Valorization of Fecal Sludge Stabilization via Vermicomposting in Microcosm-Enriched Substrates Using Organic Plant-Derived Materials and Agricultural Soil for Compost Production.

AbstractThe enormous generation of fecal sludge without proper treatment is a major sanitation problem. Vermicomposting of fecal sludge is an innovative way of producing value added compost called vermicompost. A vermicomposting technique that involves augmenting vermibed substrates with organic rich materials to provide additional nutrients and underlying layers needed for microcosm development to produce desirable vermicompost is mostly referred to as substrate enrichment. This study investigated the substrate enrichment of using plant-derived materials, which include coconut coir, palm coir and saw dust, combined with agricultural soil for the production of vermicompost from fecal sludge. Enriched substrates were prepared with 80 g of agricultural soil as amending material, 120 g of fecal matter (65-70% dry matter) and 160 g of the plant-derived materials. The treatments were labeled T1-T3, thus, T1 contained coconut coir, T2 contained palm coir and T3 contained saw dust, followed by a control treatment (T4) that had no plant-derived material. Treatments were triplicated and about 3-week-old 20 clitellated, <italic>E. fetida</italic> (live weight ∼255–275 mg) were used in the vermicomposting for 12 wk. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, Organic Carbon (Corg), Total Nitrogen (Ntot), Available Phosphorus (Pavail), Exchangeable Calcium (Caexch), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb) and Aluminum (Al) test were performed. Vermicompost at T1 had the most Corg mineralization, most enhancement in Ntot, Pavail, Caexch, and least concentration of Fe, Pb and Al. Less than 20% earthworm mortality was recorded in all treatments except T4 (28.38 ± 8.71%). The enriched substrates were suitable for vermiculture with a worm weight ranged from 593.77 to 569.39 ± 2.30 mg and the vermicompost recorded high nutrient contents. The nutritious nature and the reduced metal concentration of the produced vermicompost might be safe and productive for agricultural use. However, further studies on the effectiveness of the vermicompost on plants growth and yield needs to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]