Composting: Advantages and Disadvantages

https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR_Vol.4_Issue.2_Feb2017/Abstract_IJRR0015.html, 2017

The solid waste from garbage and household materials, flowers and waste food needs proper treatment as it can contaminate groundwater resources. The most commonly used method for waste treatment is open dumping. This method is cheap but dangerous from health perspectives. Vermicomposting is one of the most practiced methods for domestic and household solid waste. In this, earthworms feed on anything that is biodegradable. Extra care is needed to prevent plant damage as high plant nutrients and plant growth stimulators can inhibit seed germination and growth to some degree. Investigations indicated increase in the parameters like total nitrogen (%), Available phosphorus (%) and Exchangeable potassium (%).Vermicomposting may supply an opportunity for employment. Many investigations have been reported on vermicomposting. The current review provides an insight on studies and research on vermicomposting.

Munis Entomology & Zoology, 2024

Vermicomposting is a biological process that uses earthworms to transform organic waste into compost that is rich in nutrients. It has become a popular and environmentally acceptable way to handle solid waste. This review offers a thorough analysis of the benefits, techniques, and fundamental concepts of vermicomposting as an achievable approach to the globe's waste management problem. It starts with an overview of the technique and then explores the biology of earthworms to clarify their function in the breakdown of organic matter and the improvement of soil fertility. Furthermore, the review focuses on several factors that affect vermicomposting effectiveness, such as temperature, moisture content, pH, and kinds of organic materials used. It explains the various types of earthworms that are suitable for vermicomposting. The advantages of vermicomposting on the environment are emphasized. This procedure yields nutrient-rich vermicompost, which is an excellent organic fertilizer that improves soil health and plant development without using as much chemical fertilizer. This review concludes by highlighting the significance of vermicomposting as an economical, sustainable, and socially responsible approach to managing solid waste. It offers perspectives and recommendations for decision-makers, practitioners, and interested individuals who are interested in maximizing vermicomposting's potential for enhancing communities and ecosystems while reducing the environmental impact of waste disposal methods.

Agronomy

Industrialization and urbanization have led to an increased accumulation of waste materials that are transformed into a nutrient-rich and high-quality product called vermicompost by the vermicomposting process. Vermicomposting is an ecofriendly and economically favorable biotechnological process that involves the interaction of earthworms and microorganisms. Due to the importance of this process and its great potential in dealing with the consequences of waste accumulation, this review aims to provide key insights as well as highlight knowledge gaps. It is emphasized that there is a great challenge in understanding and clarifying the mechanisms involved in the vermicomposting process. The optimization of the factors affecting the possible application of vermicompost is crucial for obtaining the final product. Information on the composition of bacterial communities, amount of vermicompost, effect on heavy metal content, plant pathogens, diseases and organic waste selection is here re...

Vermicompost Technology: Impact on the Environment and Food Security, 2020

ABSTRACT In recent years, increasing consumer concern about issues such as food quality,environmental safety and soil conservation has lead to a substantial increase in the use ofsustainable agricultural practices. Globally, roughly one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. Vermicomposting which is one of the most sustainable methods of handling food waste and are completely environmentally friendly technology that is viable method of diverting the organic portion of waste streams, avoiding the costs of disposal and converting it to a value-added vermicompost. This product is nutrient-rich but also contains high quality humus, plant growth hormones, enzymes, and substances which are able to protect plants against pests and diseases. Many cropping areas in the world are deficient in organic matter and nutrient. KEYWORDS: Vermicompost, Food security, Earthworms, Environment, Agriculture

International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture

The waste management and crop residues are serious problems in the world. Major crops like rice, wheat, sugarcane residues burning causes environmental pollution like smog. The best technique to manage all kind of waste is vermicomposting that is environment friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable approach which convert garbage in to black gold that is called vermi-fertilizer. Compositing process is mainly involved for increased transformation of organic decay within stable organic compound via the interaction of beneficial microorganisms under regulate increased temperature 45°C-60°C that permits sanitation of organic decay by eradication harmful microbes. In preparation of vermicompost, organic waste products are being oxidized via the mutual activity of useful microbes and earthworm. Vermi-fertilizer is rich source of all macro and micro nutrients, i.e., Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), manganese (Mg), growth promoters and regulators hormones like Auxin, gibberellin, enzymes i.e., protease, lipase, chitinase, beneficial bacterias i.e., Bacillus subtilis. Almost 3,000 species of earthworms are identified for vermicomposting, in which Eisenia fetida, Eisenia Andrei, Eudrilus eugeniae and Perionyn excavates are most suitable for vermicompost preparation.

Journal of Human Ecology, 2008

An innovative discipline of vermiculture biotechnology, the breeding and propagation of earthworms and the use of its castings has become an important tool of waste recycling the world over. Epigeics like Eisenia foetida and Eudrilus euginiae have been used in converting organic wastes (agro waste and domestic refuse) into vermicompost. In FRI, the division of Ecology and Environment has started a project on vermitechnology using the earthworm species Eisenia foetida.

Engineering and Scientific International Journal, 2020

Waste Management comprises the sum of all measures for the avoidance and minimization also because the controlled and environmentally acceptable disposal of waste of all types' i.e. domestic waste also as commercial and industrial waste. Landfill, Incineration and Composting are the three methods normally used for management of organic and inorganic wastes. Present study was undertaken to find out the effect of vermi-composting on the nutrients availability from different types of organic waste available from kitchen of Hostel, farm of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and water body of Amreli. Vermicompost helps in further enhancement of nutrients and improve the quality of compost irrespective of type of waste due to the action of earthworms. The compost prepared from kitchen waste has highest nutrient composition (viz. NPK, C:N and C:P ratio) followed by farm waste and water hyacinth. The vermicomposting is a cost effective and simple technology which can be easily learned and adopted to treat organic waste effectively.

Vermicomposting is a bio-conversion process which is widely being used for solid waste management. In this bio-conversion process, earthworms feed on the organic waste to produce more earthworms, vermicompost and vermiwash as products. Earthworms which include Megascolex Mauritii, Eisenia Fetida, Eudrilus Eugeniae, Perionnyx Excavatus, Lampito Mauritii, Eisenia Andrei, Lampito Rubellus and Drawida Willis have been widely used for vermicomposting. Vermicomposting has been done for various wastes including animal, plant, pharmaceutical, food waste and sewage waste over vermicomposting periods ranging from 28-120 days using these earthworms. The process conditions during vermicomposting ranged from 18-67°C for temperature, pH 5.9-8.3 and moisture content 10.6-80%. Vermicompost yields of 30-50% have been achieved for various organic wastes and composting periods. The vermicompost and vermiwash produced were rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK). The vermicompost obtained had NPK compositions ranging from 0.3-4.19%, 0.2-1.6% and 0.2-6.18% respectively. The vermiwash obtained had NPK composition ranging from 0.14-1.58%, 0.05-7.53% and 0.47-1.26% respectively. Vermicompost and vermiwash have been applied on cow pea, soy bean, maize and marigold as bio-fertilizers. Vermicomposting can be used for solid waste management and the production of bio-fertilizers.

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2011

Treatment of solid wastes using earthworms has been intensively investigated in recent years. Most of the agricultural, urban or industrial organic materials can be used for vermicomposting, ensuring that they do not contain toxic materials, which can harm the earthworms. The transformation of solid wastes into vermicompost is of double interest: a waste is converted into value-added product and it controls a pollutant that is a consequence of increasing population, urbanisation and intensive agriculture. This paper deals with the state of research on various aspects of vermicomposting process.