Vermicomposting faecal sludge (Nepal)

Management of the increasing generation of fecal sludge and food waste is the major sanitation problem in urban areas. A key step in curbing this problem is producing value-added resources such as vermicomposting from dewatered faecal sludge (DFS) and food waste (FW). It is a simple biotechnological process of composting. The study was conducted with the objective of producing two types of vermicompost i.e. DFS with sawdust (SD) and from the mixture of DFS- FW with SD as additive using Eisenia fetida and comparing their vermicompost characteristics. The parameters like temperature, moisture, pH, growth rate, C:N, N, P and K values were measured. Results indicated that pH fluctuated in the range of 5.1–7.0 and stabilized to near pH 7, the moisture content was between 18–65%, the temperature was in the range of 0–30°C. The harvested both vermicompost had an excellent nutrient status of N, P and K. The C:N ratio difference was 1.3 which was higher in DFS-FW than DFS. The specific growth rate of vermi in DFS was 0.373% whereas in DFS-FW was 0.38%. Results indicated that vermicomposting technique using Eisenia fetida with SD is more effective in converting the mass of FW and DFS into quality compost than DFS only.