Claims:1. A process for vermicomposting, the process comprising:
(a) forming a vermicast bed (120) around a bio support matrix (110) in a vermi reactor unit 100, wherein the vermicast bed (120) comprises vermicast, earthworms, and mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus; and
(b) processing a mixture of paper waste and phytowaste over the vermicast bed (120) in the vermi reactor unit (100) to form a vermicompost.
2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bio support matrix (110) comprises a plurality of rough-surfaced spheres (112), arranged at regular intervals and interconnected with bridges (114).
3. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the vermicast bed (120) comprises introducing the earthworms, the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus, and a food for the earthworms and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus around the bio support matrix (110) in the vermi reactor unit (100) and allowing the earthworms and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus to feed and move around the bio support matrix (110) for a few days.
4. The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein a food for the earthworms and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus comprises an animal manure, a mixture of the paper waste and phytowaste, or a combination of the animal manure and the mixture of the paper waste and phytowaste .
5. The process as claimed in claim 1, comprising attracting and culturing the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus in a culturing unit comprising a dark and damp environment.
6. A system (10) for vermicomposting, the system (10) comprising a vermi reactor unit (100) comprising a bio support matrix (110) configured to support a vermicast bed (120) and a mixture of paper waste and phytowaste over the vermicast bed (120), wherein the bio support matrix (110) comprises a plurality of rough-surfaced spheres (112), arranged at regular intervals and interconnected with bridges (114).
7. The system (10) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bio support matrix (110) comprises plastic balls interconnected through plastic supports.
8. The system (10) as claimed in claim 6, comprising a culturing unit for attracting and culturing mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus, wherein the culturing unit comprises a dark and damp environment.
9. The system (10) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the culturing unit comprises one or more cardboard containers partially filled with a nurturing bed comprising a food for the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus.
, Description:FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure relates to vermicomposting process and a system for vermicomposting. In particular, the disclosure relates to a process and system for vermicomposting of blends of paper waste and phytowaste.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Urbanization and globalization have enhanced the use of paper, consequently the generation of paper waste, throughout the world. Only a fraction of the generated paper waste is re pulped and reused to obtain fresh, mainly brown-coloured, paper that is employed in packaging. More sophisticated processing can generate higher quality paper. However, over their life-cycle, these processes consume greater quantities of energy, water and chemicals per tonne of recycled paper than are needed to make the paper ab initio. Besides leaving massive carbon footprints, this recycling option causes pollution of water, air, and land. In the like manner, burning of wastepaper releases harmful trace metals and organics into the air, alongside global warming gases, essentially CO2. Even when put in sanitary landfills, wastepaper undergoes anaerobic fermentation, generating methane which has greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Hence many of the prevailing methods of disposal of wastepaper are considered as major sources of environmental pollution.
[0003] Among the potential processes through which large quantities of paper waste can be converted to a high-demand product, vermicomposting of paper waste to produce organic vermicompost is a clean and promising process. Paper waste contains large fractions of biodegradable holocellulose to facilitate vermicomposting. However, the challenge in vermicomposting of paper waste is that the paper waste is very lean in medium and micronutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorous, and iron that earthworms essentially need for a long survival. Attempts to circumnavigate this problem by pre-composting and/or manure supplementation have so far proved to be economically unviable.
[0004] Similar to paper waste, another challenge normally faced is managing phytowaste or waste biomass, e.g., vegetable waste, crop waste, and weeds such as prosopis, lantana, ipomoea, water hyacinth, and parthenium. Past attempts to vermicompost the phytowaste, after pre-composting or blending them with animal manure are economically unviable.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need for the disposal of paper waste and phytowaste in a way that is clean and environment-friendly, ameliorative of global warming -that sequesters and returns to soil the organic carbon and the nutrients that had been extracted in growing the wood that was used in the paper making or the plants that are phytowaste, and also remunerative by generating a product of economic value so that the cost of processing of paper waste is recovered, preferably with a profit.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simple manner that are further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter nor is it intended to determine the scope of the disclosure.
[0007] In one aspect, a process for vermicomposting is disclosed. The process includes forming a vermicast bed around a bio support matrix in a vermi reactor unit and processing a mixture of paper waste and phytowaste over the vermicast bed in the vermi reactor unit to form a vermicompost. The vermicast bed comprises vermicast, earthworms, and mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus.
[0008] In another aspect, a system for processing vermicomposting is disclosed. The system includes a vermi reactor unit that has a bio support matrix. The bio support matrix includes a plurality of rough-surfaced spheres that are arranged at regular intervals and interconnected with bridges. The bio support matrix is configured to support a vermicast bed and a mixture of paper waste and phytowaste over the vermicast bed.
[0009] Further advantages and other details of the present subject matter will be apparent from a reading of the following description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that the following description is explanatory only and is not restrictive of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] To further clarify the advantages and features of the disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0011] Figure 1 illustrates a vermi reactor unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0012] Figure 2 illustrates a top down view of a bio support matrix, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0013] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of an example culturing unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0014] Figure 4 illustrates a side view of an example mini crustaceans trap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0015] It may be noted that to the extent possible like reference numerals have been used to represent like elements in the drawings. Further, those of ordinary skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of aspects of the disclosure. Furthermore, the one or more elements may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the disclosure so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skilled in the art having the benefits of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0016] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.
[0017] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof. Throughout the patent specification, a convention employed is that in the appended drawings, like numerals denote like components.
[0018] Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment”, “another embodiment” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0019] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems.
[0020] One or more of the embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a novel bioprocess in which easily culturable mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or of genus Trachelipus are symbiotically deployed along with earthworms to convert blends of paper waste and phytowaste into organic vermicompost. This bioprocess, carried out using the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or of genus Trachelipus, is a novel process that has not been attempted or contemplated so far. The bioprocess employed here is able to overcome the challenges that are encountered in using the paper waste as feedstock for making vermicompost.
[0021] The waste-paper predominately (85-90%) contains cellulose and hemicellulose with very small quantities of trace elements. These contents of the waste-paper do not have regular nutrients required by the earthworms, hence earthworms cannot survive on a paper-alone diet for long duration. Therefore, it is necessary to blend paper waste with some other substrate that can supply nutrients adequate for the needs of the earthworms. In almost all the reported studies, the paper waste has been mixed with cow dung for providing nutrients to earthworms.
[0022] The requirement of cow dung in these mixtures is generally more than 50%. In some prior studies, additives such as rock phosphate is also added. However, cow dung is a prized commodity with a myriad competing uses and usually in high demand, thereby adding to the cost of vermicomposting the paper waste. Further, limited availability of cow dung limits the quantities of paper waste that can be vermicomposted. Further, in some prior studies, a pre-composting step was also found necessary to convert paper sheets into a powder that is well-mixed with stabilized cow dung for making it easily ingestible to the earthworms. The pre-composting step increases the cost per unit mass of utilized paper waste and also increases processing time of the paper waste. In some instances, even in the absence of pre-composting step, the processes have required 45 days or more to accomplish the vermicomposting of paper waste. Such long processing times further jeopardize the commercial viability of these processes, as the large solid retention time increases the requirement of reactor space, thereby increasing the process costs.
[0023] In the present disclosure, a system for vermicomposting a mixture of paper waste and phytowaste and a method for doing the same is disclosed. The paper waste may be scraps from the paper mills, discarded paper materials, or wastepaper material discarded after consumer use. The term “phytowaste” as used herein denotes a form of biomass or biowaste which comprises either the remains of the earlier live plants, or the present live plants. As used herein, the phytowaste includes the remains of any plant parts in their processed or unprocessed form, including fruit or vegetable waste, garden waste, leaf litters, and any of the aquatic, terrestrial or amphibious weeds. In some embodiments, the term “phytowaste” is used specifically to denote the remains of weedy plants that are sought to be eradicated. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), ipomoea (Ipomoea carnea), prosopis (Prosopis juliflora), lantana (Lantana camara), or parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus), salvinia (Salvinia molesta), and pistia (Pistia stratiotes) are some examples of weedy plants that can be mixed with paper waste to form vermicompost using the process and system disclosed herein.
[0024] As used herein, a “mixture” of paper waste and phytowaste includes both the paper waste and phytowaste, and may be in a wide range of proportions. The mixture may or may not contain any other intentional material additions along with the paperwaste and phytowaste. The mixture may include a first portion of the paperwaste and a second portion of the phytowaste. In some embodiments, a ratio of the first portion to the second portion may be in a range from 0.1 to 0.9 (i.e., 1:10 to 9:10). In some embodiments, the ratio may be in a range from 0.3 to 0.7. In some embodiments, approximately equal proportions of the paper waste and phytowaste are used. If the mixture includes any other one or more intentionally added materials, the total amount of those intentionally added materials may be less than 20 wt.% of the mixture. In some embodiments, the intentionally added materials, if any, are limited to less than 10 wt.% of the mixture.
[0025] Earthworms are commonly found in soil, eating a wide variety of organic matter. Earthworms play a major role in the conversion of large pieces of organic matter into rich humus, thus improving soil fertility. Further, burrowing activity of the earthworms creates a multitude of channels through the soil, enabling processes of aeration and drainage in the soil. Therefore, earthworms are considered as an integral part of vermicomposting. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, annelid earthworms of epigeic and anecic species are used in carrying out vermicomposting.
[0026] Protracted and painstaking trials were carried out to find such organisms that are either available free of cost or are inexpensive, and that can aid earthworms in the process of vermicomposting. The trials led to the identification of Mini crustaceans. Mini crustaceans are generally smaller sized crustaceous compared to their larger counterparts such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimps, and prawns. The mini crustaceans used here may be belonging to the genus Porcellio or to the genus Trachelipus. These crustaceans are found essentially worldwide. A well-known species of genus Porcellio is the common rough woodlouse. The woodlouse used herein may be of the species Porcellio laevis, Porcellio dilatatus, Porcellio rathkii, Porcellio scaber, or Trachelipus rathkii. These are arthropods of Class Malacostraca, Order Isopoda, Suborder Oniscidea, and Family Porcellionidae or Trachelipodidae. They are easy to attract and culture, facilitate the bioprocess very substantially, and perish once the reactor is disbanded, without becoming a pest. In a specific embodiment, the woodlouse of the species Trachelipus rathkii is used as the mini crustaceans for vermicomposting.
[0027] In a research conducted by the inventors, the mini crustaceans were found to be ideal facilitators for the bioprocess of vermicomposting. The mini crustaceans are decomposers of lignocellulose. Mini crustaceans aided and abetted the earthworms, which were considered as the main workhorses of vermicomposting, without antagonizing the earthworms in any manner, without interfering with the functioning of the earthworms, and without negatively impacting the quality of the vermicompost product. The mini crustaceans were also found to be safe for the environment as they perished after the reactor is disbanded without turning into pests or becoming problematic in any means. Further, the mini crustaceans were easy to attract and culture and facilitated the bioprocess very substantially.
[0028] Various embodiments of the disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The vermicomposting of the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste using the combination of earthworms and mini crustaceans may be carried out at various places such as a farm, a vermicomposting pit etc. In the present disclosure, a very specific and advantageous system 10 for vermicomposting is disclosed, as shown in Figure 1. The system 10 includes a vermi reactor unit 100. The vermi reactor unit 100 includes a bio support matrix that is configured to support a vermicast bed 120 (alternately, “vermibed”). The vermicast bed 120 includes the earthworms 140 and mini crustaceans 150 of genus Porcellio or Trachelipus. A substrate 130 having the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste is supported over the vermicast bed 120.
[0029] Depending on the quality of paper waste to be utilized, the system 10 may include one or more vermi reactor units (VRUs). The VRUs 100 may be of any shape and size. In some embodiments, the heights of the VRUs 100 vary in a range from 12.5 (centimetre) cm to 17.5 cm. However, for the ease of handling and arrangement, in some embodiments, rectangular shaped VRUs 100 are used. In some embodiments, the rectangular shaped VRUs 100 are designed such that a ratio of the length to breadth of the VRUs 100 are in a range from 6 : 1 to 4 :1. The size of the VRUs 100 are optimized for the ease of handling and functionality of the VRUs 100. Whereas numerous embodiments of different breadths, lengths, diameters etc are possible to suit the scale of the application of the process, the heights of the VRUs 100 are preferably in a range from 12. 5 cm to 17.5 cm.
[0030] The VRUs 100 may be handled manually or may be a part of a mechanized system 10, in which provisions exist to handle multiple VRUs 100 mechanically or semi-mechanically. Various materials may be used for making the VRUs 100 depending on their cost, stability against biodegradability, and ease of handling. In some embodiments, aluminum or fiberglass are used as the preferred materials for making VRUs 100. In one example embodiment, each VRU 100 is made up of sheets of 22 guage aluminum. In another example embodiment, 0.7mm to 1 mm thick fiberglass sheets of dimension 150 cm (length) x 60 cm (breath) x 15 cm (height) are used for forming the VRUs 100. In some embodiments, aluminum - based VRUs 100 are individually lined with black polythene sheet of 0.1mm thickness to prevent rusting and possible leakage.
[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the VRU 100 includes a bio support matrix that is configured to support a vermicast bed 120. Figure 2 illustrates a top view of the bio support matrix (BSM) 110 shown as a part of the VRU 100 illustrated in Figure 1. The BSM 110 is used to activate the vermibed 120 that is formed around the BSM 110. The BSM 110 is placed in each VRU 100. The BSM 110 includes a plurality of rough-surfaced spheres 112 that are arranged at regular intervals and interconnected with bridges 114.
[0032] In some embodiments, plastic balls having roughened outer surfaces are used for providing the rough surface. The bridges 114 also may be formed of plastic material. In an example embodiment, plastic balls of 3 cm diameter, with roughened outer surface, interconnected with plastic supports are used as the BSM 110. The size and shape of the BSM 110 may be varied as per the requirement. A specially designed BSM 110 for efficient functioning, has about 135 cm x 45 cm area with each square formed by connecting the balls having an area of about 15 cm x 15 cm. The BSM 110 has been designed and its composition has been optimized on the basis of extensive trials to ensure that it supports bacterial film formation which helps the vermicomposting process while not interfering with the movement of earthworms 140, substrate 130 feeding, or vermicast harvesting. The matrix also enables very efficient functioning of the mini crustaceans 150.
[0033] In some embodiments, the system 10 includes a culturing unit 300 as shown in Figure 3 for attracting and culturing mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus. The culturing unit 300 includes a dark and damp environment to attract and acquire mini crustaceans. The culturing unit 300 further includes a feed for the mini crustaceans to provide nutrients to thrive and multiply. In some embodiments, the culturing unit 300 has a structure 310 for arranging one or more collection boxes 400 for mini crustaceans. The structure 310 may be made of any material. In some embodiments, a plastic frame is preferred for its environmental durability and light weight. In a specific embodiment, dark PDFE sheets 312 are used for the frame of the structure. The PDFE sheets 312 may cover the collection boxes at various sides to provide the dark and damp environment. The PDFE sheets may be arranged as openable sheets. The structure 310 may further have handles 314 for easily lifting the frame or any part of the frame or PDFE sheets 312. In a specific embodiment, the collection box 400 is in the form of cardboard container 410 as shown in Figure 4, partially filled with a nurturing bed comprising a food for the mini crustaceans. The individual cardboard containers 410 may be designed to fit into the individual VRUs 100.
[0034] The cardboard containers 410 may be of any size. The cardboard containers 410 designed to fit into the VRU 100 of the example embodiment is of about 20 cm length, 15 cm breadth and 7.5 cm height. The containers 410 are filled with soil, an animal manure (such as cow dung), rice straw and decaying leaf litter in appropriate proportions. It is to be noted that for culturing the mini crustaceans, only small quantities of animal manure are used. The quantities of animal manure used for the culturing is insignificant compared to the large quantities of animal manure needed for conventional large-scale vermicomposting. The small quantities of animal manure used for culturing mini crustaceans does not raise any challenge in procurement and also does not impact the economics. In some embodiments, the soil, cow dung, rice straw and decaying leaf litter are in about 1:1:2:2 proportion, enough to fill up the box to about half of its height. Water is sprinkled over this mixture in a quantity enough to make the mixture damp. The box is further covered with a moist jute cloth 420 of about 3 mm pore size. The jute cloth 420 is tied tightly around the opening of the box 410 using a string 430. The containers may be placed in the culturing unit 300. In an example embodiment, each culturing unit 300 holds about 10 mini crustacean collection boxes, to be used for 10 VRUs 100. The culturing unit 300 may be larger capacity also, but the one holding about 10 containers is easy to move about. The number of such culturing units can be increased, depending upon the number of VRUs 100 being set up. The culturing unit 300 carrying the containers are kept in a dark and damp environment such as under a shady tree, near leaf litter dumps, in building basements etc. The containers start attracting mini crustaceans in about 2-3 days, which will begin feeding upon the feed material kept in the boxes and multiply. After the boxes have attracted mini crustaceans in sufficient quantity, the contents of each containers may be emptied to a VRU 100.
[0035] The process of forming vermicomposting includes a step of forming the vermicast bed 120. The step of forming the vermicast bed 120 includes introducing the earthworms 140, the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus, and a food for the earthworms 140 and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus around the bio support matrix in the vermi reactor unit 100 and allowing the earthworms 140 and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus to feed and move around the bio support matrix for a few days.
[0036] In the course of preparing the vermibed 120, the food for the earthworms and the mini crustaceans of genus Porcellio or genus Trachelipus may include animal manure, a mixture of the paper waste and phytowaste, or a combination of the animal manure and the mixture of the paper waste and phytowaste. A specific example for an animal manure is cow dung, which is generally used in vermicomposting step. In the claimed process, the cow dung or any other animal manure that is already known as a feed to the earthworms are used only if it is readily available and economically viable. In some embodiments, where the generally known food for the earthworms, such as the animal manure is not available or not economically viable, the food provided for the earthworms and mini crustaceans is devoid of any animal manure. In these embodiments, only the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste is used as the food in the vermicast. The two process – one using the animal manure and the other not using the animal manure are described in further details below.
[0037] In the first embodiment, wherein the animal manure is used in making the vermibed 120, 10-11 kg of fresh cow-dung (about 3 Kg if oven dried at 105ºC to consent weight) is fed to the VRU 100. The contents of one of the mini crustacean culture boxes is emptied in the VRU 100 along with about 300 earthworms. The earthworms can be any one of these species: Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei, Eudrilus eugeniae, Lumbricus rubellus, Perionyx excavatus, Drawida willsi. Enough water is sprinkled on the contents to ensure about 60 ± 10% moisture at all times. A 2-3 cm thick layer of vermicast is formed around the BSM 110 within about 15 days. The BSM 110-laden vermicast serves as a worm bedding as well as a provider of very rich and diverse microflora.
[0038] In the second embodiment, wherein the animal manure is not used, each VRU 100 is charged with about 2 Kg each of shredded paper waste and fresh phytomass, followed by the contents of the mini crustacean culture box. Before the earthworms get acclimatized to the paper waste-phytomass blends, they have to be protected from the shock of the new feed and the new environment of a manure-free vermi reactor. Also, the feed of paper waste and weeds which, unlike animal manure, does not possess large diversity and density of microorganisms and readily available nutrients as animal manure possesses, has to be enriched with microflora and made amenable to rapid vermicomposting. To achieve these ends, an elaborate reactor start-up sequence is employed in this process. The sequence has been developed on the basis of extensive trials, with the aim to minimize time and effort, maximize the gains, and to ensure a very rapid and sustainable rate of vermicomposting once start-up phase is over.
[0039] In the step to start the continuous process for vermicompost production, about 30 earthworms, belonging to any one of the species mentioned above, are released in the VRU 100. About 35-40 earthworms are introduced per day in subsequent days, till about 300 earthworms in total are released. This manner of gradual introduction of the earthworms is recommended to avoid shock and possible death, if all the earthworms are released at once into the mixture of paper waste and phytomass. Similar precaution is not needed in the previous embodiment because earthworms take to cow dung very naturally. In the second embodiment, a 2-3 cm thick bed of vermicast is formed in about 60 days. The vermibed 120 formed in the second embodiment has attributes similar to the vermibed 120 generated in the first embodiment. It may be noted that vermibed 120 formation takes only about 15 days when animal manure is used, and it takes about 60 days when the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste is used as the substrate 130. This is because the animal manure such as cow-dung is very rich in microflora and the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste is not as rich in microflora as the cow dung. Therefore, it takes longer time to acquire the same richness and diversity of microflora in the second embodiment as compared to the first embodiment.
[0040] After the priming step in which Vermicompost Bed 120 is developed around the bio support matrix 110, the main process for continuous vermicompost production is started in the VRU 100. Once the Vermicompost Bed 120 is ready, each VRU 100 may be used indefinitely to generate vermicompost. Multiple VRUs 100 can be used, either manually or with different levels of mechanization, such as using an Inclined Parallel Stock Continuously Operable (IPSCO) vermi reactor system patented earlier by these inventors (Patent No 302643), to generate larger quantities of vermicompost at any desired scale. In each VRU 100, 2 Kg of 1:1 mass ratio, on dry weight basis, of phytowaste and paper waste are fed. As used herein, “Dry weight basis” means the masses taken are equivalent to 1 kg of phytowaste or paper waste after they had been dried in an oven at 110ºC to constant weight. The quantities of undried phytomass/paper waste to be fed are worked out by drying known quantities of harvested phytomass or shredded paper waste to a constant weight at 110ºC and thus knowing the equivalence. The need to proceed on ‘dry weight basis’ arises because moisture contents of the feed, especially of fresh phytowaste, vary widely and quantities taken on fresh weight basis do not necessarily correspond to the same dry weight. After the feed is converted to vermicast, the vermicast is removed and a fresh 2 kg charge of 1:1 mass ratio of dry weight equivalent of phytowaste and paper waste is fed.
[0041] When a VRU 100 is started afresh, it takes it about 30 days to convert the feed into vermicompost. When the next charge is fed, the conversion occurs in about 20-25 days. By the third charge, the duration comes down to about 15 days and remains so for the further charges. When the phytomass is a xerophyte such as prosopis leaves, the first two cycles take about 60 days and then complete vermi conversion occurs in pulses of 30 days each.
[0042] While removing vermicompost formed of the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste, harvesting the vermicast nestling between and below the BSM 110 matrix is avoided so that the vermibed 120 as the source of the microflora is retained. For rapid separation of harvested vermicompost from the earthworms, juveniles, and cocoons trapped in it, a harvesting machine (such as that developed earlier by these inventors) may be used. Once every 6 months, half the number of earthworms in each VRU 100 may be removed to seed other VRUs 100, and also to prevent overcrowding of the existing VRUs 100. The excess earthworms can also be used as poultry feed, fish baits, etc.
[0043] The process of vermicomposting, according to the present disclosure, has many advantages. Generally, the fruit and vegetable waste tend to ooze large quantities of water that leads to the death of the earthworms, if not pre-composted and/or supplemented with animal manure. Further, many weeds seem to repel earthworms, because of which the earthworms try to escape and die.
[0044] When the mixture of paper waste and phytowaste is used, the phytowaste supplies nutrients needed for the earthworms to remain healthy and to reproduce, and paper waste provides a medium to absorb excess juices of the phytowaste and also makes available easily ingestible cellulose and hemicellulose to the earthworms. The use of phytowaste has freed paper waste from the necessity of having animal manure as the nutrient source. Unlike the animal manure, the phytowaste is abundantly available free of cost. Further, the utilization of the phytowaste is in the interest of lessening the environmental burden these wastes are known to cause.
[0045] The mini crustaceans aid and abet the vermicomposting of the paper-phytomass blends by decomposing the lignocellulose and making it easy for the earthworms to feed and digest. There is, thus, a positive synergy between phytowaste and paper waste in facilitating the vermicomposting of each other and also in using mini crustaceans along with the earthworms. Further, the vermicompost product obtained by this process also has unique features such as a pest repellent property. Therefore, the produced vermicompost functions both as a vermicompost and as a pest repellent.
[0046] Embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail for purposes of clarity and understanding. However, it will be appreciated that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, although the disclosure is described with reference to specific embodiments and Figures thereof, the embodiments and Figures are merely illustrative, and not limiting of the disclosure.