System for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste

Abstract

A system for producing worm compost from biomedical and agricultural waste, comprising: a) a waste collection unit for collecting and separating biomedical waste and agricultural waste, wherein agricultural waste includes rice straw and cow dung; b) a pretreatment device for autoclaving and processing the collected biomedical waste for further use; c) a worm breeding facility for housing and caring for Eisenia fetida earthworms, wherein collected cow dung is used to attract Eisenia fetida for the accumulation of earthworms; d) a mixing unit comprising a plurality of plastic worm containers facilitating the mixing of pretreated biomedical waste with agricultural waste materials, including cow dung and rice straw, in different ratios, with earthworms of a specific quality being introduced into the mixing unit which contains prepared experimental media; e) a worm composting unit connected to the mixing unit and configured to maintain optimal moisture, temperature and other conditions to enable earthworms to convert the waste mixture into worm compost; and f) a monitoring unit connected to the mixing unit to track the survival, development and mortality of earthworms during worm composting.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste, wherein biomedical waste, rice straw, and cow dung are mixed together in the presence of earthworms for vermicomposting. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the generation of organic biomedical waste (BMW) worldwide. This waste, if not properly managed, can have harmful impacts on the environment and ecosystems. Traditionally, much of this BMW is directly incinerated without separation, contributing to climate change, environmental pollution, and ecosystem disruption.

[0003] At the same time, enormous amounts of agricultural waste, such as rice straw, are generated each year and are often burned, leading to air pollution. Sustainable ways of disposing of both organic waste and agricultural waste must be found.

[0004] Vermicomposting, in which earthworms convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, has proven to be an environmentally friendly approach. By combining organic waste and agricultural waste in a vermicomposting process, the waste can be efficiently broken down and converted into a valuable soil amendment.

[0005] The aim of this invention is to develop an integrated system for the effective management of organic biowaste, using it together with agricultural waste as raw material for a vermicomposting process to produce high-quality vermicompost. The vermicompost can then be used to improve soil fertility and plant growth, creating a sustainable circular economy for waste management. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste. The present invention aims to use the biomedical waste to produce vermicompost. The proposed system is configured to mix the biomedical waste and the raw material and treat it with Eisenia fetida earthworms to produce vermicompost. This process takes 90 days, and the prepared vermicompost is mixed into the soil, and the soil is then tested to assess the effectiveness of the vermicompost.

[0007] The present disclosure is intended to provide a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste. The system comprises: a waste collection unit for collecting and separating biomedical waste and agricultural waste, wherein the agricultural waste includes rice straw and cow dung; a pretreatment device for autoclaving and processing the collected biomedical waste for further use; a vermiculture unit for housing and maintaining Eisenia fetida earthworms, wherein collected cow dung provides the Eisenia fetida for assembling earthworms;a mixing unit comprising a plurality of plastic worm bins that facilitate the mixing of the pretreated biomedical waste with agricultural waste materials, including cow dung and rice straw, in varying ratios, with fixed-grade earthworms introduced into the mixing unit containing prepared experimental media; a vermicomposting unit connected to the mixing unit and configured to maintain optimal humidity, temperature, and other conditions for the earthworms to convert the waste mixture into vermicompost; and a monitoring unit connected to the mixing unit to track the survival, development, and mortality of the earthworms during vermicomposting.

[0008] An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste.

[0009] Another objective of the present disclosure is to develop an integrated system to effectively manage the increasing volume of organic biomedical waste (BMW) generated during the COVID-19 pandemic by using it as raw material for a vermicomposting process.

[0010] Another objective of the present disclosure is to combine organic bio-waste product with agricultural waste such as rice straw to create an optimal raw material for the vermicomposting process and to convert the waste into nutrient-rich vermicompost.

[0011] Another objective of the present disclosure is to evaluate the physicochemical and phytochemical properties of the produced vermicompost and to assess its effectiveness as a soil amendment to enhance the growth and productivity of plants such as tomatoes.

[0012] To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more detailed description of the invention will be given with reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these drawings represent only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting its scope. The invention will be described and explained in additional detail and in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE

[0013] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters represent like parts throughout. Where: Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the drawings are shown for convenience and may not necessarily be drawn to scale. For example, the flowcharts illustrate the method by key steps to enhance understanding of aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, with respect to device construction, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawing may show only the specific details relevant to understanding embodiments of the present disclosure in order not to clutter the drawings with details that would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art who would benefit from the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0015] To facilitate an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and described in specific language. It is to be understood, however, that no limitation on the scope of the invention is intended thereby, since such changes and further modifications of the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein, are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

[0016] It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be limiting thereof.

[0017] References in this specification to "one aspect," "another aspect," or similar language mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, occurrences of the phrase "in one embodiment," "in another embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may or may not all refer to the same embodiment.

[0018] The terms "comprises," "comprising," or other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method comprising a list of steps not only includes those steps, but may also include other steps not expressly listed or inherent in such process or method. Likewise, one or more devices or subsystems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises...a" does not preclude, without further limitation, the existence of other devices or other subsystems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional subsystems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

[0019] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered limiting.

[0020] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a system (100) for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] In relation to Fig.1, the system (100) comprises a waste collection unit (102) for collecting and separating biomedical waste and agricultural waste, wherein agricultural waste includes rice straw and cow dung; a pretreatment device (104) for autoclaving and processing the collected biomedical waste for further use; a vermiculture unit (106) for housing and maintaining Eisenia fetida earthworms, wherein collected cow dung provides the Eisenia fetida for aggregating earthworms; a mixing unit (108) comprising a plurality of plastic vermibins (108a) that facilitate the mixing of the pretreated biomedical waste with agricultural waste materials, including cow dung and rice straw, in different ratios, wherein solid quality earthworms are introduced into the mixing unit (108) containing prepared experimental media;a worm composting unit (110) connected to the mixing unit (108) and configured to maintain the optimal humidity, temperature, and other conditions for the earthworms to convert the waste mixture into worm compost; and a monitoring unit (112) connected to the mixing unit (108) to track the survival, development, and mortality of the earthworms during worm composting.

[0023] In one embodiment, the pretreatment device (104) is an autoclave for sterilizing the biomedical waste.

[0024] In one embodiment, the mixing unit (108) combines the biomedical waste with cow dung and rice straw in ratios of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50.

[0025] In one embodiment, the vermicomposting unit (110) maintains a moisture content of 60-70% in the waste mixture.

[0026] In one embodiment, the monitoring unit (112) regularly detaches, counts, weighs and reintroduces the earthworms into the vermicomposting unit (110).

[0027] In one embodiment, the system (100) further comprises a characterization unit (114) for analyzing the physicochemical properties of the starting material and the final vermicompost, wherein the characterization unit (114) analyzes the starting material and the vermicompost for parameters such as electrical conductivity, organic matter, pH, organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and heavy metal content.

[0028] In one embodiment, the system (100) further comprises a soil improvement unit (116) for incorporating the prepared worm compost into the soil, wherein the soil amended with worm compost is examined for the effect of the prepared worm compost on the growth of tomato plants in the soil, wherein the improvement unit (116) mixes the worm compost in different proportions into 1000 g of soil and examines the effect on the growth of tomato plants, and wherein the soil improvement unit (116) analyzes the phytochemical parameters, including polyphenol, chlorophyll and protein content, of the tomato plants grown using the worm compost.

[0029] In one embodiment, the final vermicompost product has improved essential parameters compared to the original starting material.

[0030] The present invention relates to a system for treating organic biomedical waste (BMW) and agricultural waste through a vermicomposting process. The invention utilizes the ability of Eisenia fetida earthworms to efficiently decompose the organic BMW in combination with agricultural waste. The resulting vermicompost is then used as a soil amendment to improve soil fertility and plant productivity, thus creating a sustainable circular waste management system.

[0031] The invention utilized biomedical waste (BMW) samples collected at the DY Patil Hospital in Kolhapur, India. The organic BMW sample consisted of 6 g of waste cotton, 12 g of bandage rag, and 32 g of blood gauze. This BMW was additionally sterilized by double autoclaving before use in the experiments.

[0032] In addition, agricultural waste was collected, including rice straw from the fields in Ajara, India, and cow dung from the Sidhigiri Math in Kolhapur. Eisenia fetida earthworms were bred using the collected cow dung.

[0033] The experimental setup was carried out in plastic worm boxes with a depth of 25 cm and a diameter of 50 cm. Four experimental sets were prepared by mixing chopped rice straw, cow dung, and organic BMW at different concentrations, maintaining a moisture content of 60-70% by manually spraying with water. Table 1: Preparation of test sets Sr. No. Name of the set composition Ratio of cow dung: rice straw 1 A (Untreated) 50g BMW + 35 ml d / w 0:0 2 B 50 g BMW + five medium-sized earthworms 300 mg + 45 g cow dung + 5 g rice straw. 90:10 3 C 50 g BMW + five medium-sized earthworms 300 mg + 35 g cow dung + 15 g rice straw. 70:30 4 D 50 g BMW + five medium-sized earthworms 300 mg + 25 g cow dung + 25 g rice straw. 50:50

[0034] The survival rate, development, and mortality of the earthworms were analyzed at 15-day intervals. The earthworms were manually separated from the starting material, cleaned with fresh water, counted, weighed, and then returned to the mixture.

[0035] The physicochemical properties of the feedstock and vermicompost, including electrical conductivity, organic matter, pH, organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and heavy metal content, were evaluated.

[0036] The prepared worm compost is incorporated into the soil to evaluate its effectiveness. Two-week-old Solanum (tomato) plants were selected, and 1,000 g of the prepared worm compost (50 g) was mixed in varying proportions into 1,000 g of soil, and the effect on the plants was assessed. Table 2: Mixture of residues into the soil Sr.No Name of the set composition 1 A 1 (Control) 1000 g soil 2 B 2 50g Set A mixed with 1000g soil 3 C 3 50g Set B mixed with 1000g soil 4 T 4 50g Set C mixed with 1000g soil 5 Part 5 50g Set D mixed with 1000g soil

[0037] Finally, the phytochemical parameters, including polyphenol, chlorophyll and protein content, of the tomato plants grown with the vermicompost were analyzed.

[0038] The results showed that the pH of the treated plots remained within the neutral range. After treatment, there was a reduction in organic carbon by 8-10% and organic matter by 18-20% in all plots except the control group. Furthermore, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels increased by 33-36%, while magnesium, calcium, and water-holding capacity improved by approximately 22-26%. Heavy metal analysis revealed that these metals were absorbed and accumulated by earthworms. Treated tomato plants supplemented with vermicompost exhibited improved morphological and phytochemical parameters, with improvements observed in the order E ≥ D ≥ C ≥ B ≥ A, indicating the influence of the raw material ratio.This research highlights that vermicompost made from biomedical waste, rice straw, and cow dung serves as a sustainable and nutrient-rich organic fertilizer that can promote plant growth.

[0039] The vermicompost was made from medical waste, cow dung, and rice straw, and its plant growth-promoting properties were evaluated. The results confirmed that in all vermicompost kits, except for the control group, organic carbon was reduced by 8-10% and organic matter by 18-20%. This demonstrates that the feedstock, consisting of medical waste, cow dung, and rice straw, was efficiently degraded by earthworms. Physical and chemical analysis showed an improvement in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content by 33-36%, as well as an improvement in magnesium, calcium, and water retention capacity by 23-26% compared to the untreated kit. The heavy metal levels in the vermicompost were within permissible limits.The tomato plants treated with vermicompost showed significant improvements in morphological and phytochemical parameters, with the improvement order following E ≥ D ≥ C ≥ B ≥ A, indicating the effect of the feedstock ratio. The study confirms that earthworms successfully decomposed the feedstock into a valuable component suitable for agricultural applications, improved soil quality, and increased crop yield. Future research can focus on microbial and enzymatic studies to better understand their role in improving the quality of vermicompost derived from biomedical and agricultural feedstock, as well as its large-scale application in agriculture.

[0040] The drawings and the foregoing description provide examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be separated into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of the processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Furthermore, the actions of any flowchart need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all actions necessarily need to be performed. Also, those actions that are not dependent on other actions may be performed in parallel with the other actions. The scope of the embodiments is in no way limited by these specific examples.Numerous variations, whether explicitly stated in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimensions, and material use, are possible. The scope of the embodiments is at least as broad as indicated in the following claims.

[0041] Advantages, other benefits, and solutions to problems have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, the advantages, benefits, solutions to problems, and any components that may cause an advantage or solution to occur or become more apparent are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all of the claims. REFERENCES 100 A system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste. 102 Waste collection unit 104 pretreatment devices 106 Worm breeding facility 108 Mixing unit 108a Variety of plastic worm containers 110 Vermicomposting plant 112 Monitoring Unit 114 Characterization unit 116 Soil improvement plant

Claims

[1] A system for producing vermicompost from biomedical and agricultural waste, comprising: (a) a waste collection unit for the collection and separation of biomedical waste and agricultural waste, where agricultural waste includes rice straw and cow dung; (b) a pre-treatment facility for autoclaving and processing the collected biomedical waste for further use; (c) a vermiculture facility for the housing and maintenance of Eisenia fetida earthworms, whereby collected cow dung is used to feed the Eisenia fetida for the accumulation of earthworms; (d) a mixing unit comprising a plurality of plastic worm containers to facilitate the mixing of the pre-treated biomedical waste with agricultural waste materials, including cow dung and rice straw, in different proportions, with earthworms of a specific quality being introduced into the mixing unit containing prepared experimental media; (e) a vermicomposting unit connected to the mixing unit and configured to maintain the optimum humidity, temperature and other conditions to enable the earthworms to convert the waste mixture into vermicompost; and (f) a monitoring unit connected to the mixing unit to track the survival, development and mortality of earthworms during vermicomposting. [2] The system of claim 1, wherein the pretreatment device is an autoclave for sterilizing the biomedical waste. [3] The system according to claim 1, wherein the mixing unit combines the biomedical waste with cow dung and rice straw in the ratios of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:

50. [4] The system of claim 1, wherein the vermicomposting unit maintains a moisture content of 60-70% in the waste mixture. [5] The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit regularly detaches, counts, weighs and reintroduces the earthworms into the vermicomposting unit. [6] The system of claim 1, further comprising a characterization unit for analyzing the physicochemical properties of the starting material and the final vermicompost, wherein the characterization unit analyzes the starting material and the vermicompost for parameters such as electrical conductivity, organic matter, pH, organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and heavy metal content. [7] The system according to claim 1, further comprising a soil improvement unit for incorporating the prepared vermicompost into the soil, wherein the soil amended with vermicompost is examined for the effect of the prepared vermicompost on the growth of tomato plants in the soil, wherein the improvement unit mixes the vermicompost in different proportions into 1000 g of soil and examines the effect on the growth of tomato plants, and wherein the soil improvement unit analyses the phytochemical parameters, including polyphenol, chlorophyll and protein content, of the tomato plants grown using the vermicompost. [8] The system of claim 1, wherein the final vermicompost product has improved essential parameters compared to the original starting material.

Images