Abstract
PurposeThe objectives of this study were to assess the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) composting potential and to analyse the quality of organic fertilizer produced for agricultural purposes.MethodsThe waste biodegradation was determined by varying waste feed treatment (2, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, to 4 kg) and control treatment of (2 kg) of heterogeneous mixture of municipal organic solid waste from market, restaurant and households. Each of the setups received equal number of viable larvae (i.e. 2000) which were 5–6 days old. To analyse the nutrient concentration of the compost residues with BSFL, the substrate and final compost were evaluated based on the levels of NPK as well as the C:N ratio. To evaluate the toxic levels of the final compost in terms of heavy metals, the presence and levels of As, Cd, Fe, Pb and Ni were investigated.ResultsThe analysis showed that there was high percentage increase of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels, i.e. 41.2% (SD ± 0.71%), 32.4% (SE ± 0.2%) and 77.1% (SE ± 0.19%), respectively. It was found that the larvae degraded more than half of the total substrate within 2 weeks. The study showed a decrease in heavy metal concentrations after larvae composting.ConclusionThe study revealed that the concentration of NPK increased significantly among the treatment groups. The study further revealed that some of the heavy metals under investigation had reduced to an acceptable level according to the standards of both local and international regulatory bodies.
Highlights
Municipal solid waste management is an issue of great concern to especially urban governance because of solid waste effects on the environmental health most especially in the developing countries (UN-HABITAT 2010)
It is reported that food waste is the number three contributor of global carbon dioxide production and produces more than double the carbon dioxide produced by all ground transportation in the United States of America
In view of the above, the objectives of the study are to (1) investigate the decomposition efficiency of the black soldier fly larvae on heterogeneous mixture of municipal organic solid waste, (2) assess the larvae compost maturity and (3) analyse the heavy metal removal of the compost for agricultural purposes
Summary
Municipal solid waste management is an issue of great concern to especially urban governance because of solid waste effects on the environmental health most especially in the developing countries (UN-HABITAT 2010). This is due to inadequate infrastructure and technical inefficiencies. A report by FAO estimated that 1.6 billion tons of food waste were generated worldwide in 2007 and that accounted for about one-third of the global food production. Improper disposal of solid waste takes up space in landfills This eventually contributes to the spread of disease, and the production of noxious odour (Hoornweg and BhadaTata 2012).
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