A

RESEARCH
PROJECT REPORT

VERMICOMPOST : IT’S APPLICATIONS AT R.B.N.B. COLLEGE ,

SHRIRAMPUR SUBMITED TO

SAVITRIBAI PHULE PUNE UNIVERSITY , PUNE FOR THE

FULFILMENT OF DEGREE
BACHELOUR OF SCIENCE , ZOOLOGY
BY
MISS. HARAR PRITI RAVINDRA
TY.BSc ZOOLOGY
UNDER THE GUIDANCE
OF MS. SHAIKH
SAMEENA H.
(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR)

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY ,
R. B. NARAYANRAO BORAWAKE COLLEGE ,
SHRIRAMPUR – 413709
 U.G. EXPERIMENT OF ZOOLOGY
R.B.N.B . COLLEGE SHEIRAMPUR – 413709
APRIL 2023-24

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the the project work entitled VERMICOMPOST :

IT’S APPLICATIONS AT R.B.N.B. COLLEGE, SHRIRAMPUR has been
successfully carried out by MISS. HARAR PRITI RAVINDRA during the
academic year 2023-24 in partial fulfilment of the course of the study for
Bachelor of Science in ZOOLOGY as per the syllabus prescribed by
UNIVERSITY OF PUNE .

PR0JECT GUIDE , EXAMINAR, HEAD OF DEPARTMENT,

MS. SHAIKH SAMEENA H. DR. KAWADE S. A.
PLACE : SHRIRAMPUR

DATE : 22/04/2024
 The fact that vermicomposting offers the nutrients and hormones that promote development
that plants require is becoming increasingly apparent. It is said that plants produced using
vermicompost have higher-quality fruits, flowers, vegetables, and other plant products with
longer shelf lives. An increasing number of people and organizations are becoming interested
in compost generation through earthworm activity. A few of them even dabbled in commercial
production.
Since many of us now choose organic fruits, vegetables, and other items since they are not
produced with hazardous fertilizers, vermicomposting is a lucrative industry. These come from
organic farms that use manures and composts made by vermicomposting and other composting
processes. This helps to encourage environmentally friendly farming practices without
interfering with the soil's natural processes. Let's examine the vermicompost production cost
as well as the observed income and returns in the next part. Compost pits are used for
vermicomposting when the right kind of earthworms are used. Given that vermicompost is
highly required in the market for the creation of organic food, this might be prepared into a
manufacturing unit.

( image by google . com)

The scientific process for producing compost with earthworms is called vermicomposting.
Usually found in soil, they consume biomass as food and expel it once it has been digested.
"Worm-farming" is what vermiculture is. Earthworms produce "vermicasts," or excreta, which
are rich in nitrates and minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
They feed on organic waste materials. They improve the quality of the soil and are used as
fertilizers.
This is the vermicompost project formed by the HEAD OF THE ZOOLOGY
DEPARTMENT Dr.K.H.KALUNKHE SIR WITH THE FINANCIAL GUIDANCE OF
PRINCIPLE OF RAVBAHADUR NARAYANRAONRAO BORAWAKE COLLOEGE,
SHRIRAMPUR in year of 2014-15.

It has been demonstrated that growing Amaranthus viridis plants in a vermiponic nutrition
medium increases the plants' growth, nutrient contents, protein, starch, and sugar contents
(Deepthi et al., 2021b). Vermiwash, a liquid extract of vermicompost that is high in nutrients,
is a good growth medium for plants grown hydroponically. Earthworm activity on biomass
waste substrates and microbial decomposition result in vermicompost, a very important organic
material.
While earthworms, the ecological engineers, aid in the physical and mechanical breakdown of
biomass into tiny particles, increase its surface area, improve air flow within the substrate, and
speed up the complete conversion of the ingested biomass materials into vermicompost,
microbes play a major biochemical role in the breakdown of the organic polymers in biomass
waste into their monomeric units to release nutrients and energy.
 (image by google . com )

It produces compost that is rich in humus and nutrients, making it a sustainable method of
treating waste. However, it also has drawbacks, such as a slow rate of biomass conversion, the
production of greenhouse gases, odors, and the potential for nutrient loss through leaching and
water body contamination. On the other hand, the process of producing biochar by pyrolysis is
a waste management technique that requires heating biomass waste to temperatures as high as
450 °C in an anaerobic atmosphere.
Through this process, biomass materials are transformed into biochar, a stable carbon substance
that is beneficial for soil carbon sequestration, plant health and productivity, and the production
of extracellular enzymes by microbes (Kizito et al., 2019; Nwabunwanne et al., 2021; Raut et
al., 2008). Pyrolysis has a number of drawbacks despite its advantages in waste management,
including the high energy costs associated with heating and drying biomass, the release of
greenhouse gases, and the volatilization of macronutrients at high temperatures (Ahmed et al.,
2019; Bridle and Pritchard, 2004).
Because of its efficiency, effectiveness, low cost, potential for financial gain through the selling
of earthworms, and environmental friendliness, vermicomposting technology is still favored
above these alternatives.
However, in recent years, earthworms have been used more frequently in vermicomposting
technology due to the necessity to expedite the treatment of organic waste, reduce the
turnaround time in waste recycling, and enhance the amount of organic fertilizer produced. It's
likely that household vermicomposting technology will be used more frequently in the next
years to treat household trash and produce organic fertilizer for horticultural and agricultural
reasons.
The widespread use of vermicomposting technology for home waste treatment will be fueled
by the immense benefits of waste treatment and management. Indeed, vermicomposting is an
inexpensive method for breaking down biomass products. This technology is effective and can
function both indoors and outdoors throughout the year.
Additionally, this technology falls into the categories of batch and continuous feed
vermicomposting based on how it operates. Depending on the operating circumstances and
reactor capacity, the organic waste is fed into the reactor in one or more batches during batch
vermicomposting. To promote aeration and decomposition, it may occasionally be physically
flipped and stacked up in rows on the ground (windrow).
On the other hand, manual operation of the continuous feed systems would allow for the
removal of various trays carrying various aged and degraded organic wastes from the reactor
upon maturity and the introduction of new trays containing fresh wastes back into the system.
The young or recently added trash is left to decay in this reactor while the older or fully
decomposed organic matter—free of earthworms—is removed.
A scraper incorporated within the reactor continuously removes mature vermicompost from the
system when it is operated mechanically or automatically. A device positioned above the reactor
introduces the waste at a predetermined quantity and interval.
Every one of these methods has advantages and disadvantages that affect the reactor's operating
system, which in turn affects the earthworms' growth and the rate at which biomass is
converted. This provides the context for comprehending the biotechnological developments in
the production of vermicompost. For example, selecting a bed material to encourage earthworm
growth and deciding whether to mix it with waste or keep them apart can have a significant
impact on the process as a whole, earthworm survival, and the extent of waste decomposition
(Huang et al., 2016).
The mass flow rate of heat, water, nutrients, and microbial enzymes in the reactor is also
determined in equal measure by the materials used in its construction. Due to a number of
constraints and variables, including the presence of microplastics, temperature, the feedstock's
carbon to nitrogen ratio, the amount of agricultural waste mixed in, the type of earthworms
used, and reactor geometry, to mention a few, no reactor has been able to bioconvert biomass
material to vermicompost with 100% efficiency up to this point (Balachandar et al., 2021; Bo
et al., 2021; Paul et al., 2018; Zhong et al., 2021; Zziwa et al., 2021).
The aspects of vermicomposting, its advantages in waste management, and its role in the
circular economy have all been covered in other reviews (Alshehrei and Ameen, 2021;
Chowdhury et al., 2023; Samal et al., 2019; Singh and Singh, 2017). To the best of our
knowledge, no study has used this waste management technology to objectively assess how the
vermireactor material and the vermicomposting technique affect the process's ability to valorize
waste.
As a result, this study summarizes current information about vermicomposting technologies,
including their potential and limits, and it also suggests ways to improve the technology already
in use for the effective bioconversion of biomass waste to vermicompost. In essence, the
purpose of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of various vermireactors in waste
valorisation while also presenting the current viewpoint on waste treatment under various
vermicomposting processes.
The information offered in this work will aid in the accurate adoption of the proper
vermireactor, treatment procedure, and/or generating modifications for improving currently in
use technologies. Various treatment approaches and reactor materials exert various impacts on
the treatment process. Thus, integrating technology, process parameters, and vermicomposting
procedures will be necessary to decrease substrate bioconversion turnaround time and boost
earthworm productivity and vermicompost quality.
Materials needed :
agricultural waste, such as grasses, weeds, leaves, sugarcane debris, stubbles, and other waste
materials; stalks, roots, and stems;

1400–1500 kg of green manuring crop stalks, prunings, etc.

90–100 kg of cow manure (8–10 baskets)
1750 kg of dry sieved soil (120 baskets) (Earth urinated is more efficient)
Water: seasonal variations (higher during dry spells and lower during rainy spells) 1500–2000
liters