and nutrients. The application of sewage sludge causes an improvement of soil parameters as well as increase in cation exchange capacity, and thus stronger binding of cations in the soil environment, which involves the immobilization of nutrients and greater resistance to contamination. In a field experiment sewage sludge has been used as an additive to the soil supporting the phytoremediation process of land contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Zn, and Pb) using trees species: Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L.), and oak (Quercus robur L.). The aim of the research was to determine how the application of sewage sludge into the soil surface improves the phytoremediation process. The conducted field experiment demonstrated that selected trees like Scots pine and Norway spruce, because of its excellent adaptability, can be used in the remediation of soil. Oak should not be used in the phytoremediation process of soils contaminated with high concentrations of trace elements in the soil, because a significant amount of heavy metals was accumulated in the leaves of oak causing a risk of recontamination.

This review aimed to analyse the current state of management practices for poultry manure in Poland and present future perspectives in terms of technologies allowing closing the loops for circular economy, and thus recovery of nutrients and energy. The scope of the review focused primarily on: (1) the analysis of poultry production and generation of poultry manure with special references to quantities, properties (e.g. fertilizing properties), seasonality, etc.; (2) the overview of current practices and methods for managing poultry manure including advantages and limitations; (3) the analysis of potential and realistic threats and risk related to managing poultry manure, and also (4) the analysis of promising technologies for converting poultry manure into added value products and energy. The review addressed the following technologies: composting of poultry manure to obtain fertilizers and soil improvers, anaerobic digestion of poultry manure for energy recovery, and also pyrolysis of poultry manure into different types of biochar that can be applied in agriculture, horticulture and industry. Poultry manure is rich in macro- and micronutrients but also can contain various contaminants such as antibiotics or pesticides, and thus posing a realistic threat to soil and living organisms when applied to soil directly or after biological treatment. The main challenge in poultry manure processing is to assure sufficient closing of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous loops and safe application to soil.