1. Evaluating the effectiveness of HOCl application on odor reduction and earthworm population growth during vermicomposting of food waste employing Eisenia fetida
- Author
-
Chanwoo Kim, Kyo Suh, Hangkyo Lim, Yooan Kim, Younggu Her, and Chanhoon Jung
- Subjects
02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Nutrient ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Annelids ,Amines ,Materials ,Fluids ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Organic Compounds ,Physics ,Eukaryota ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Biodegradation, Environmental ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Gases ,Organic Materials ,Research Article ,Eisenia fetida ,States of Matter ,Hypochlorous acid ,Population Size ,020209 energy ,Science ,Materials Science ,Population Metrics ,Ammonia ,Animals ,Earthworms ,Oligochaeta ,Population Growth ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Waste Products ,Population Biology ,Bacteria ,Composting ,Earthworm ,Organic Chemistry ,Gut Bacteria ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Biodegradable waste ,Biodegradation ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Hypochlorous Acid ,Food waste ,chemistry ,Odor ,Food ,Odorants ,Environmental science - Abstract
Vermicomposting has been recommended as an eco-friendly method to transform organic waste into nutrient resources with minimum energy input. However, odor and pest issues associated with this method limit the use of vermicomposting, especially in indoor conditions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of applying hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to deodorize the vermicomposting process and improve the breeding environment for earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The deodorization performance of HOCl was compared by measuring the amount of ammonia (NH3) and amine (R-NH2) released from the decaying process of two types of food waste: HOCl-treated (HTW) waste and non-treated waste (NTW). The total and individual weights of earthworms in the waste treated with HOCl was measured to evaluate the impact on earthworm reproduction after applying HOCl. The results showed that HOCl application could reduce NH3 by 40% and R-NH2 by 80%, and increase the earthworm population size and total weight by up to 29% and 92%, respectively, compared to the control group. These results suggest that HOCl application is potentially an efficient method to control the odor and to boost earthworm reproduction and thus facilitate vermicomposting for improved food waste treatment and environmental quality.
- Published
- 2019