Recycling of palm oil industrial wastes using vermicomposting technology: its kinetics study and environmental application

Abstract

The present paper reports management of palm oil mill effluent (POME) mixed with palm-pressed fibre (PPF) POME-PPF mixture using eco-friendly, cost-effective vermicomposting technology. Vermicomposting of POME-PPF was performed to examine the optimal POME-PPF ratio with respect to the criteria of earthworm biomass and to evaluate the decomposition of carbon and nitrogen in different percentages of POME-PPF mixtures. Chemical parameters such as TOC, N, P and K contents were determined to achieve optimal decomposition of POME-PPF. On this basis, the obtained data of 50% POME-PPF mixture demonstrated more significant results throughout the experiment after addition of the earthworms. However, 60 and 70% mixtures found significant only in the last stages of the vermicomposting process. The decomposition rate in terms of -ln (CNt/CNo) showed that the 50% mixture has higher decomposition rate as compared to the 60 and 70% (k50% = 0.0498 day−1). The vermicomposting extracts (50, 60 and 70%) of POME-PPF mixtures were also tested to examine the growth of mung bean (Vigna radiata). It was found that among different extract dilutions, 50% POME-PPF vermicompost extract provided longer root and shoot length of mung bean. The present study concluded that the 50% mixture of POME-PPF could be chosen as the optimal mixture for vermicomposting in terms of both decomposition rate and fertilizer value of the final compost.