Degradation of kitchen waste Composting process Use of Earthworm

1. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
1
Composting and Vermicomposting for
Kitchen Waste
Mahajan Valmik M
B.E. (Civil), M.E. (Environmental Engg.)
Sanjivani College of Engineering, Kopargaon 423 603

2. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
2
Contents
1. Composition of Kitchen Waste.
2. Basic fundamentals of Kitchen Waste.
3. Basic of Composting and Vermicomposting.
4. Issues and challenges of degradation of Kitchen Waste.
5. Problem with Kitchen Waste.
Source: adapted from ENPHO

3. 3
Biodegradable Waste
1. Kitchen Waste
2. Vegetable waste
3. Food waste
4. Agriculture waste
5. Garden waste
6. Animal/ Cattle dung
7. Human waste
8. Flower Waste

4. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
4
Composition of Kitchen Waste
Components Wet weight
(%)
Grass 13.5
Plants 16.1
Wood 2.2
Citrus fruits 14.6
Non-citrus
fruits&
vegetables
32.5
Bread 1.6
Bedding 3.8
Soil 8.7
Paper 3.3
Non-
classifiable
2.5
Improper 1.2
CAN BE
Composted
Apples
Applepeels
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Coffee
grounds/filt
ers
Egg shells
Grapefruit
Lettuce
Onion peel
Orange peel
Pears
Pineapple
Potatoes
Pumpkin
shell
Squash
Tea leaves
and bags
Tomatoes
Turnip
leaves
CAN NOTBE
Composted
Butter
Bones
Cheese
Chicken
Fish scraps
Lard
Mayonnaise
Meat scraps
Milk
Peanutbutter
Sour cream
Vegetable
oil Yogurt

5. 5
Role of Compost in Agriculture Land
Soil Nutrients Requirement
The plants need the 16 essential nutrients for survivability and growth
(carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium,
magnesium, calcium and sulphur, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron,
chlorine and molybdenum).
• Primary: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium(NPK)
• Secondary: Magnesium, Calciumand Sulfur (Ca, Mg, S)
• Trace elements: Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Boron, Chlorine and
Molybdenum).
Role of different nutrients
 Nitrogen is essential constituents of metabolically active compounds such
as amino acids, proteins, enzymes and few non-proteins compounds.
 Nitrogen is needed for leaf and stem growth, and it gives a dark green
color to plants.
 Phosphorous is structural components of all membranes chloroplasts,
mitochondria and constituents of sugar phosphate.
 Phosphorous helps make plants more drought resistant and hardy.

6. 6
 Potassium plays an important role in the maintenance of cellular
organizations by regulating permeability of cell membranes.
 Potassium also develops the resistance to plants against fungal and
bacterial disease.
 Calcium is constituents of the wall an activator of different plant enzymes
and necessary for cell membranes.
 It improves the intake of other plant nutrients specially nitrogen and
trace element by correcting the soil pH.
 Magnesium is a constituent of chlorophyll and chromosome.
 It also works as a catalyst for enzyme.
 It regulates the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorous from the soil.
 Sulfur is required to synthesize the sulfur containing compounds such as
amino acids and proteins and increase the oil content in oil bearing
plants.
 Trace element work as a catalyst or closely linked with catalyst processes
for enzyme activity or oxidation reduction processes.
Role of Different Nutrients

7. • Composting has been used as a means of recycling organic matter
back into the soil to improve soil structure and fertility.
• There are two fundamental types of composting aerobic and
anaerobic:
Composting
Heat, Gases
Composting
Process
Organic waste
Bacteria, Fungi, Insects
Earthworm Compost
Water,Air

8. 8
Aerobic:
Aerobic Digestion
Process
Organic
Matter
Compost
Water
CO2
Heat
Oxygen, WaterAnaerobic:
Anaerobic Digestion
Process
Organic
Matter Compost
Water
CO2 /CH4 /H2S
Heat
Water

9. 9
Compost Requirements
1. Correct Ratio of Materials
– “Brown” material, high in C
– “Green” material, high in N
– C:N Ratio, 25:1 to 35:1
2. AdequateMoisture
– Feels like a damp sponge
– 50-60% moisture
3. AdequateAeration
– Turn pile to incorporateoxygen
4. Small Particle Size
– Use wood chipper
5. Temperature
– Biological activity causes temp to rise
– Mesophilic Stage: 50 – 113˚F
– Thermophilic Stage: 113 – 158˚F
– High temp kills weed seeds and pathogens
– Avoid temp over 150˚F to conserve N and
preserve beneficialmicrobes
Greens
Browns

10. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
10
Temperature during composting process
Source: adapted from ENPHO

11. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
11
 Vermicomposting consists in employing earthworms to break
down organic material (generally kitchen waste) into fertile
soil called compost. (also called worm compost, vermicast,
worm castings, worm humus or worm manure)
 Vermiculture (derived from the Latin word “vermis” meaning
worm) involves the mass production of earthworm for waste
degradation, and composting with “vermicast” production.
 Earthworms are the intestines of the earth!
 They occur in diverse habitats especially those which are dark
and moist.
 Organic materials like humus, cattle dung and kitchen wastes
are highly attractive for some species.
Vermicomposting - Basics

12. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
12
What do the earthworms do?
• Crop:
Food is ingested through the
mouth into a stomach(crop).
• Gizzard:
The main function of the
gizzard is grinding of food by
muscular action with the
help of grinding materials
like sand and top soil or
limestone is ingested.
• Intestine:
1. The ground up food mix
with enzyme inside the
intestine.
2. The mixture of food,
molecules pass through
the intestine wall in to the
blood stream for use
where needed.
3. Undigested materials
,including sand soil,
bacteria passes out of the
worm as worm casting.
• Earthworm doesn’t have eyes as
well as teeth.
• It is very sensitive to bright light.
• Earthworms are hermaphrodites.
• The earthworm breathes through
its skin, so skin must be moist.
Types of Earthworm
1. Epigeic (Surface-dwellers)
2. Endogeics (Surface-Deep)
3. Anecics (Deep burrowing)

13. 13
Water
Vermicomposting
Process
Organic
Matter Vermicompost
CO2
Oxygen, Water
Earthworm
Vermicomposting Process
Earthworm
Biomass
Source: Google Images

14. 14
Composting & vermicomposting
Application: at source managementof wet organic waste at
household,community, and/or city level
Advantages:
•recycling at source
•economic and environment friendly
waste management
•simple methods available
•compost is valuable resource for
gardeners/farmers
Disadvantages:
•waste segregation
required
Composting
Vermicomposting
Advantages:
•see above
•selling of worms
•Disadvantages:
•maintain proper environmental
conditions for worms

15. 15Source: adapted from ENPHO
Finishing & Marketing
• Screening & packaging
• Marketing strategy- product
• Quality - packaging
• Price (should be competitive with other composts).
- main distributor
- Consumer
• Place-distributionnetwork
• Promotion
- mass communication
- interpersonal communication
• Appearance (uniform texture, relatively dry, earthy
color).
• Information (products benefits, nutrient, pH analysis,
applicationrates and procedures).
• Reliable Supply.

16. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
16
• Separate waste at source.
• Glass in the waste can result in injuries.
• Ensure proper C/N-ratio & chop waste in small pieces.
• Ensure proper amount of water and air to avoid smell.
• Moisture content maintainedto 60% to 70%.
• Prepare and implementproper marketing strategy
(most compost projects fail because of poor marketing)
• Difficult to degrade if dry.
• If dumped in to water bodies – consume the all dissolved oxygen
• Regularly monitor composting process.
Issues & challenges in Kitchen waste

17. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
17
• When organic waste mixed with the other inorganic waste, it
difficult to separate. Also then difficult to use for composting,
Bio gas…etc. So that if we can use a part of organic waste to
decompose into organic fertilizer for own home gardens then
amount of rural organic kitchen waste will be reduce. Also when
doing normal composting in the home gardens can be derive
problems with Odour, nutrients leaching/loss,
contaminations. So that Vermicomposting can help to reduce
these problems when we are doing in correct way. We can gain a
nutrient rich fertilizerfor home gardens.
Kitchen Waste is a problem
• Entire crops of perfectly edible fruit and
vegetables are being rejected at the farm.
• 30% of vegetable crop is never harvested as
a result of such practices.
• More than 2.6 million tonnes of food waste.

18. By the way: there are many video clips on vermicomposting in
general on YouTube.com
18
ANY QUESTIONS?
Thank you for your time.