Effect of excess activated sludge on vermicomposting of fruit and vegetable waste by using novel vermireactor

Wenjiao Li; Sartaj Ahmad Bhat; Jiefeng Li; Guangyu Cui; Yongfen Wei; Toshiro Yamada; Fusheng Li

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122816

Effect of excess activated sludge on vermicomposting of fruit and vegetable waste by using novel vermireactor

Bioresour Technol. 2020 Apr:302:122816. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122816. Epub 2020 Jan 18.

Authors

Wenjiao Li¹, Sartaj Ahmad Bhat², Jiefeng Li³, Guangyu Cui⁴, Yongfen Wei², Toshiro Yamada⁵, Fusheng Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
² River Basin Research Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
³ Department of Architecture, Lu Liang University, Lishi, Shanxi 033000, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
⁵ Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
⁶ Graduate School of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; River Basin Research Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan; School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 32004813
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.122816

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the effect of excess activated sludge (EAS) on vermicomposting of fruit and vegetable wastes (FVW). For this, a novel vermireactor consists of substrate and bed compartments was used for treating five types of FVW (banana peels, cabbage, lettuce, carrot, and potato) with and without the addition of EAS by earthworms. The EAS promoted the growth and cocoon production of earthworms, and the decomposition efficiency of FVW. The changes of dehydrogenase activity revealed that the EAS enhanced the microbial activity in all treatments except for the carrot. The organic matter content, total carbon and the C/N ratio showed a significant decrease after addition of EAS into FVW. The content of nitrogen and phosphorus was also improved in the final products after vermicomposting. This study suggested that the addition of EAS could be a feasible option to enhance the vermicomposting of FVW.

Keywords: Earthworms; Excess activated sludge; Fruit and vegetable waste; Microbial activity; Vermicomposting.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fruit
Oligochaeta*
Phosphorus
Sewage
Soil
Vegetables*

Substances

Sewage
Soil
Phosphorus