Abstract
Inadequate management of solid organic waste can lead to the spread of diseases and negatively affects the environment. Fermentation and vermicomposting of organic waste could have dual benefits by generating earthworm biomass for a source of animal feed protein, and, at the same time, turning the organic waste into readily used compost. This study investigated the effect of an organic waste source (as a sole source or blended with others) totaling 24 media for the cultivation of the earthworm Eisenia foetida. Eight media sources were applied, namely cow manure, horse manure, goat manure, broiler chicken manure, market organic waste, household organic waste, rice straw, and beef rumen content. E. foetida was cultivated for 40 days, then the number of cocoons, earthworms, and the total biomass weight were measured at the end of the cultivation. Results demonstrated that the media source affected E. foetida earthworm cultivation. The most effective media were those containing horse manure that led to the production of the highest earthworms and the highest biomass. The produced cocoons and earthworms were poorly correlated with an r-value of 0.26 and p-value of 0.21. Meanwhile, the number and weight of the earthworms correlated well with an r-value of 0.784 and p-value of <0.01. However, the average numbers and weights of the produced earthworms in the media containing horse manure, cow manure, goat manure, and non-blended organic waste were insignificant. Overall results suggest that blended organic wastes can undergo composting to produce nutrient-rich earthworm biomass while turning the solid organic waste into readily used compost.
Highlights
Humans, livestock, and crops produce approximately 38 billion metric tons of organic waste worldwide annually [1]
cow manure (CM)-rumen content (RC), horse manure (HM)-rice straw (RS), and HM-household organic waste (HW) showed the three highest total tion between the number of the cocoons and the number of the earthworms, with an r biomass weights, with an insignificant difference based on the Tukay HSD test
The first group constituted of eight media, namely goat manure (GM)-RC, HM + RS (HM-RS), HM + HW (HM-HW), CM, HM, CM + RC (CM-RC), HM-market organic waste (MW), and GM with an average total biomass weight of 50.8 ± 2.3 g/nest box
Summary
Livestock, and crops produce approximately 38 billion metric tons of organic waste worldwide annually [1]. Such a vast amount of solid waste can have significant impacts on the disposal and methane emission from the anaerobic fermentation process. The open dumping of organic waste facilitates the breeding of disease vectors and creates environmental pollution issues. Adequately processed organic waste can be used for agriculture and industries. Composting is a simple, sustainable option and is most economical for handling organic waste. Organic wastes are naturally transformed into plant nutrients by a variety of soil decomposers involving bacteria, fungi, and earthworms [3]
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