Enhancement of Pineapple Residue Composting by Food Waste Addition

The common practice to clear pineapple residues (leaves and stems) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam for land preparation for cultivations is by burning or even by spraying herbicide that results in environmental pollution. In addition, management of food waste has also become an essential concern in recent years. In this study, co-composting of pineapple residues and food waste was investigated. The co-composting process was conducted in 120 L plastic buckets. Two composting Runs were conducted, either without (A) or with (B) food waste. The composting temperatures were monitored daily using a digital thermometer. The composting mixture was withdrawn, mixed thoroughly, and then re-distributed into the composting bucket every three days. The sample was subjected to measure pH and cell density of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms. Temperature of composting pile in the Run B increased sharply to 60 – 65 °C just after the first day. In contrast, that in the Run A increased slowly to 40 – 42 °C for the first 15 d. It implied the food waste addition promoted pineapple residues composting. The compost was subjected to phytotoxicity test and also analysed other important parameters such as organic content, useful microorganisms, and heavy metals.