Organic Waste Recyling: Soibam Khogen Singh

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ORGANIC WASTE RECYLING

Soibam Khogen Singh


Composting
• Haug (1980) defined composting as the biological
decomposition and stabilization of organic
substrates under conditions which allow
development of thermophilic temperatures as a
result of biologically produced heat, with a final
product sufficiently stable for storage and
application to land without adverse
environmental effects.
• Products: carbon dioxide, water, minerals, and
stabilized organic matter
Organic materials suitable
• Generally, composting is applied to solid and
semi-solid organic wastes such as night-soil,
sludge, animal manures, agricultural residues,
and municipal refuse, whose solid contents
are usually higher than 5 %.
Aerobic vs Anaerobic
• indicate what conditions are predominant in the
process
• Aerobic composting is the decomposition of
organic wastes in the presence of oxygen (air);
the end-products of biological metabolism are
CO2, NH3, water and heat
• Anaerobic composting is the decomposition of
organic wastes in the absence of oxygen; the
end-products are CH4, CO2, NH3 and trace
amounts of other gases, and other low
molecular-weight organic acids
• NH3 is further oxidized to become nitrate (NO3-)
by the nitrifying bacteria during the maturation
• Release more heat energy resulting in a rapid
decomposition rate, aerobic composting has
been a preferred technology
• Anaerobic composting is a slow process and
can produce obnoxious odors originating from
the intermediate metabolites such as
mercaptans and sulfides.
• Depending on the methods of operation,
anaerobic composting can produce
temperatures near to or at thermophilic
levels.
• Because of its simplicity, anaerobic
composting has found some applications in
many rural areas
• Composting pits being practiced in rural areas
are aerobic at first and become anaerobic
during the later stages of composting period
Composting types
A. ‘Mechanical‘ and 'non-mechanical' process
B. ‘On-site' and 'off-site' processes
C. Batch operation and continuous or semi-
continuous operation
D. Mesophilic‘ composting (25-40°C) and
'thermophilic' composting (50-65°C)
Objectives, benefits and limitations
A. Waste stabilization
B. Pathogen inactivation
C. Nutrient and land reclamation (inorganic
nutrients are mainly in the insoluble forms
which are less likely to leach than the soluble
forms of the un-composted wastes
D. Sludge drying
Issue: unreliability of the process in providing
the expected nutrient concentrations and
pathogen die-offs
Biochemical reactions
• Proteins peptides amino acids
ammonium compounds bacterial
protoplasm and atmospheric nitrogen or
ammonia
• Carbohydrates simple sugars organic
acids CO2 and bacterial protoplasm.
Phases during decomposition
• Latent phase (microorganisms to acclimatize and
colonize in the new environment)
• Growth phase (rise of biologically produced
temperature to mesophilic level)
• Thermophilic phase (temperature rises to the
highest level)
• Maturation phase (temperature decreases to
mesophilic and, consequently, ambient levels)
• - secondary fermentation takes place which is
slow and favors humification and Nitrification
Nitrification
Practical application in aquaculture
• Utilization as feed for fish
• The public health hazard resulting from this
practice is considered to be much lower than
the direct feeding of septic tank sludge or
night-soil to fish ponds.
Vermi-composting
• Earthworms live in the soil and feed on decaying
organic material
• After digestion, the undigested material moves
through the alimentary canal of the earthworm, a
thin layer of oil is deposited on the castings
• The chemical changes that organic wastes
undergo include deodorizing and neutralizing.
• This means that the pH of the castings is 7
(neutral) and the castings are odorless.
• The worm castings also contain bacteria, so the
process is continued in the soil, and
microbiological activity is promoted.
Definition and benefits
• Vermi-composting is the process of turning
organic debris into worm castings
• The castings contain high amounts of
nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium,
and magnesium.
• Castings contain: 5 times the available
nitrogen, 7 times the available potash, and 1
½ times more calcium than found in good
topsoil. 
Materials for preparation
• Crop residues

• Weed biomass

• Vegetable waste

• Leaf litter

• Hotel refuse

• Waste from agro-industries

• Biodegradable portion of urban and rural wastes


Phase of vermi-composting
• Phase 1: separation of waste
• Phase 2: Pre digestion of organic waste for
twenty days
• Phase 3: Preparation of earthworm bed.
• Phase 4: Collection of earthworm after vermi-
compost collection. 
• Phase 5: Storing the vermi-compost
What Worms Need?
• An hospitable living environment, usually
called “bedding”
• A food source
• Adequate moisture (greater than 50% water
content by weight)
• Adequate aeration
• Protection from temperature extremes
Bedding
• This habitat must have the following
characteristics:
• High absorbency
• Good bulking potential
• Low protein and/or nitrogen content (high
Carbon: Nitrogen ratio)
Requirements
• Housing: Sheltered culturing of worms is
recommended
• Containers: Cement tanks were constructed.
• Bedding and feeding materials: During the
use cow-dung in order to breed sufficient
numbers of earthworms.
Production Methodology
• Selection of suitable earthworm
• The African earthworm (Eudrillus
engenial), Red worms (Eisenia foetida) and
composting worm (Peronyx excavatus) are
promising worms
• Selection of site for vermi-compost
production
• place with shade, high humidity and cool
• Containers for vermi-compost production
• A cement tub may be constructed to a height
of 2½ feet and a breadth of 3 feet. 
• The bottom of the tub is made to slope like
structure to drain the excess water from
vermi-compost unit.
• A small sump is necessary to collect the drain
water.
• Vermi-culture bed
• Vermi-culture bed or worm bed (3 cm) can be
prepared by placing after saw dust or husk or
coir waste or sugarcane trash in the bottom of
tub / container.
• A layer of fine sand (3 cm) should be spread
over the culture bed followed by a layer of
garden soil (3 cm). 
• All layers must be moistened with water.
• Worm Food
• Manures are the most commonly used worm
feedstock, with dairy and beef manures generally
considered the best natural food for Eisenia
• Putting the waste in the container
• The predigested waste material should be mud with
30% cattle dung either by weight or volume.
• The mixed waste is placed into the tub/ container up-
to brim.
• The moisture level should be maintained at 60%. Over
this material, the selected earthworm is placed
uniformly.
• For one-meter length, one-meter breadth and 0.5-
meter height, 1 kg of worm (1000 Nos.) is required.
• Watering the vermi-bed
• Daily watering is not required for vermi-bed. But
60% moisture should be maintained throughout
the period. 
• Harvesting vermi-compost
•  the castings formed on the top layer are
collected periodically. The collection may be
carried out once in a week
• Harvesting earthworm
• Worm harvesting is usually carried out in order to
sell the worms, rather than to start new worm
beds
Bio-fuel production
• Biogas (also called 'marsh gas'), a by-product
of anaerobic decomposition of organic
matters is an alternative source of energy

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