Earthworm Biotechnology

Manjushree Tadvalkar
Institute Of Natural Organic Agriculture
INORA
Pune
inora@vsnl.com
www.inoraindia.com
0202530096
 Earthworm Biotechnology
• Vermicomposting
• Gray Water Treatment
• Organic Farming
• Soil reclamation
• Solid waste management
• City /Urban farming
 Requirements for decentralized
options
• 1 Political will and policy
• 2 Waste minimization and recycling
• 3 Household segregation
• 4 Collection of animal waste
• 5 Education and training
• 6 Regulations for institutions and companies
• 7 Using the city's produced compost
• 8 Buyback by the city of locally produced
compost
 Bio-combustion:Composting
• 1 Composting is biological burning of
biomass without loosing the nitrogen and
phosphorus to air
• 2 composting requires moisture, low
temperatures and proper microbial power
for converting organic matter into compost
 Vermicomposting
• commonly called as vermiculture
• 2 In this process earthworms are introduced in the
decomposition web.
• 3 Earthworms act as bioreactors.
• 4They provide aerobicity, semi digested food for
the microbes to act upon.
• 5 Excreta of earthworm- vermi cast and other
organic matter in digested form together is called
vermicompost
Earthworms in vermicomposting
• 1 surface dwellers
• 2 humus formers
• 3 Tolerating high organic matter content
• 4 continuous breeders
• 5 Varieties:Eisenia spp, Eudrilus
spp,Perionyx spp are common varieties
used in vermicomposting
 Wormicomposting for waste
treatment: Design considerations
• Quantify waste
• 2 Type of waste
• 3 Waste collection
• 4 Infrastructure
• 1 Processing bin /container - Process area
• 2 Watering arrangement
• Drainage
• 3 Equipments and machinery viz;shredder
• 4 Plantation
• 5 Manpower
Transverse Section Of Vermibed
 Options for Composting
• Pit composting: garden and floral refuse
• 2 Windrow composting: dung's manures
and agro refuse
• 3 Bin composting: food waste, faunal refuse
• 4 Composter planter: for garden and food
waste refuse together - City farming
• 5 Root zone composting for cellulosic
garden refuse – Urban forest
 Pit Composting
•
Windrow Composting
 Bin composting
•
 Composter Planter
•
 Root Zone Composting
•
 Follow Rules..

• MSW Rules 2000

• MOEF: EPA Act
Thank you..
Start
Vermicomposting..
Composting…
Yes in my backyard..