FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules  2005
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE MEMBER 10 AND RULE 13)
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
“Microbial composition and method for accelerated composting of Sugarcane Pressmud”
APPLICANTS:
Name : Swayambhu Biologics Private Limited

Nationality : Indian

Address : Swayambhu Biologics Private Limited  (IITMs
RTBI Incubatee)  C/o TENET office  ESB #331 
Department of Electrical Engineering  IIT Madras
Campus  Guindy  Chennai -600036.

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] This invention relates to treatment of organic waste. The invention further relates to a method of composting and a microbial composition for composting organic waste  more specifically sugarcane pressmud.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[002] Organic waste is a waste containing carbon compounds; derived from plants  animals or living organisms. Different types of organic waste include municipal solid waste  industrial solid waste  agricultural waste  etc. Industrial waste includes waste generated from industrial activity. One of the major industrial wastes from sugarcane industry is sugarcane Pressmud. Upon crushing sugarcane  a huge quantity of pressmud cake is left behind as a by-product.
[003] Press mud is a soft  spongy  amorphous dark brown material which contains fiber  crude protein  sugar  and trace quantity of micronutrients such as silicon monoxide  calcium oxide  phosphorus mono oxide  magnesium oxide  total ash and crude wax which prevents soil erosion  crusting  cracking  adjusts soil pH  and promotes normal bacterial and microbial growth in the soil thus acting as a soil reclamant and a soil conditioner.
[004] However  immediate and direct application of pressmud is not desirable as it has a broad C/N ratio range which contributes to imbalance in the soil texture. Further  direct application of pressmud also liberates high amount of heat which results in damage to the crops.
[005] Thus  organic waste such as sugarcane pressmud has to be treated/stabilized prior to use as compost. Treatment/stabilization of organic waste such as presssmud by biological method using a consortium of micro-organisms  to breakdown organic waste to more readily useable forms is known as composting. Prior art refers to decomposing organic matter using Effective Microbes (EM) which consist of common and food-grade aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms  photosynthetic bacteria  lactobacillus  streptomyces  actinomycetes  yeast etc. Use of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria  for composting is also well-known in the prior art. However  the downside of use of effective microbes for composting is  it has a long composting time varying from 45-90 days. The composting process at the microbial level involves several interrelated factors such as temperature  aeration  moisture  C/N ratio  pH and available nutrients. The existing technologies available claim to achieve an effective compost having desirable C/N ratio and pH  in a span of about 45-90 days which is not viable on industrial scale  as it is labour intensive  requires huge amount of water  requires more amount of culture  higher chances of cross-contamination  and decreased number of batches. Further  existing technologies maintain the C/N ratio by bringing down the carbon percent and increasing the nitrogen percent by using external nitrate supplements.
[006] In the light of the aforementioned  there exists a need for an effective  accelerated  economical and eco-friendly method of composting.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[007] The principal object of this invention is to provide a method for treating and/or composting sugarcane pressmud.
[008] Another object of the invention is to provide a microbial composition for treating and/or composting sugarcane pressmud.
[009] Yet another object of the invention is to provide pressmud compost having desirable characteristics.
[0010] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description. It should be understood  however  that the following description  while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof  are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof  and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly  the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0012] The embodiments herein provide a method for composting and/or treating organic waste. Further  embodiments herein achieve a method for accelerating composting of organic waste. The embodiments provide a microbial composition for composting organic waste to achieve compost with desirable characteristics. The characteristics of the disclosed compost include desirable pH and C/N ratio; wherein C/N refers to carbon to nitrogen ratio of the compost. The organic waste according to the embodiments disclosed herein includes sugar cane pressmud. However  it is also within the scope of the invention that the organic waste could be any other organic waste such as coirpith or tomato pulp or mango pulp.
Method for Composting of Pressmud
[0013] The disclosed embodiments provide a method for composting and/or treating pressmud  wherein the method includes culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium to obtain a microbial composition and providing the microbial composition to pressmud. In an embodiment  culturing of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium includes mixing a source comprising mesophilic bacteria and thermophilic bacteria to yield a mixture  diluting the mixture with water  mixing the diluted mixture with nutrient media and maintaining the nutrient medium comprising the mixture to obtain a microbial composition having specific pH and temperature.
Culturing of Mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria
[0014] In an embodiment  culturing of microorganisms includes mixing a source comprising thermophilic bacteria and a source comprising mesophilic bacteria; diluting the mixture with water; mixing the diluted mixture with the nutrient medium; and maintaining the nutrient medium comprising the mixture to obtain a microbial composition having a desirable pH and temperature.
Mesophilic and Thermophilic bacteria
[0015] The list of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria instrumental in the embodiments disclosed herein include any mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria capable of composting organic waste. In an embodiment  the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria include mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria obtained from naturally available sources.
[0016] The list of naturally available sources includes animal waste  food waste  garden soil  sewage sludge  and area near petroleum reservoirs.
[0017] In an embodiment  the sources of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria include atleast one of cow dung and elephant dung.
[0018] The list of mesophilic bacteria instrumental in the embodiments disclosed herein include Klebsiella  Aeromonas  Alcaligens  Enterococcus  Bacillus sp and Pseudomonas sp.
[0019] The list of thermophilic bacteria instrumental in the embodiments disclosed herein include Bacillus subtilis  Bacillus polymyxa  Bacillus pumilus  Bacillus sphaericus  Bacillus licheniformis  Bacillus acidocaldarius and Bacillus schleglii.
Mixing of Mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria
[0020] In an embodiment  the mixing of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria includes mixing a source containing mesophilic bacteria and a source containing thermophilic bacteria.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment  mixing the source containing thermophilic bacteria and the source containing mesophilic bacteria includes mixing of elephant dung and cowdung dung in a ratio of 1:3 to yield a mixture.
Diluting the mesophilic and thermophilic mixture with water
[0022] In an embodiment  the mixture obtained by mixing of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria  or their sources is diluted with water  wherein the mixture to water ratio is in the range of 1:100 to 1:200.
Mixing of Mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria with Nutrient Medium
[0023] In an embodiment  the diluted mixture comprising mesophilic bacteria  thermophilic bacteria and water is mixed with nutrient medium comprising 10% w/v organic carbon and 12-15% w/v organic nitrogen to achieve homogeneity till the organic materials are completely dissolved.
[0024] In another embodiment  the organic carbon source includes jaggery  and molasses; and nitrogen source includes azolla  green leaf powder and sea-weed.
Nutrient Medium
[0025] The nutrient medium used in the embodiments disclosed herein is such that it keeps the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria fully activated.
[0026] The nutrient medium that is used in the disclosed embodiments herein includes jaggery.
[0027] In an embodiment  the nutrient media further comprises jaggery and at least one of molasses  azolla  sea weed  green leaf powder or equivalent. The nutrient medium includes jaggery in the range of 15-30%  molasses in the range of 20-30%  azolla  green leaf powder or equivalent in the range of 10-15%  and sea-weed in the range of 15-30%. The nutrient medium can also be diluted  up to around 500 times  depending on the concentration and pH of the media.
[0028] The details of nutrient medium are provided in the following example by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 1
Table 1 provides percentage of each of the nutrients in the nutrient medium according to one embodiment.
Table 1: Nutrient Medium

Sl No. Nutrients Percentage of Nutrient
1 Jaggery 20%
2 Molasses 20%
3 Azolla 15%
4 Sea-weed 20%
5. Green leaf powder or equivalent 15%

Microbial Composition
[0029] The disclosed embodiments provide a microbial composition for composting and/or treating sugar cane pressmud.
[0030] The nutrient medium comprising the diluted mixture of microorganisms (also referred as mother culture)  as disclosed herein  is maintained under specific condition such that a microbial composition having temperature in the range of 300C to 400C and pH in the range of 4.2-5.2 is obtained. In an embodiment  the specific conditions are such that it allows complete digestion of nutrient medium by the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. The nutrient medium comprising jaggery  molasses  sea weed and azolla keep the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria fully activated under specific conditions. The organisms  according to the embodiments herein  are vigorous  dynamic and exponential in growth  aiding in digesting of organic material.
[0031] The details of the step of culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria to yield a microbial composition are provided in the following example by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 2:
[0032] The mesophilic bacteria and thermophilic bacteria were positioned in a tank of 5Kl capacity  leaving no air space at top and an inverted ‘U’ bent vent was provided at the top of the reactor as a provision for any gas exit.
[0033] In a separate mixing vessel  10% w/v organic carbon and 15% w/v organic nitrogen was added. Carbon source included was 20%w/v jaggery  and 20%w/v molasses. Nitrogen source included was 15%w/v azolla  and 20 %w/v sea-weed. Water was added  which was the same quantity as the nutrient media and homogeneity is achieved using a closed circuit circulation pump  till the organic materials were completely dissolved.
[0034] A piping circuit was provided to circulate the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria for 10 minutes for every 2 hour during day time and at no circumstances agitation from external mechanisms was permitted  in order to maintain anaerobic environment.
[0035] The mother culture comprising the nutrient medium  mesophilic bacteria and thermophilic bacteria was maintained to obtain a microbial composition having pH in the range of 4.2-5.2. The mesophilic bacteria and thermophilic bacteria digested the nutrient medium to achieve a microbial composition having temperature in the range of 300C to 400C and pH in the range of 4.2-5.2.
Providing Microbial Composition to Pressmud
[0036] The disclosed embodiments provide a method for providing microbial composition to pressmud.
[0037] Providing microbial composition to pressmud  as disclosed in the embodiments herein  includes providing microbial composition on 0th day  7th day and optionally on 11th day.
[0038] In an embodiment  microbial composition is provided to pressmud in an amount in the range of 1L to 3L per ton of pressmud.
[0039] In another embodiment  providing microbial composition to pressmud further includes providing aeration and water to pressmud.
[0040] In a preferred embodiment  water is provided on 0th to 14th day  and aeration is provided on 0th  7th  9th to 14th day.
[0041] The disclosed microbial composition may be applied to pressmud by spraying the microbial composition onto pressmud. In an embodiment  the pressmud is piled to form windrows and maintained at specific temperature  with specific moisture content; prior to applying the disclosed microbial composition.
[0042] In a preferred embodiment  a feed tank is provided equivalent to the capacity of a mother tank. The microbial composition is drained to the feed tank to the required level. In the feed tank  water of specified quality is mixed and sprayed on to the pressmud.
[0043] Further  the microbial composition is provided to pressmud on 0th day  7th day and optionally on 11th day; wherein the microbial composition provided in an amount in the range of 1L to 3L per ton of pressmud. Water is provided on 0th to 14th day and aeration is provided on 0th  7th  9th to 14th day.
During microbial composition spraying  only surface drenching is allowed and the windrows is not soaked  but only moist. After drenching with the composition  surface water is provided additionally and windrow is aerated. There is a 15 minute gap between two consecutive aerations to allow the displaced pressmud to dissipate heat into the atmosphere.
[0044] The surface water is not allowed to percolate to the bottom as this contributes to convictive heating. During this process  thermophilic bacteria are active and digest pressmud under anaerobic environment in the presence of carbon and nitrate  raising the internal temperature to 60-65°C. This kills all the pathogens present in the pressmud.
[0045] Third supply of composition to the pressmud on 11th day may be optionally provided based on climatic conditions such as water scarcity  heavy rain and mechanical failure such as failure of aerator. Between 9th and 14th day  aerobic bacteria is active and proteins breakdown on the 9th day which releases amino acids and contributes to the increase in pH from 4.5 to 7.1-7.8.
[0046] The temperature falls to 45-50oC and maintains the pH by the end of 15th day under the ambience of <400C and relative humidity is <50%. However  in the conditions above the said parameters  the temperature of the windrows varies between 45-550C  but no increase in temperature is observed.
[0047] The details of step of providing Microbial Composition to Pressmud is provided in the following example by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 3:
Providing Microbial Composition to Pressmud
[0048] The feed tank was provided equivalent to the capacity of the mother tank. The microbial composition was drained to the feed tank to the required level  i.e. 3L per ton of pressmud  subject to max of 60% of volume of the mother tank. In the feed tank  water of specified quality to the level of 2:1 was mixed and sprayed on to the pressmud using 3 HP power motor and spray power nozzle. This was done on 0th day. During microbial composition spraying  only surface drenching was allowed and the windrows was not soaked  but only moist. The composition spraying was carried out in the evening when the temperature was around 30-400C. After drenching with the composition  surface water was given additionally and windrows were aerated using aerotiller. There was a 15 minute gap between two consecutive aerations to allow the displaced pressmud to dissipate heat into the atmosphere.
[0049] For the next 8 days only surface watering was provided for the windrows in order to arrest external heat. The surface water was not allowed to percolate to the bottom as that contributed to convictive heating. On the 7th day aeration was provided once to the windrows and microbial composition was provided for the second time (2L per tonne) to the windrows in the same manner as described above.
[0050] From the 9th day to 14th day aeration was given once in the morning. On the 11th day  microbial composition (1L per tonne) was provided and aerated. Between 9th and 14th day the pH increased from 4.5 to 7.8
[0051] The temperature fell to 500C and maintained the pH by the end of 15th day under the ambience of <400C and relative humidity was <50%.
Parameters for effective composting
[0052] In an embodiment  sugarcane pressmud is piled in open area as a windrow having specific size requirements. The moisture content and the temperature of the organic waste is maintained using an aerotiller.
[0053] In a preferred embodiment  pressmud is piled in an open area with a size not exceeding 2 m (w) x 1.5 m (h) and 100 m length. Moisture content is maintained not to exceed 60% using an aerotiller. The heat dissipated from the windrows upon operation is maintained to 55-650C using an aerotiller.
Compost
[0054] The disclosed embodiments provide pressmud compost by a method of composting according to the various embodiments herein.
[0055] The compost disclosed in the embodiments herein is prepared in 14-16 days; having pH in the range of 7.1-7.8  and C/N ratio in the range of 10:1-12:1. The C/N ratio of the compost is achieved without addition of external supplementation of nitrates.
[0056] In an embodiment  the compost is prepared by a microbial composition having pH in the range of 4.2 to 5.2 and temperature in the range of 300C to 400C obtained by culturing mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium comprising jaggery.
[0057] The compost disclosed herein may further be directly used as manure in agricultural field or may be further be supplemented with suitable additional ingredients. The list of suitable additional ingredient includes urea  phosphate  potash and microbes such as Tricodermasps  pseudomonassps Acetobacter sps  Azospirillum sps and trace elements such as manganese  zinc  copper and boron. Alternatively  the compost is sieved  and packed in a HDP (High Density Polyethylene) bag with an internal polythene line.
[0058] The invention is further described by reference to the following examples by way of illustration only  and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications  both to materials and methods  may be practiced without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Example 4:
Objective:
[0059] The objective of this study was to determine the C/N ratio of the pressmud compost prepared using the disclosed method and microbial composition.
Table 2 provides the C/N ratio for different batches/samples of pressmud compost.

Table 2
Sl No Sample code Composting Time C/N ratio
1. ARBIT-001 12 days 12:1
2. ARBIT-002 12 days <15:1
3. ARBIT-003 12days 10:1
4. ARBIT-004 12 days 11:1

Example 5:
Objective:
[0060] To determine the pH of sugarcane pressmud compost from Day 1 to Day 14 prepared using the disclosed method and microbial composition.
Table 3 provides pH of pressmud compost from Day 1 to Day 14 for different samples of windrows.

Table 3
pH
Days Windrow 1 Windrow 2 Windrow 3 Windrow 4 Windrow 5 Control
Day 1 3.9 3.8
5.1
5.4
5.2
4.6

Day 2 3.8 4.2
5.1
5.3
5.2
4.5

Day 3 3.8 4.8
5.1
5.3
5.2
4.0

Day 4 3.8 5.7
5.1
5.4
5.3
4.2

Day 5 4.0 5.8
5.4
5.7
5.4
4.4

Day 6 4.2 5.4
5.5
5.7
5.3
4.5

Day 7 4.7 5.9
5.4
6.4
6.3
4.3

Day 8 4.9 5.4
5.1
5.9
6.5
4.4

Day 9 5.3 5.4
5.1
5.5
6.8
4.6

Day 10 6.2 6.4
5.8
6.5
7.4
4.3

Day 11 6.9 6.2
6.0
7.0
7.2
4.4

Day 12 7.2 6.2
6.6
6.9
7.1
4.4

Day 13 6.7 6.5
7.0
6.8
6.9
4.5

Day 14 7.1 7.0
7.1
7.0
7.2
4.4

Example 6
Objective:
[0061] To determine the temperature of pressmud windrows from Day 1 to Day 14 prepared using the disclosed method and microbial composition.
Table 4 provides temperature of pressmud compost from Day 1 to Day 14 for different samples of windrows.

Table 4
Temperature
Days Windrow 1 Windrow 2 Windrow 3 Windrow 4 Windrow 5 Control
Day 1 63.0
61.2
58.5
59.8
59.2
62.9

Day 2 51.6
56.8
53.3
59.7
58.9
62.8

Day 3 54.6
59.3
56.2
57.2
57.2
62.6

Day 4 59.4
62.9
60.6
61.4
56.4
62.6

Day 5 58.5
59.9
62.0
58.5
62.2
53.4

Day 6 65.0
64.6
63.5
62.9
64.6
65.2

Day 7 64.2
63.4
64.4
61.0
60.0
63.1

Day 8 56.6 58.3
59.7
58.1
61.8
57.1

Day 9 52.7
56.4
53.3
58.5
57.4
62.3

Day 10 50.8

51.9
51.7
58.4
55.1
61.3

Day 11 53.8
54.9
57.7
56.6
56.7
58.7

Day 12 53.2
58.7
60.7
57.5
55.4
59.8

Day 13 51.5
54.1
52.5
52.1
50.1
57.1

Day 14 52.6
56.3
55.2
55.6
54.0
60.0

[0062] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can  by applying current knowledge  readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept  and  therefore  such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore  while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments  those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

CLAIMS
We Claim 
1. A method for composting pressmud  comprising
culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium comprising jaggery  to yield a microbial composition having pH in the range of 4.2 to 5.2 and temperature in the range of 300C to 400C   and providing the microbial composition to sugarcane pressmud.
2. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 1  wherein the nutrient medium further comprises of at least one of molasses  azolla  green leaf powder and sea weed.
3. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 1  wherein the step of culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria to yield a microbial composition further comprises of
mixing a source comprising thermophilic bacteria and a source comprising mesophilic bacteria in a ratio of 1:3 to yield a mixture;
diluting the mixture with water  wherein the mixture to water ratio is in the range of 1:100 to 1:200;
mixing the diluted mixture with the nutrient medium  wherein the diluted mixture to nutrient medium ratio is 1:1; and
maintaining the nutrient medium comprising the mixture to obtain a microbial composition having pH in the range of 4.2 to 5.2 and temperature in the range of 300C to 400C.
4. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 3  wherein the sources of thermophilic bacteria and mesophilic bacteria are at least one of elephant dung and cow dung.
5. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 1 
wherein;
the step of providing the microbial composition to sugarcane pressmud  further comprises of providing the microbial composition to sugarcane pressmud on 0th day  7th day  and  optionally  on 11th day.
6. The method for composting pressmud as claimed in claim 1 
wherein;
the microbial composition is provided in an amount in the range of 1L to 3L per ton of pressmud;
7. The method for composting pressmud as claimed in claim 6 
wherein;
the microbial composition on the
0th day is provided in an amount of 3L per ton of initial weight of pressmud;
7th day is provided in an amount of 2L per ton of initial weight of pressmud; and
11th day is provided in an amount of 1L per ton of initial weight of pressmud.
8. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 1  further comprises of
providing water and aeration.
9. The method for composting pressmud  as claimed in claim 1 
wherein;
water is provided on 0th to 14th day; and
aeration is provided on 0th day  7th day   and 9th to 14th day.
10. The method for composting pressmud as claimed in claim 1 
wherein;
the pressmud  prior to providing the microbial composition  is maintained at a temperature in the range of 550C to 650 C  and with moisture content of below 60%.
11. A compost prepared by a microbial composition having pH in the range of 4.2 to 5.2 and temperature in the range of 300C to 400C obtained by culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium comprising jaggery.
12. The compost as claimed in claim 11  wherein
pH of the compost is in the range of 7.1 to 7.8; and
C/N ratio of the compost is in the range of 10:1 to 12:1.
13. A microbial composition for composting pressmud having pH in the range of 4.2 to 5.2 and temperature in the range of 300C to 400C obtained by culturing thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria in a nutrient medium comprising jaggery.
14. The microbial composition for composting pressmud as claimed in claim 13 
wherein;
the thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria are obtained from at least one of elephant dung and cow dung.
Dated: 7th Day of December  2012 Signature:
Dr Kalyan Chakravarthy
Patent Agent

ABSTRACT
A method for composting pressmud and a microbial composition for composting pressmud is disclosed. Composting of organic waste  such as pressmud is a long process which generally takes several days. The disclosed invention provides a method and microbial composition that accelerates composting of pressmud. It further  provides an effective  eco-friendly compost with desirable pH and C/N ratio  prepared using the disclosed method and microbial composition.