Abstract
To solve the problem of the traditional vermicomposting cycle being too long, a new type of laboratory earthworm reactor was developed for high-speed vermicomposting of sludge. The earthworm reactor was established based on the model of first creating an optimal living environment for earthworms and then introducing sludge into the environment for vermicomposting. In addition, we selected four different materials to condition sludge to optimize the treatment efficiency and shorten the vermicomposting cycle. The results revealed that the use of the new earthworm reactor for high-speed vermicomposting can shorten the vermicomposting cycle to 61.33 h, which is 1/30 of the traditional method. Compared to the traditional method, the vermicompost obtained from high-speed vermicomposting had better stability and maturity (C/N: 14.96, humification index: 4.69, Germination index: 78.84%, TOC: 88.5 mg/g and ash content: 686 mg/g). Besides, the FT-IR, SEM, EEM, and enzyme activity from the earthworm analysis results show that the addition of vermicompost (raw material) was beneficial to the stability and mineralization of the final vermicompost for dewatered sludge vermicomposting.
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Funding
This work was supported by the Social development project of Jiangsu Province of China (Nos. BE2018735, 2017631), Project for Comprehensive Management of Tai Lake Water Environment in Jiangsu Province (Nos. TH2018201) and the National Major Project of Science and Technology Ministry of China (Nos. 2017ZX07202-004).
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XH designed and conducted experiments, and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. TZ collected samples and analyzed the data. GT collected samples and analyzed the data. LZ analyzed the data and modified the manuscript. BB designed the experiment and modified the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Hu, X., Zhang, T., Tian, G. et al. Performance and mechanism of high-speed vermicomposting of dewatered sludge using a new type of laboratory earthworm reactor. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 26132–26144 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12438-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12438-3