Vermicomposting for 140 days by using Lumbricus rubellus was conducted after 21 days of natural pre-composting. Five treatments in different ratio of goat manure: spent mushroom substrate were prepared as feed materials with four replicates for each treatment namely; 20:80 (TA), 40:60 (TB), 50:50 (TC), 60:40 (TD) and 80:20 (TE). As for control, each treatment without earthworm was prepared. On the basis of nutrient elements, goat manure and spent mushroom substrate can be decomposed through both methods of vermicomposting and natural composting. Findings of this study indicated that the higher usage of goat manure with longer duration resulted in the production of improved organic fertilizer.
Vermicomposting is commonly adopted for the treatment of livestock organic wastes. In the present study, two types of livestock manure were used for culturing of the earthworm, Eisenia foetida. Each treatment group consisted of six replicates and worm vermicasts were examined after 5 weeks. The concentrations of total C, P and K in goat manure vermicasts were higher than those in cattle manure vermicasts. Cattle vermicasts had a higher N content than goat vermicasts but the C:N ratio of fresh manure was higher than that of vermicasts for both materials. Earthworm biomass and reproductive performance, in terms of number of worms after 5 weeks of experiment, were higher in cattle manure than in goat manure. The cocoon production per worm in cattle manure was higher than in goat manure. However, the hatchability of cocoons was not affected by manure treatments. In conclusion, cattle manure provided a more nutritious and friendly environment to the earthworms than goat manure.
The present study proposes a system for co-composting food waste and poultry manure amended with rice husk biochar at different doses (0, 3, 5, 10%, w/w), saw dust, and salts. The effect of rice husk biochar on the characteristics of final compost was evaluated through stabilization indices such as electrical conductivity, bulk density, total porosity, gaseous emissions and nitrogen conservation. Results indicated that when compared to control, the biochar amendment extended the thermophilic stage of the composting, accelerated the biodegradation and mineralization of substrate mixture and helped in the maturation of the end product. Carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia emissions were reduced and the nitrogen conservation was achieved at a greater level in the 10% (w/w) biochar amended treatments. This study implies that the biochar and salts addition for co-composting food waste and poultry manure is beneficial to enhance the property of the compost.
Traditional disposal of animal manures and lignocellulosic biomass is restricted by its inefficiency and sluggishness. To advance the carbon management and greenhouse gas mitigation, this review scrutinizes the effect of pyrolysis in promoting the sustainable biomass and manure disposal as well as stimulating the biochar industry development. This review has examined the advancement of pyrolysis of animal manure (AM) and lignocellulosic biomass (LB) in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and operability. In particular, the applicability of pyrolysis biochar in enhancing the crops yields via soil remediation is highlighted. Through pyrolysis, the heavy metals of animal manures are fixated in the biochar, thereby both soil contamination via leaching and heavy metal uptake by crops are minimized. Pyrolysis biochar is potentially use in soil remediation for agronomic and environmental co-benefits. Fast pyrolysis assures high bio-oil yield and revenue with better return on investment whereas slow pyrolysis has low revenue despite its minimum investment cost because of relatively low selling price of biochar. For future commercialization, both continuous reactors and catalysis can be integrated to pyrolysis to ameliorate the efficiency and economic value of pyrolysis biochar.
Vermicomposting is a process in which earthworms are used to convert organic materials into humus-like material known as vermicompost. A number of researchers throughout the world have found that the nutrient profile in vermicompost is generally higher than traditional compost. In fact, vermicompost can enhance soil fertility physically, chemically and biologically. Physically, vermicompost-treated soil has better aeration, porosity, bulk density and water retention. Chemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity and organic matter content are also improved for better crop yield. Nevertheless, enhanced plant growth could not be satisfactorily explained by improvements in the nutrient content of the soil, which means that other plant growth-influencing materials are available in vermicomposts. Although vermicomposts have been shown to improve plant growth significantly, the application of vermicomposts at high concentrations could impede growth due to the high concentrations of soluble salts available in vermicomposts. Therefore, vermicomposts should be applied at moderate concentrations in order to obtain maximum plant yield. This review paper discusses in detail the effects of vermicompost on soil fertility physically, chemically and biologically. Future prospects and economy on the use of organic fertilizers in the agricultural sector are also examined.
The excretion rates and ecological risk to the environment of three commonly used veterinary antibiotics (VAs), amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and doxycycline, in layer hen manure during the application and withdrawal periods were investigated in a study consisting of a control group fed with VA-free basal diet and nine treatment groups consisted of three levels (200 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 50 mg/kg) of amoxicillin (AMX), ciprofloxacin (CIP), or doxycycline (DOC). Each treatment group was replicated seven times with three layer hens per replication. Results of the study showed that the average excretion rates of AMX in the 200, 100, and 50 mg/kg groups were 67.88, 55.82, and 66.15%, respectively, while those for CIP and DOC were 47.84, 51.85, and 44.87% and 82.67, 94.39, and 95.72%, respectively. The concentrations of the above veterinary drugs in manure decreased sharply in the withdrawal period (7, 28, and 10 d, respectively), for AMX, DOC, and CIP. Neither AMX nor DOC was detected in the manure after the withdrawal period. In contrast to AMX and DOC, the excretion rate of CIP was significantly lower and thus had a longer residence time. Ecological risk study, estimated using hazard quotient values, showed that AMX in the 100 and 50 mg/kg groups posed no risk to the environment after d 1 of withdrawal, while CIP in the 50 mg/kg group posed no risk to the environment from d 5 of withdrawal. CIP in the 200 and 100 mg/kg groups required 10 d withdrawal in order to pose no risk to the environment. In contrast, DOC residue during withdrawal in the manure posed no risk to the environment, thus making it more environmentally safe.
Vermicomposting is a process that involves biological, chemical and physical transformations of solid organic materials such as agricultural residues of plant and animal through the use of microorganisms and earthworms. There are three main classes of earthworms, and only those from one class are usually used for vermicomposting. However, mostly foreign earthworms are used in the setup. Foreign earthworms are more expensive and harder to obtain than local earthworms. This makes the local farmers reluctant to try since they are expensive. The difference in vermicompost using two species of epigeic earthworms, a local earthworm and a foreign earthworm (Eisenia fetida), and normal compost without any earthworms was measured in this study. Both species of earthworms were placed in identical vermibeds consisting of partially composted goat manure and partially composted spent coconut flakes (SCF) with the ratio of 5:1 respectively in terms of weight. The vermibed moisture content was maintained at 60 – 70% throughout the whole process. The end products showed a difference from one another. The E. fetida showed a better result compared to the local earthworms in terms of the nutrient content presence and the adaptability of the earthworms during the whole process. However, the end product from the local earthworms was still better compared to the normal compost without any earthworms.
Over the past decade, rice (Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima) cultivation has increased in many rice-growing countries due to the increasing export demand and population growth and led to a copious amount of rice residues, consisting mainly of rice straw (RS) and rice husk (RH), being generated during and after harvesting. In this study, Eudrilus eugeniae was used to decompose rice residues alone and rice residues amended with cow dung (CD) for bio-transformation of wastes into organic fertilizer. Generally, the final vermicomposts showed increases in macronutrients, namely, calcium (11.4-34.2%), magnesium (1.3-40.8%), phosphorus (1.2-57.3%), and potassium (1.1-345.6%) and a decrease in C/N ratio (26.8-80.0%) as well as increases in heavy metal content for iron (17-108%), copper (14-120%), and manganese (6-60%) after 60 days of vermicomposting. RS as a feedstock was observed to support healthier growth and reproduction of earthworms as compared to RH, with maximum adult worm biomass of 0.66 g/worm (RS) at 60 days, 31 cocoons (1RS:2CD), and 23 hatchlings (1RS:1CD). Vermicomposting of RS yielded better results than RH among all of the treatments investigated. RS that was mixed with two parts of CD (1RS:2CD) showed the best combination of nutrient results as well as the growth of E. eugeniae. In conclusion, vermicomposting could be used as a green technology to bio-convert rice residues into nutrient-rich organic fertilizers if the residues are mixed with CD in the appropriate ratio.
Treated sludge, goat manure, sugarcane bagasse, empty fruit bunches of oil palm (EFBP) and dry leaves are agro wastes that have high potential for use as feedstocks for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). The focus of this study is to investigate the production of 5-HMF from agro wastes via co-hydrothermal (CHT) treatment and extraction. Present study include examine on agro waste's physical and chemical properties and also their thermal degradation behaviour. The analysis of the bio-oil products is conducted by FTIR and GC-MS. Co-hydrothermal experiments were conducted at a temperature of 300°C with an experimental time of 15min, followed by alcohol extraction. Highest carbon and hydrogen content are 45.94% and 6.49% (dry leaves) with maximum high heating value 18.39MJ/kg (dry leaves) and fix carbon value 6.60 (goat manure). Through CHT about 39% 5-HMF, 22.97% carboxylic acids, 0.97% of aromatic and 0.73% aldehyde obtained.
Energy is widely used in industry for heating and cooling, with natural gas (NG) being the largest primary energy source in Malaysia, closely followed by coal. Renewable energy, such as biogas upgrading to biomethane, could cut the use of fossil fuels by supplementing NG usage due to their similar physicochemical and thermochemical characteristics. Biogas production plants in Malaysia are more commonly seen in waste-to-energy scenarios, with the technology anaerobic digestion, and their deployment is supported via feed-in tariffs (FiT) for power generation. Other potential applications such as the conversion of biogas into biomethane, injection into the natural gas grid or transportation through a virtual pipeline may still need further technical development. This paper presents spatial techno economic optimisation modelling using BeWhere to determine decentralised biomethane production plants using feedstock from multiple sources of biogas, including palm oil mill effluent (POME), food waste, cattle manure and chicken manure. This model considered potential configurations and sizes of the biomethane plants, the transportation of biomethane using a virtual pipeline (at 250 psig) and demand in one of the states in Malaysia, namely Johor. It was found that two to four biomethane plants with capacities ranging between 125 and 700 m3/h were located in densely populated areas or heavier industrial consumers when the carbon tax was implemented at 167.71 EUR/tCO2 (800 MYR/tCO2). Sensitivity analysis suggested that biomethane production increases with the increasing country renewable energy share target to beyond 2080 MW. It is recommended that specific policy regulations and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) mechanisms are used to expand the biomethane market share in the country.
A multi-residue analytical method was developed to quantify nine antibiotics and one hormone in soil, broiler manure and manure compost. The developed method was based on ultrasonic extraction with MeOH:ACN:EDTA:McIlvaine buffer, solid phase extraction (SPE) using HLB (3 cc/60 mg) cartridge, followed by instrumental analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with 25 min total run time. It was validated and tested on soil, broiler manure and manure compost samples and showed that the method is able to simultaneously detect and quantify the target analytes with good selectivity and sensitivity. The developed method was linear in a concentration range from its instrumental quantification limit (IQL) to 500 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.999. The overall method performance was good for the majority of the analytes, with recoveries range from 63% to 121% in all the sample matrices. The method quantification limit (MQL) for the 10 target analytes in the soil, broiler manure and manure compost samples were 2-10, 3-16 and 5-15 μg/kg dry weight (DW), respectively. The method has also included tilmicosin, an antibiotic known to be reported in the environment for the first time. The developed method was then applied on broiler manure samples and its relative manure amended agricultural soil samples to identify and quantify veterinary antibiotic and hormone residues in the environment. These analytes were detected in broiler manure and soil samples, with maximum concentrations reaching up to 78516.1 μg/kg DW (doxycycline) and 1331.4 μg/kg DW (flumequine), respectively. The results showed that the method can potentially be adopted for the analysis of veterinary antibiotic and hormone wastes in solid environmental matrices.
Bacteria isolated from thermophilic environment that can produce cellulase as well as utilise agro-waste biomass have a high potential for developing thermostable cellulase required in the biofuel industry. The cost for cellulase represents a significant challenge in converting lignocellulose to fermentable sugars for biofuel production. Among three potential bacteria examined, Bacillus licheniformis 2D55 (accession no. KT799651) was found to produce the highest cellulolytic activity (CMCase 0.33 U/mL and FPase 0.09 U/mL) at 18-24 h fermentation when grown on microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) as a carbon source in shake flask at 50 °C. Cellulase production process was further conducted on the untreated and NaOH pretreated rice straw (RS), rice husk (RH), sugarcane bagasse (BAG) and empty fruit bunch (EFB). Untreated BAG produced the highest FPase (0.160 U/mL), while the highest CMCase (0.150 U/mL) was supported on the pretreated RH. The mixture of untreated BAG and pretreated RH as agro-waste cocktail has remarkably improved CMCase (3.7- and 1.4-fold) and FPase (2.5- and 11.5-fold) compared to the untreated BAG and pretreated RH, respectively. The mechanism of cellulase production explored through SEM analysis and the location of cellulase enzymes of the isolate was also presented. Agro-waste cocktail supplementation provides an alternative method for an efficient production of cellulase.
The livestock industry needs to use crop straws that are highly digestible to improve feed productivity and reduce ruminal methane emissions. Hence, this study aimed to use the ozonation and pelleting processes to enhance the digestibility and reduce the ruminal methane emissions of wheat straw enriched with two nitrogen sources (i.e., urea and heat-processed broiler litter). Various analyses were conducted on the pellets, including digestibility indicators, mechanical properties, surface chemistry functionalization, chemical-spectral-structural features, and energy requirements. For comparison, loose forms of the samples were also analyzed. The nitrogen-enriched ozonated wheat straw pellets had 43.06 % lower lignin, 28.30 % higher gas production for 24 h, 12.28 % higher metabolizable energy, 13.78 % higher in vitro organic matter digestibility for 24 h, and 28.81 % higher short-chain fatty acid content than the nitrogen-enriched loose sample. The reduction of methane emissions by rumen microorganisms of nitrogen-enriched wheat straw by ozonation, pelleting, and ozonation-pelleting totaled 89.15 %, 23.35 %, and 66.98 %, respectively. The ozonation process resulted in a 64 % increase in the particle density, a 5.5-time increase in the tensile strength, and a 75 % increase in the crushing energy of nitrogen-enriched wheat straw. In addition, ozone treatment could also reduce the specific and thermal energy consumption required in the pelleting process by 15.10 % and 7.61 %, respectively.
Repeated applications of animal manure as fertilizer are normal agricultural practices that may release veterinary antibiotics and hormones into the environment from treated animals. Broiler manure samples and their respective manure-amended agricultural soil samples were collected in selected locations in the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka in Malaysia to identify and quantify veterinary antibiotic and hormone residues in the environment. The samples were analyzed using ultrasonic extraction followed by solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The broiler manure samples were found to be contaminated with at least six target analytes, namely, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, flumequine, norfloxacin, trimethoprim and tylosin. These analytes were detected in broiler manure samples with maximum concentrations reaching up to 78,516 μg kg(-1) dry weight (DW) (doxycycline). For manure-amended agricultural soil samples, doxycycline and enrofloxacin residues were detected in every soil sample. The maximum concentration of antibiotic detected in soil was 1331 μg kg(-1) DW (flumequine). The occurrence of antibiotics and hormones in animal manure at high concentration poses a risk of contaminating agricultural soil via fertilization with animal manure. Some physico-chemical parameters such as pH, total organic carbon (TOC) and metal content played a considerable role in the fate of the target veterinary antibiotics and progesterone in the environment. It was suggested that these parameters can affect the adsorption of pharmaceuticals to solid environmental matrices.
The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. (Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli) in soil, poultry manure, irrigation water, and freshly harvested vegetables from vegetable farms in Malaysia. C. jejuni was detected in 30.4% and 2.7% of the soil samples, 57.1% and 0% of the manure samples, and 18.8% and 3% of the vegetable samples from farm A and farm B, respectively, when using the MPNPCR method. Campylobacter spp. was not found in any of the irrigation water samples tested. Therefore, the present results indicate that the aged manure used by farm A was more contaminated than the composted manure used by farm B. Mostly, the leafy and root vegetables were contaminated. C. coli was not detected in any of the samples tested in the current study. Both farms tested in this study were found to be contaminated by campylobacters, thereby posing a potential risk for raw vegetable consumption in Malaysia. The present results also provide baseline data on Campylobacter contamination at the farm level.
Livestock farms are commonly regarded as the main sources of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), emerging pollutants with potential implications for human health, in the environment. This study investigated the occurrence and contamination profiles of nine ARGs of three types from swine manure to receiving environments (soil and water) in Guangdong Province, southern China. All ARGs occurred in 100% of swine manure samples. Moreover, the absolute concentration of total ARGs varied from 3.01 × 108 to 7.18 × 1014 copies/g, which was significantly higher than that in wastewater and manured soil (p 0.05). However, the number of ARGs (ermB, qnrS, acc(6')-Ib, tetM, tetO and tetQ) decreased but were not eliminated by wastewater treatment components (p
Sago bark (SB) and empty fruit bunch (EFB) are available abundantly as agricultural waste in Sarawak. This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical characteristics of SB and EFB as composting materials and used as a plant growth medium. The SB and EFB composts were prepared in a separate container by mixing chicken manure as compost accelerator and wood chips as a bulking agent in dry weight equivalent ratio (1:1:1). The maturity and stability of compost in 60-day composting periods were evaluated via physicochemical characterization of the composts in terms of pH, elemental content, total ash content, moisture content and nutrient analyses. The effect of the compost usage as growth medium was assessed towards water spinach and green mustard via seed germination and pot study. After 2 months, the colour of both composts was dark brown with an earthy smell. The acidic pH of the initial composting stage has changed into alkaline pH after 60 days of composting. Total NPK present in the SB and EFB composts were 0.96% and 1.21%, respectively. The germination index (GI) for the studied vegetables was above 100%, while the pot study showed that vegetables in compost media has higher growth compared to the control, after 14 days. SB and EFB are renewable waste which can be used as an excellent compost and able to improve the quality of the soil.
Nitrate is one of the primary nutrients associated with sedimentation and fuels eutrophication in reservoir systems. In this study, water samples from Bukit Merah Reservoir (BMR) were analysed using a combination of water chemistry, water stable isotopes (δ2H-H2O and δ18O-H2O) and nitrate stable isotopes (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-). The objective was to evaluate nitrate sources and processes in BMR, the oldest man-made reservoir in Malaysia. The δ15N-NO3- values in the river and reservoir water samples were in the range +0.4 to +14.9‰ while the values of δ18O-NO3- were between -0.01 and +39.4‰, respectively. The dual plots of δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3- reflected mixing sources from atmospheric deposition (AD) input, ammonium in fertilizer/rain, soil nitrogen, and manure and sewage (MS) as the sources of nitrate in the surface water of BMR. Nitrate stable isotopes suggested that BMR undergoes processes such as nitrification and mixing. Denitrification and assimilation were not prevalent in the system. The Bayesian mixing model highlighted the dominance of MS sources in the system while AD contributed more proportion in the reservoir during both seasons than in the river. The use of δ13C, δ15N, and C:N ratios enabled the identification of terrestrial sources of the organic matter in the sediment, enhancing the understanding of sedimentation associated with nutrients previously reported in BMR. Overall, the nitrate sources and processes should be considered in decision-making in the management of the reservoir for irrigation, Arowana fish culture and domestic water supply.
In this study, the differences on the physico-chemical parameters, lignocellulose degradation, dynamic succession of microbial community, gene expression of carbohydrate-active enzymes and antibiotics resistance genes were compared during composting systems of bagasse pith/pig manure (BP) and manioc waste/pig manure (MW). The results revealed that biodegradation rates of organic matter, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin (29.14%, 17.53%,45.36% and 36.48%) in BP were higher than those (15.59%, 16.74%, 41.23% and 29.77%) in MW. In addition, the relative abundance of Bacillus, Luteimonas, Clostridium, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces and expression of genes encoding carbohydrate- active enzymes in BP were higher than those in MW based on metagenomics sequencing. During composting, antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes were substantially reduced, but the removal efficiency was divergent in the both samples. Taken together, metagenomics analysis was a potential method for evaluating lignocellulose's biodegradation process and determining the elimination of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes from different composting sources of biomass.