Title: Design and optimisation of high rate decentralised vermicomposting reactor for the household organic waste

Authors: Chandrasekaran Ramprasad; Doppalapudi Alekhya

Addresses: School of Civil Engineering, SASTRA (Deemed to be University), Thanjavur – 613-401, Tamil Nadu, India ' School of Civil Engineering, SASTRA (Deemed to be University), Thanjavur – 613-401, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The municipal solid waste (MSW) management is the biggest challenge faced by many of the urban local bodies and other authorities. In the present study, the feasibility of the vermicomposting process in one of the apartments of class II Indian cities was studied and analysed to identify the key issues in solid waste management. The study also optimised the parameters like pH, temperature and moisture content in order to fasten the vermicomposting process. The household solid waste was characterised by two different economic classes for a period of two weeks. The average solid waste generation rate from the household was 0.339 kg/capita/day and it was composed of organic waste of 50%, inorganic portions like paper and plastic of 48% and household hazardous waste of 2%. The major portion of the household solid waste is the organic fraction and vermicomposting is one of the better options for treating it. The effectiveness of vermicomposting process and methods to speed up the process was evaluated in the study.

Keywords: organic waste; Eisenia fetida; vermicomposting; co-processing; decentralised vermi-reactor.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.115378

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.27 No.4, pp.420 - 439

Received: 04 Jun 2019
Accepted: 07 Jan 2020
Published online: 01 Jun 2021 *

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