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Less trouble at mill, thanks to earthworms
July 16, 2009Compostng with worms, cow dung and industrial sludge
Waste from the textiles industry could with the assistance of earthworms and some animal manure become a rich compost for agriculture, according to a report in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution.
Most gardeners will tell you the earthworm is their best friend as it aerates the soil and helps break down compostable materials so releasing nutrients for improved plant growth. One particular species of earthworm, known as Eisenia foetida, thrives in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure. This species is grown commercially for composting because of their skills at converting organic waste into rich compost.
E. foetida is ambivalent about the source of organic matter it will vermicompost. It will wriggle its way through kitchen waste, animal manure, and many other materials. According to Vinod Garg, Renuka Gupta and Priya Kaushik of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, in Haryana, India, say the red wrigglers could even be used to produce compost from the huge volumes of solid sludge produced by the textiles industry.
Sludge from the textiles industry is usually difficult to dispose of. Landfill and incineration are not viable options given environmental concerns and expense. As such, the industry in India is under pressure to find a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to disposal of industrial sludge.
Garg and colleagues have now tested vermicomposting of solid textile mill sludge that has been spiked with urine-free cow and horse dung, collected from local farms, in a six-month pilot-scale experiment using E. foetida.
The composting process changes the physical and chemical properties of the test mixtures significantly, the team found. The vermicomposts are much darker than the original materials and form compost-like, homogeneous mixture after just 180 days.
The team also found that the earthworms grow well in this manure-enhanced sludge. They lower the pH of the alkaline sludge, free up mineral ions, including potassium, decrease the ratio of carbon to nitrogen of the material, and boost the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus available for plant growth within a matter of weeks.
Inderscience Publishers
E. foetida is ambivalent about the source of organic matter it will vermicompost. It will wriggle its way through kitchen waste, animal manure, and many other materials. According to Vinod Garg, Renuka Gupta and Priya Kaushik of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, in Haryana, India, say the red wrigglers could even be used to produce compost from the huge volumes of solid sludge produced by the textiles industry.
Sludge from the textiles industry is usually difficult to dispose of. Landfill and incineration are not viable options given environmental concerns and expense. As such, the industry in India is under pressure to find a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to disposal of industrial sludge.
Garg and colleagues have now tested vermicomposting of solid textile mill sludge that has been spiked with urine-free cow and horse dung, collected from local farms, in a six-month pilot-scale experiment using E. foetida.
The composting process changes the physical and chemical properties of the test mixtures significantly, the team found. The vermicomposts are much darker than the original materials and form compost-like, homogeneous mixture after just 180 days.
The team also found that the earthworms grow well in this manure-enhanced sludge. They lower the pH of the alkaline sludge, free up mineral ions, including potassium, decrease the ratio of carbon to nitrogen of the material, and boost the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus available for plant growth within a matter of weeks.
Inderscience Publishers
Sludge Current Events and Sludge News RSSBehavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles
In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage treatment plants - their main gateway into the environment.
Energy efficient sewage plants
High-rate digestion with microfiltration is state-of-the-art in large sewage plants. It effectively removes accumulated sludge and produces biogas to generate energy. A study now reveals that even small plants can benefit from this process.
Phthalic symbol
Immobilized microbes can break down potentially harmful phthalates, according to researchers in China, writing in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in fertilizer
Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have been found in sewage sludge, a by-product of waste-water treatment frequently used as a fertilizer.
Cholesterol-busting bug with a taste for waste
A novel species of bacteria with cholesterol-busting properties has been discovered by scientists at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Dr Oliver Drzyzga and colleagues isolated the new bug, called Gordonia cholesterolivorans, from sewage sludge.
NOAA Report Calls Flame Retardants Concern to U.S. Coastal Ecosystems
NOAA scientists, in a first-of-its-kind report issued today, state that Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), chemicals commonly used in commercial goods as flame retardants since the 1970s, are found in all United States coastal waters and the Great Lakes, with elevated levels near urban and industrial centers.
Great Lake's sinkholes host exotic ecosystems
Researchers are exploring extreme conditions for life in a place not known for extremes. As little as 20 meters (66 feet) below the surface of Lake Huron, the third largest of North America's Great Lakes, peculiar geological formations-sinkholes made by water dissolving parts of an ancient underlying seabed-harbor bizarre ecosystems where the fish typical of the huge freshwater lake are rarely to be seen.
Nuclear fusion-fission hybrid could contribute to carbon-free energy future
Physicists at The University of Texas at Austin have designed a new system that, when fully developed, would use fusion to eliminate most of the transuranic waste produced by nuclear power plants.
Adding high doses of sludge to neutralise soil acidity not advisable
A University of the Basque Country PhD thesis has analysed the application of waste sludge from EDAR (Estación Depuradora de Aguas Residuales - Waste Water Purification Plant) to acid soils which have limited capacity for neutralising the acidity.
New use for human hair
Agricultural crop production relies on composted waste materials and byproducts, such as animal manure, municipal solid waste composts, and sewage sludge, as a necessary nutrient source.
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