Dynamics of microbial populations in the composting process of marine organic waste

Abstract

It is estimated that marine waste consist of 60% organic material. Therefore, waste must be handled using a composting process. The main determining factor in the composting process is the microorganisms associated with the C/N ratio. Therefore, this research was conducted to observe the dynamics of microbial populations during the decomposition of marine organic waste. The research method for calculating microbial populations (bacteria and fungi) is the dilution method using a colony counter with the Pour Platedilution technique (CFU/g). The results showed that the microbial population, both fungi and bacteria, fluctuated from week 1 to 10 of the composting process. This is related to the temperature during the composting process and the C/N ratio. The highest population of bacteria and fungi was found in the sixth week of composting at 300 x 107 CFU/g where the process entered the thermophilic phase with a C/N of 55.