GUWAHATI: Researchers from the Waste Management Research Group (WMRG) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, led by Prof. Ajay S. Kalamdhad, have unveiled a pioneering approach to aid municipal corporations in efficiently managing organic waste.
The innovative two-stage biodegradation technique, known as Rotary Drum Composting with Vermicomposting (RDVC), offers an eco-friendly process, enabling the extraction of value-added products from organic waste.
Municipal solid waste often contains over 50% organic material, generating considerable heat during long-term decomposition in open dumpsites. To address this environmental challenge and contribute to sustainable development goals, the WMRG team combined Rotary Drum Composting (RDC) with Vermicomposting to create a unique two-stage biodegradation strategy.
RDC, converting diverse organic feedstocks into nutrient-dense compost within just 20 days, significantly reduces municipal waste volume by 60-70%. However, RDC's limitation lies in producing inferior compost quality. On the other hand, Vermicomposting, a superior biodegradation process, traditionally requires a minimum of 60 days, making it less adaptable for urban municipal corporations.
Prof. Ajay S. Kalamdhad explained, "We optimized the Rotary Drum Composting technique and combined it with vermicomposting to reduce the duration of biodegradation. Earthworms acclimatize faster to partially degraded organic matter from the drum compost, producing vermicompost in just 27 days."
The combined technique underwent experimental verification in both laboratory and large-scale settings at the Solid Waste Laboratory of IIT Guwahati. The scaled-up process successfully produced 100 to 150 kg of vermicompost within a month from 250 to 300 kg of daily waste fed, with the increased earthworm count resulting in the secondary end product being the earthworm itself.
The findings of the study, co-authored by Suryateja Pottipati and Prof. Ajay S. Kalamdhad, have been published in reputable journals such as the Journal of Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, Journal of Environmental Management, Bioresource Technology, and Waste Management.
This groundbreaking process, aiming to reshape global organic waste treatment facilities, has been transferred to The Apshisht Management and Environmental Research Pvt. Ltd. (AMER Technologies), a company based in the IIT Guwahati incubation center. The product, named "Mati Dhan Organic Vermicompost Fertilizer Manure for Plants," is now produced on a large scale and available on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and INDIAMART.