Vermicomposting of tannery sludge mixed with cattle dung into valuable manure using earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny)

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 102; no. 17; pp. 7941 - 7945
• Main Authors: Vig, Adarsh Pal, Singh, Jaswinder, Wani, Shahid Hussain, Singh Dhaliwal, Salwinder
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animals; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of sewage sludges and wastes; Biotechnology; Carbon; carbon nitrogen ratio; Cattle; cattle manure; Construction; Dung; earthworms; Eisenia fetida; electrical conductivity; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; growth & development; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Leather industry; Manure; metabolism; mixing; mortality; nitrogen; Oligochaeta; Oligochaeta - growth & development; Oligochaeta - metabolism; Oligochaeta - physiology; phosphorus; physiology; Pollution; potassium; Sewage; Sludge; Sodium; Soil; Solid waste; Tanneries; Tannery sludge; Tanning; toxicity; Use of agricultural and forest wastes. Biomass use, bioconversion; Vermicomposting; Wastes; Solid waste; Vermicomposting; Tannery sludge; Eisenia fetida; Leather industry; Organic waste; Bovine; Fauna; Dung; Tannery; Annelida; Lumbricidae; Oligochaeta; Earthworm; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Macrofauna; Artiodactyla; Invertebrata; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.05.056

► Study revealed the role of earthworm in converting tannery sludge into a valuable product. ► Number of worms, cocoons and hatchlings were taken as indicators of the suitability of feed mixtures for earthworms. ► Nitrogen, sodium, phosphorus and pH increased in the products of vermicomposting. ► Organic carbon, potassium and electrical conductivity decreased in the final products. ► Transition metals increased from the initial value and within the permissible limit. The present study revealed the role of earthworm in converting tannery sludge into a valuable product. Tannery sludge was toxic to earthworm, therefore it was mixed with cattle dung in different proportions viz. 0:100 (T0), 10:90 (T10), 25:75 (T25), 50:50 (T50) and 75:25 (T75) on dry weight basis. The minimum mortality and highest population buildup of worms was in T0 mixture. Nitrogen, sodium, phosphorus and pH increased from initial in the range of 7.3–66.6%, 16.90–70.58%, 8.57–44.8% and 2.8–13.65%, respectively. On the other hand potassium, organic carbon and electrical conductivity decreased in the range of 4.34–28.5%, 7.54–22.35% and 32.35–53.12%, respectively. C:N ratio decreased from 20.53% to 47.36% in the final products. Transition metals increased significantly from the initial value and within the permissible limit. The result indicated that vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida is better for changing this sludge into nutrient rich manure in a short period of time.