Municipal Solid Waste Vermicompost Research Articles

Vermicomposting of municipal solid waste as a possible lever for the development of sustainable agriculture. A review

Vermicomposting of municipal solid waste as a possible lever for the development of sustainable agriculture. A review

Metabarcoding analysis of the bacterial succession during vermicomposting of municipal solid waste employing the earthworm Eisenia fetida

A culture-independent DNA metabarcoding analysis of the bacterial communities was carried out throughout a complete vermicomposting cycle of municipal solid waste material using the earthworm Eisenia fetida. 16S rRNA amplicons from the initial material (0 days), an intermediate (42 days), and a final stage (84 days) were sequenced in an Illumina NGS platform and compared. A steady increase in community diversity was observed corresponding to a 2.5-fold higher taxa richness and correspondingly risen values of the Shannon and Simpson ecological indexes and the evenness parameter. A total of 49,665 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were counted. From the qualitative standpoint, a clear successional shift was observed with an initial community dominated by putatively plant-associated groups belonging to the Rhizobiales order within the Alphaproteobacteria class, regressively leaving the scores of relative abundance (RA) to the Firmicutes phylum and in particular to the Bacilli. Vermistabilization of municipal solid waste (MSW) increased (p < 0.001) the TKN and total P content in the final vermicompost, while pH, TOC, and C/N ratio declined (p < 0.001) in the process. Likewise, a progressive decrease was noticed in β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and urease activity while protease and dehydrogenase showed a slight increase, followed by a steep fall. A strong positive correlation was observed among the canonical functions of physico-chemical attributes and enzyme activities. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that significant families did not change on the temporal scale; however, their abundance was influenced by the abiotic environmental factors. In comparison to prior studies on vermicomposting that used different earthworm species (Eisenia andrei) and different substrates, results reflect a considerable degree of substrate specificity for the earthworm species used. The results offer clues to optimize the vermistabilization of MSW along with its potential use in agriculture, to foster improved levels of the circular economy.

Effect of Vermicomposting and Composting of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) on Growth, Yield and Quality of Chickpea

The present investigation was undertaken with an objective to understand the effect of municipal solid waste (MSW) vermicompost and compost on growth, yield and quality of chickpea. The experiment was laid in randomized block design with three replications and seven treatments viz, T1 - RDF, T2 - RDF + vermicompost of MSW @ 2.5 t ha-1, T3 - RDF + vermicompost of MSW @ 5 t ha-1, T4 - RDF + vermicompost of MSW @ 7.5 t ha-1, T5 - RDF + compost of MSW @ 2.5 t ha-1, T6 -compost of MSW @ 5 t ha-1, T7 -compost of MSW @ 7.5 t ha-1. The field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Latur farm during the Rabi season 2016-2017. The recommended dose of fertilizer (25:50:00 N: P: K) and MSW vermicompost and compost was applied at the time of sowing. The results of field experiment revealed that the maximum availability of macro and micronutrients in soil, growth attributes viz. plant height and number of branches in all growth stages of chickpea were found at application of 7.5 tones of MSW vermicompost ha-1 along with 100% RDF (25:50:00 NPK) followed by application of 7.5 tones MSW compost ha-1 along with 100% RDF and which was significantly increased with increased levels of MSW vermicompost and compost. Similar trend was observed in case of yield and quality parameters viz., protein content of chickpea.

A comparative analysis of composts and vermicomposts derived from municipal solid waste for the growth and yield of green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

This work was conducted to evaluate and compare the responses of Phaseolus vulgaris to three types of composts and vermicomposts derived from municipal solid waste (MSW). Different amendment rates were used and evaluated for their effect on germination, growth, and marketable yield. MSW-derived vermicomposts and composts were substituted into mineral brown-earth soil, applied at rates of 0 (control), 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100% (v/v) in plastic pots of 7.2-L capacity. Green beans which are grown in 40% vermicompost/soil mixtures and compost/soil mixtures yielded 78.3-89.5% higher fruit weights as compared to control. Results showed that MSW vermicomposts consistently outperformed equivalent quantities of composts in terms of fruit yield, shoot, and root dry weights, which can be attributed to the contributions of physicochemical properties and nutrients content (N, P, and K) in the potting experiments. Consequently, it seemed likely that MSW vermicompost provided other biological inputs such as plant growth regulators (PGRs) and plant growth hormones (PGHs), which could have a considerably positive effect on the growth and yields of P. vulgaris as compared to composts. More in-depth scientific investigation is required in order to identify the distinctive effects and the exact mechanisms of these PGRs in MSW vermicomposts which influenced plant growth responses.

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Salem City, India

Salem City in Tamilnadu is an ancient city and one of the selected Smart Cities of India facing a serious environmental threat due to improper disposal of the 335 MT per day of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation. The entire solid waste generated from the city has been dumped in an unscientific manner nearly for four decades in Erumapalayam land fill area (28 acres) which is located 12 km away from the city and presently it overflows with heaps of daily accumulation of MSW. Hence, in the present study an attempt has been made to convert the MSW of the city into bio-compost through vermicomposting technique and thereby aimed to implement waste to wealth practices in the city judiciously. The experimental works in the field on vermicomposting of MSW and the Cost Benefit Analysis of the same revealed that the vermicomposting process of MSW is an eco friendly, economical way of disposing the MSW of Salem City and upon implantation of the same in Salem City, it would yield a net revenue of Rs 450/MT/day over and above the routine operational expenses of Rs.706/MT/day to the Salem city municipal corporation.

Effect of vermicompost produced from municipal solid waste on growth and yield of isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum)

Vermicompost has been identified as an alternative to fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in agriculture. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of municipal solid waste vermicompost (MSV) as organic fertilization on the growth characteristics, phenological stages, and yield of isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum) under field condition. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with four different amounts of MSV; 5, 10, 15 and 20 t ha-1 (on the dry weight basis) that were applied with four replications. The experiment was conducted in 2009 at the Zabol University research farm in Zabol, south Iran. Application of MSV had no significant impact on phenological cycles of both crops. Crop development was completed in 117 to 124 days equivalent to 1878 to 1927 degree-days in the isabgol and 111 to 113 days equivalent to 1192 to 1224 degree-days in cumin. Results indicated that applications of MSV significantly increased growth and yield of both crops only at the 10 t ha-1 rate. At rates higher than 10 t ha-1, yield rate decreased significantly. These stimulations were attributed to the presence of high levels of essential nutrients as N, P, and organic matter in MSV. These results suggested that MSV, in amounts of about 10 t ha-1, could be utilized efficiently as an important source of nutrients, and did not have any significant harmful effect on crop productivity. In contrast, the nutrients proved beneficial to soil fertility and isabgol and cumin productivity. Key words: Vermicompost, Isabgol, cumin, medicinal plant.

Effect of Heavy Metals on Earthworm Activities During Vermicomposting of Municipal Solid Waste

The effect of heavy metals on the activities of earthworm species Eudrillus eugineae was studied during vermicomposting of municipal solid waste (MSW) spiked with heavy metals. The activities of earthworms, in terms of growth and biomass production and number of cocoons produced, were monitored periodically, and the concentration of heavy metals in earthworms and substrates was determined at definite intervals. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed by mixing individual heavy metals in MSW. Copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, and zinc were selected for the study. The study concludes that heavy metals tend to accumulate in the body of earthworms; hence, the inherent concentration of heavy metals in the substrate before vermicomposting must be considered in view of composting of MSW and its application to soil. It was observed that copper and cadmium were toxic for the worms at 1.5 and 0.1 g/kg of the waste, respectively. The studies also suggest that earthworms are susceptible to the free form of heavy metals. Cadmium is the most toxic metal, followed by copper. Based on the investigation and observation, it was also found that earthworms should be separated from castings before the use of castings in soil amendments.

Compost production from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) employing bioinoculants

The effect of antibiotic producer fungi (Penicillium chrysogenum, P. funiculosum) and free living nitrogen fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum) on the quality of vermicompost prepared from MSW was observed in the present study. Prior to vermicomposting of MSW the interaction studies among bioinoculants and E. fetida, in Farm Yard Manure (FYM), was also carried out to see the effect of bioinoculants on the growth and fecundity of earthworms. This combination of bioinoculants (A. chroococcum, P. chrysogenum and P. funiculosum) proved to be better, in terms of quality of vermicompost, than all other combinations tried.

Effect on maturity and nutritional parameters during vermicomposting of Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal solid wastes are the residue facing restrictive legislation with respect to landfill disposal of the biodegradable fraction. One of the frequent problem is that the compost maturity of these residues are not achieved due to the high C : N ratio. The present research work shows the effect on compost maturity and nutritional parameters of compost, during vermicomposting. The various parameters studied during composting are the C : N ratio, Total Potassium, Phosphorus, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Electrical Conductivity and pH of the soil. The research concluded that a better quality of compost from MSW could be generated using the vermicomposting technique.

Municipal solid waste management through vermicomposting employing exotic and local species of earthworms

A comparative study was conducted between exotic and local (epigeic- Eisenia fetida and anaecic- Lempito mauritii, respectively) species of earthworms for the evaluation of their efficacy in vermicomposting of municipal solid waste (MSW). Vermicomposting of MSW for 42 days resulted in significant difference between the two species in their performance measured as loss in total organic carbon, carbon–nitrogen ratio (C:N) and increase in total Kjeldahl nitrogen, electrical conductivity and total potassium and weight loss of MSW. The change in pH and increase in number of earthworms and cocoons and weight of earthworms were non-significant.