Study of Change in Physico-Chemical Parameters by Treatment of Sludge from Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) with Earthworms

Abstract

One of the most vital problems of environmental protection concern is that of solid waste disposal. This problem continues to grow with the growth of population and the development of industries. The Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) already establishes itself as a service to society at large, contributing towards a cleaner environment. However, the inappropriate disposal of CETP’s hazardous sludge can cause serious environmental problems. The sludge if sent for landfilling may cause groundwater contamination, changing the soil fertility parameters as well. The research presented here is carried out to explore the ability of an epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to transform the sludge produced from CETP into a value-added product i.e., vermicompost. In this study, six samples of feed mixture were used with different ratios of CETP sludge, cow dung, and sawdust. Physico-chemical parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Volatile Solids (VS), Total Nitrogen (TN), Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3--N), Ammonium Nitrogen (NH4+-N) were characterized to analyze the quality of the compost formed. All these parameters are in the agreement with recommended standards of mature compost. The result shows that vermicomposting technique when used, epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae can work as a favorable alternative solution for the disposal of CETP sludge.