Top Research Papers on Vermicomposting

This book explains the lifecycle of earthworms, biological features, multiplication of worms, species of earthworms

The need for environmental sustainability while increasing the quantity, quality, and the rate of waste treatment to generate high-value environmental friendly fertilizer products is highly in demand. Vermicomposting is a good technology for the valorisation of industrial, domestic, municipal and agricultural wastes. Various vermicomposting technologies have been in use from time past to present. These technologies range from windrow, small - scale batch vermicomposting to large - scale continuous flow systems. Each of these processes has its own merits and demerits, necessitating advancement ...

The intensive use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural field has globally destroyed soil fertility, killed beneficial microorganisms, and also decreased natural resistance in crops, thereby making them more vulnerable to diseases besides affecting human health and the environment. To overcome these problems, it is very important to shift our attention towards eco-friendly alternatives like vermicompost and vermicompost tea which not only can increase crop growth and yield, suppress diseases and pests sustainably but can also protect human health and the environment. Verm...

This chapter focuses on the scientific discoveries pertaining to the characteristics and plant growth biostimulating properties of vermicomposts. Vermicomposting is an efficient process of converting organic wastes into valuable humus-like soil amending substances with good mineral nutrient content. Wastes suitable for vermicomposting can be of various origins, ranging from agricultural and horticultural wastes to farmyard manures, food waste and sewage sludge. Although different vermicomposts vary in their mineral nutrient content, the process of vermicomposting consistently results in a prod...

Recycling organic waste is most important for preserving natural resources. The research objective was to quantify the effect of the application of vermicompost and vermicompost leachate on the yield and quality of strawberries and compare it with a standard fertilization program with mineral fertilizers during a 3-year production cycle. Five fertilization treatments were studied: control—without fertilizer (Ø); vermicompost (V); vermicompost + foliar application of vermicompost leachate (VL); vermicompost leachate through fertigation and foliar application (L); and mineral NPK fertilizers (NP...

Vermicomposting is a simple environment-friendly technology that supportssustainable agriculture and waste management programs. Itinvolves physical and biochemical action of earthworms in converting organic materials (usually wastes) into two useful products- the earthworm biomass and high quality organic fertilizer, the vermicompost. The efficiency of vermicomposting may be measured by the worm number and/or biomass and the vermicompost produced. To achieve high efficiency one of the keys is selection of proper substrate which is composed of bedding material and food source for the worms. A 3...

It is concluded that vermicomposting can be considered a bioprocess to stabilize rice husk after being used as sheep bedding and the effect of the treatment on earthworm count was analyzed.

The results showed that the KMnO4-modification resulted in a successful loading of the vermicompost biochar with MnO2, which greatly improved its adsorption capacity for Cd2+.

Generation of the huge amount of solid waste around the globe is a major ecological and technical problem. Vermicomposting may be the viable option to handle solid waste in an environmentally friendly way. This review provides a general overview of viability of vermicomposting processes as an ecofriendly approach. The integrated approach of composting and vermicomposting processes provides better results. Further, to optimize the process of vermicomposting, codigestion of organic wastes provides better opportunity for both microorganisms and earthworms to convert the organic fraction of solid ...

In the modern age of development, the increasing quantity of solid waste is one of the growing problems in both developed and developing countries. India produces 1,20,000 tonnes of solid wastes everyday. The rapid increase in the volume of waste is one aspect of the environmental crisis, accompanying global development. Wastages such as grated coconut meat, spent tea and used sugarcane had contributed negative impacts to the environment. Vermicomposting is a very effective, eco-friendly, cheap and easy method of recycling biodegradable waste using selected species of earthworms. Vermicompost ...

This article focuses on the analysis of the properties of sewage sludge before and after vermicomposting. The aim of the study is to give detailed characteristics of changes in the properties of sewage sludge after vermicomposting. This will help to obtain a more detailed picture of the processes that take place during vermicomposting of sewage sludge, and a more comprehensive assessment of the possibility of using vermicomposts from sewage sludge as fertilizers. In this article, a large number of parameters for vermicomposts derived from this type of waste have been outlined for the first tim...

Higher temperature significantly enhanced microbial activity in the first 30 days of vermicomposting, also exhibiting the fastest stabilization at 25 °C, and high throughput sequencing results revealed that the alpha diversity of the bacterial community was enhanced with increasing temperature resulting in distinct bacterial genera in each verMicompost.

The article presents the results of the research from several years of exploitation of the vermiculture plots located in the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Zambrw. It is the only facility in Poland where the vermicompost from municipal sewage sludge has been produced continuously since 2004 (for 16 years). The results of tests of ready-made vermicomposts conducted regularly twice a year (32 tests) were subjected to a simple statistical analysis. The vermicompost analyses of heavy metals, biogenic compounds, organic matter and selected macroelements were compared with the requirements ...

Increases in taxonomic diversity were accompanied by increases in functional diversity of the bacterial community, including metabolic capacity, streptomycin and salicylic acid synthesis, and nitrification, which highlight the role of bacterial succession during the vermicomposting process and provide evidence of microbial functions that may explain the beneficial effects of vermicumpost on soil and plants.

The initial phase was characterized by high microbial activity and the final by high physical-chemical transformation of the vermicompost and an increase in earthworm density, while the organic matter aromaticity increased until the 45th day, subsequently decreasing.

Overall, VCT from UVC and PVC suppressed root penetration and hatching, but not the reproduction of M. incognita over time.

Improper waste management and increasing environmental pollution from contaminated water and gaseous emissions are important challenges associated with rapid industrialization and the growing population. These issues pose threats to climatic change, agricultural ecosystems, human health, and the environment. Vermicomposting offers a sustainable solution for recycling organic waste, with nitrous oxide (N2O) being a crucial greenhouse gas emitted during the preparation and application of vermicompost, contributing to nitrogen (N) loss. However, the extent of N2O emissions under different environ...

Nurse raising with vermicompost could be a good agronomy practice in machine-transplanted fragrant rice production through nursery raising and enhanced the net photosynthetic rate.

Sewage sludge application in agricultural soils represents a salient route for microplastics (MPs) to enter the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the bioremediation of dewatered anaerobically digested sewage sludge (D-AD-SS) contaminated with MPs through vermicomposting using Eudrilus eugeniae earthworm. The specific objectives were to determine the effects of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) MPs of sizes 1650–2000 µm and 146–500 µm on the physical activities of the earthworms and the chemical properties of the vermicomposting process. Results showed that ...

Considering that worldwide the amount of sludge from sewage treatment plants has increased, which through storage pollutes the environment, solutions must be found for its management. In this paper, through an analysis of studies from the literature, we present an ecological method of recovery of sewage sludge (SS) in agriculture through vermicomposting with Eisenia etida, Eisenia andrei, Eudrilus eugeniae and Perionyx excavatus earthworms, thus we analyzed the possibility that sewage sludge can be transformed from waste into quality fertilizer that benefits the soil, plants, and people, thus ...

Industrialization and urbanization have led to an increased accumulation of waste materials that are transformed into a nutrient-rich and high-quality product called vermicompost by the vermicomposting process. Vermicomposting is an ecofriendly and economically favorable biotechnological process that involves the interaction of earthworms and microorganisms. Due to the importance of this process and its great potential in dealing with the consequences of waste accumulation, this review aims to provide key insights as well as highlight knowledge gaps. It is emphasized that there is a great chal...

Turkey has been undergoing positive agricultural transformations since the 2011. Turkey agricultural sector today is developing with new techniques and products. One of the best examples of this; is the production of vermicompost and its use in agriculture. Turkey is in Asian and European continents (Eurasia) with the population approximately 81 million. Turkey has 24 million hectares of agriculture land (excluding pastures+ meadows, including total arable land and under permanent crops). There is little data available on vermicompost production in Turkey. The production of vermicompost starte...

Overuse of the chemical compounds and toxic elements leads to problems and transmission of contaminants and pollutants to humans and other living organisms. One of the industries’ byproducts of the agriculture sector is production of various composts from the organic raw materials that the best type of which is so – called Vermicompost. In this study, effects of raw materials on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Vermicompost are discussed. To do so, sheep manure, pomegranate peels, spent mushroom compost either singly or double, triple or fourfold chopped corn, sugar beet pulp an...

The feasibility of vermicomposting malting sludge and its mixtures with straw pellets on the basis of physico-chemical and biological properties was verified and most earthworms lived in the youngest upper layer, indicating lesser contents of microorganisms and enzyme activity.

20Mar 2017 THE STUDY OF VERMICOMPOSTING OPTIMIZATION OF ORGANIC WASTE. Suparno , Budi Prasetya , Abu Talkah and Soemarno. University of Brawijaya Student, Malang, Indonesia. Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia. Kadiri Islamic University, Kediri, Indonesia. PDKLP, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

Earthworms were able to substantially reduce the caffeine stimulant content, which is considered the most representative pharmaceutically active compound in the vermicomposting process.

To investigate the effect of microplastics (MPs) particles in vermicomposting, polyethylene (PE) particles added into sludge showed that the vermicumposting with high MPs addition obtained lower removal efficiencies for organics than the verMicomposted with low MPs addition.

Compared to a monoculture reactor, the yield of both chili and brinjal were significantly greater in the polyculture reactor with vermicompost soil.

The investigation of the associated mechanisms, including 3D-EEM, TGA, SEM and microbial community analyses, revealed that the addition of mature vermicompost can speed up the progress of decomposition and humification of organic matter in sludge.

Investigation of the immobilization effect of vermicomposted sewage sludge for Pb, Cd and Cr in the sediment under simulated in situ conditions using column test found the metal ions were sequestered by the sorbent.

Sewage sludge derived biochar was used as a supplementary material for municipal sewage sludge and wood chips mixtures treated by combined composting and vermicomposting and showed good fertilizing properties except for elevated concentrations of Cr.

The enriched substrates were found to provide a more suitable microclimate for earthworm development and produced vermicompost with high nutrient content, however, a more comprehensive study on metal accumulation in the earthworm tissues as a potential metal contaminant is needed to establish a strong hypothesis in the safe use of earthworms for this verMicomposting technique.

The sewage sludge-derived vermicompost can be a low cost and environmental benign eco-material for high efficient wastewater remediation and a better understanding of the adsorption mechanism.

Currently, in the Russian Federation, the amount of contaminated agricultural land is about 2.4 million hectares. The economic damage resulting from the violation of regulations related to the use of bedding manure in animal husbandry is estimated at an average of 150–170 million rubles/year. For the sustainable development of agrolandscapes, integrated biotechnologies should be developed that can fully process the agricultural waste into organic safe fertilizers throughout a year. A technology has been developed for the production of complex fertilizers by mixing waste, and turning it into an...

Waste activated sludge (WAS) is the main by-product of wastewater treatment plants. Vermicomposting integrated earthworms and reconstructive microbes to achieve WAS stabilization, with the mature composts enriched with plant hormones and humic substances (HS) forming supramolecular forces to protect hormone activity. However, how vermicomposting changes sludge microbial community, transforms sludge-derived organics into various plant biostimulants and promotes hormones-HS interaction remain elusive. Here we used multi-omics approaches to demonstrate how reconstructed microbes transformed sludg...

Soil amendments with aqueous solutions of vermicompost alone or in combination with urea were more effective than the solid verMicompost used alone, for controlling both species, and had positive effects on plant fresh stem weight and stem height.

Vermicompost (VC) products have grown in popularity in plant nutrition and are widely used to improve plant growth and suppress plant diseases. In addition, the choice of chemical-free food and increased public concern for human health and the environment due to the impacts of hazardous inorganic fertilizers have motivated farmers to seek safer and more eco-friendly alternatives. The present study aimed to evaluate the plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol potential of macrophyte biomass-based VC products in tomato plants. The results indicated that tomato plants treated with VC + vermicompost...

It is indicated that vermicomposting is a promising technology for recycling of P. eryngii SMS disposal and a practical manner for control of the diseases caused by root-knot nematodes.

This review focuses on understanding the metagenomics of microbial populations based on the feedstock composition, earthworm species used during vermicomposting, and how their diversity can affect the nutrient dynamics and metal sequestration process.

The weathering of phlogopite was influenced considerably by the activity of earthworms and associated microbial communities during the organic matter transformation process, and the rate of weathering was higher during the early stages of vermicomposting.