Effect of Different Substrates and Effluent on Vermicomposting by Surface Feeder Species

Management of industrial waste has become one of the biggest problems world is facing today. The rapid increase in the volume of waste is one aspect of the environmental crisis, accompanying recent global development. The conventional methods of waste management including incineration and uncontrolled dumping proved to cause environmental pollution. Use of earthworm species to biodegrade various substrates (industrial wastes, agricultural residues etc) for composting has proven to be successful after initial stabilization of vermin beds. Present work is vermicomposting by essentially the consumption of organic material, the textile industry effluent by surface feeder earthworm species Eisenia fetida. The worms upon the consumption of effluent components brought about its treatment and subsequently the formation of compost. Effect of two different agricultural residues like saw dust and rice husk on vermicompost was also compared. Vermicomposting was better with sawdust as substrate.