Bioremediation Journal, 14(3):158167, 2010

c 2010 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Copyright

ISSN: 1088-9868
DOI: 10.1080/10889868.2010.495365

Integrating Microbial Composting and

Vermicomposting for Effective Utilization
of By-products of Sugar CaneProcessing
Industries
Shweta, Rahul Kumar,
B. L. Singh, and Verma
Deepshikha
Vermiculture Research Station,
Department of Zoology,
Dharam Samaj College
(Dr. B. R. A. University),
Aligarh, India

ABSTRACT In recent years integrated system of composting, with bioinoculants and subsequent vermicomposting, to overcome the problem of lignocellulosic waste degradation of different crop residues and waste industrial
by-products is receiving worldwide attention of scientists. However, there appears no report available on the technical viability of the approach on waste
by-products of sugar-cane industry. Therefore, in the present study, the waste
by-products of sugar-cane industry viz. bagasse (b), press-mud (p), and trash
(t) have been subjected to bioinoculation followed by vermicomposting with
a view to shorten stabilization time, and improve the product quality. The
substrate (press-mud alone and in combination of other by-products of sugarprocessing industries) was predecomposed for 30 days by inoculating it with
Pleurotus sajorcaju, Trichoderma viridae, Aspergillus niger, and Pseudomonas striatum
in different combinations. This was followed by vermicomposting for 40 days
using Drawida willsi species of the native earthworms. Results indicated that
the combinations of both the systems reduced the overall time required for
composting to 20 days and accelerated the degradation process of waste byproducts of sugar-processing industry, thereby producing a nutrient-enriched
compost product.
KEYWORDS bioinoculants, Drawida willsi, integrated system of composting, microbial
activity, sugar-cane industries, vermicompost

INTRODUCTION
Address correspondence to Shweta,
Vermiculture Research Station,
Department of Zoology, Dharam
Samaj College (Dr. B. R. A. University),
Aligarh, 202001, India. E-mail:
kmshweta3@yahoo.com

Biodegradation of lignocellulosic wastes through an integrated system of

composting with bioinoculants and subsequent vermicomposting has received
renewed worldwide attention of scientists. Significant contributions in this
direction are those of (Hunsa et al., 1999; Maboeta and Rensburg, 2003;
Valaskova and Baldrian, 2006; Dale, 2007). According to the Indian Directorate
158

of Economics and Statistics, India produces on an average 270 million tons of sugar cane per year. During
the production process considerable amounts of byproducts such as press-mud, bagasse, and sugar-cane
trash are produced. Part of these by-products can be
utilized for the production of molasses and alcohol;
however, there still remains a considerable amount of
waste products to be disposed. Therefore, there is considerable economic interest in the technology and development processes for effective utilization of these
wastes (Zhang, 2000). As a result, emphasis is now on
aerobic composting, which converts wastes into organic
manure rich in plant nutrients and humus (Singh and
Sharma, 2002). Even though recycling organic wastes
has been known since biblical times, yet there are many
aspects that needs to be improved. One of these aspects
includes reduction in overall time required for composting. Various studies have shown that by-products
of sugar-cane processing are ideal substrates for breeding of earthworms (Pramanik et al., 2007; Manna et al.,
2003) and gives a product rich in chelating and phytohormonal elements that has a high content of microbial agents and stabilized humic substances (Atiyeh
et al., 2001). Furthermore, combining vermicomposting with composting also accelerated the composting
process, thus reducing the time required for composting (Frederickson et al., 1997; Nedgwa and Thompson,
2001). But because some epigeic earthworm species
require predecomposed waste to be vermicomposted,
it would be desirable to decrease the predecomposition time period of the waste initially with certain efficient microflora. Lignin is the most recalcitrant material present in by-products of sugar industries and
decomposes only at the later stage of decomposition
(Manna et al., 2003). The rate of decomposition could
be enhanced by treating the wastes initially with certain efficient microflora (Singh and Sharma, 2002).
Pleurotus sajorcaju, Trichoderma viridae, and Aspergillus
niger are known for degrading hemicelluloses and cellulose, respectively. These fungi, which produce cellulase enzyme, were used as effective inoculants for
composting (Banitez et al., 2000). However, the inoculation of phosphate-solublizing bacteria Pseudomonas
striata may help to solubilize phosphorus and to increase its availability to plants (Eilan, 2001). Therefore,
these microflora could be used as inoculants during
predecomposition of the wastes, which may reduce the
time of composting. The present work is based on this
rationale.
159

Keeping this in view, the present study envisages

to (i) test the technical viability of the integrated systems of composting in waste by-products of sugar cane
processing industry with a view to shorten stabilization
time and improve the compost quality; (ii) assess the
specific role of bioinoculants Pleurotus sajorcaju, Trichoderma viridae, Aspergillus niger, and Pseudomonas striatum
in predecomposting of sugar-cane wastes; (iii) estimation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents to
evaluate the potential of microflora in the growth of
earthworms, and quality of compost based on chemical analysis.

METHODS
Microbial Source
The fungus strains P. sajorcaju, A. niger, and T. viridae were procured from IMTECH, Chandigarh, and
the bacterial strain P. striatum was obtained from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The
fungal cultures were maintained by subculturing them
on potato dextrose agar whereas bacteria was subcultured on Pikovaskaya medium.

Experimental Setup
Press-mud ( p) alone and in combination with
bagasse (b) and sugarcane trash (t) were used as substrate for the predecomposition studies. Finely chopped
substrate was pasteurized by dipping overnight in 0.1%
formalin. Predecomposition of the sterilized industrial
wastes of sugar mills was done in pits (1 m 1 m
1 m). The experiments were conducted with 60 kg of
substrate during April to June 2009. Pure cultures of
P. sajorcaju, T. viridae, and A. niger (500 g mycelium
per ton substrate) and P. striatum (50 ml/kg substrate
having 106 cells per ml) were inoculated in different
combinations:
P. sajorcaju (P)
P. sajorcaju + T. viridae (PT)
P. sajorcaju + T. viridae + A. niger (PTA)
P. sajorcaju + T. viridae + A. niger + P. striata (PTAS)
For mesophilic aerobic digestion, turning was done
manually every 4 days and the temperature was not
allowed to exceed 26 C. The substrate with different
treatments was predecomposed, in triplicates, for 30
days and then subjected to vermicomposting for 40
days.
Composting and Vermicomposting of Sugar-Cane By-products

TABLE 1 Chemical Analysis of Sugar-Cane Waste By-products (Press-Mud Alone and in Combination)
Substrate

Parameter
Total organic carbon (TOC)
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
Total Phosphorus (TP)
Total Potassium (TK)
Cellulose
Hemicellulose
Lignin

Pressmud (p)

Press-mud +
sugarcane trash (ps)

Press-mud +
bagasse (pb)

Press-mud + sugarcane
trash + bagasse (psb)

55.06 0.10
0.85 0.19
0.53 0.04
1.72 0.01
62.69 0.01
23.07 0.02
10.07 0.02

51.21 0.20
0.80 0.10
0.58 0.04
1.28 0.01
68.72 0.01
24.07 0.01
22.37 0.02

56.05 0.20
0.82 0.20
0.53 0.02
1.60 0.01
65.73 0.02
25.07 0.01
16.70 0.02

56.07 0.01
0.81 0.01
0.55 0.02
1.62 0.01
68.69 0.02
26.71 0.02
18.37 0.01

Note. All values are given in percentage. All values are mean of three replicates.

Vermiculturing

Statistical Analysis

For subsequent vermicomposting of the predecomposed waste, the earthworms Drawida willsi Michaelsen
were cultured in cow dung employing the windrows
method.

All the results reported are the means of three replicates. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done
using the INDOSTAT program. The objective of statistical analysis was to determine any significant differences among the parameters analyzed in different
treatments during the composting process.

Vermicomposting
The predecomposed substrates were vermicomposted, in the same pits as used for predecomposition,
for a period of 40 days. Moisture was maintained to
about 60% of the water holding capacity, 50 earthworms (Drawida willsi) were introduced, in each pit,
in the predecomposed sugar-processing industries byproducts, viz. press-mud ( p), press-mud + sugarcane
trash 1:1 (ps), press-mud + bagasse 1:1 (pb), press-mud
+ sugarcane trash + bagasse 1:1:1 (psb), and treated with
different combinations of bioinoculants. Sampling was
done at an interval of 10 days. Composite samples
(about 100 g) were collected from three sites in each
pit. The earthworms and cocoons were removed manually and vermicompost was chemically analyzed.

Compost Analysis
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total organic
carbon (TOC) of the predecomposed bioinoculated
residue and the vermicompost were estimated by using
micro-Kjeldahl method (Singh and Pradhan, 1981) and
Walkey and Blacks rapid titration method (1934), respectively. Total phosphorus (TP) was determined spectrophotometrically whereas total potassium (TK) was
detected by the flame emission technique. Cellulose,
hemicellulose, and lignin were fractionated sequentially
by Duttas method (1981) (Table 1).
Shweta et al.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The chemical analyses of press-mud individual
and in combination of other by-products of sugarprocessing industries are presented in Table 1.
Data in Table 2 reveal a significant decrease in total
organic carbon (TOC) at 20 days in all the treatments
during predecomposting with bioinoculants. The best
results were obtained when psb treated with three
bioinoculant together (PTA) where TOC content decreased from 56.07% to 20.28% during predecomposting and gradually came down to 12.60% during vermicomposting. Our observations are supported by Singh
and Sharma (2002), who have reported a similar loss of
30.10% to 26.48% of TOC content during composting
of wheat straw and 12.75% during its subsequent vermicomposting. These results, however, contradict the
earlier observations of Ndegwa and Thompson (2001)
and Komilis and Ham (2006), who reported rapid degradation of substrate during vermicomposting than composting. We conclude that decrease in TOC percentage
was optimum at 20 days decomposition in our study,
indicating considerable reduction in stabilization time,
i.e., 40 days to 20 days.
Data pertaining the percentage of TKN during predecomposition and subsequent vermicomposting are summarized in Table 3. During initial
160

161

20 days
22.86 0.19*
26.36 0.02*
25.12 0.10*
27.14 0.01*
24.00 0.10*
21.36 0.19*
26.20 0.01*
27.18 0.19*
27.79 0.20*
27.00 0.17*
20.76 0.17*
26.12 0.16*
27.02 0.11*
28.00 0.12*
28.02 0.11*
24.86 0.12*
25.20 0.20*
26.78 0.04*
29.28 0.01*
29.26 0.01

10 days
14.86 0.12
17.86 0.52*
18.96 0.12*
18.20 0.10*
18.01 0.11*
12.36 0.10
14.86 0.10*
17.96 0.07*
18.20 0.20
18.20 0.24*
14.20 0.20
16.86 0.21*
17.86 0.10
17.90 0.14*
17.80 0.04
15.98 0.02
17.90 0.06*
18.30 0.12*
19.28 0.02*
19.20 0.01*

14.30 0.18
18.30 0.05*
18.32 0.16*
18.76 0.05*
18.76 0.05*
15.30 0.16
18.20 0.15*
19.00 0.10*
19.89 0.10*
19.90 0.11*
15.30 0.17
17.30 .01*
17.86 0.31*
18.01 0.20*
18.98 0.01*
14.60 0.01
18.78 0.01
19.12 0.07*
20.01 0.02*
20.01 0.02*

30 days

Significant

Note. All values are mean and standard deviation of three replicates
( p < .01).
p = press-mud; s =sugar-cane trash; b = bagasse; P = Pleurotus sajorcaju; T = Trichoderma viridae; A = Aspergillus niger; S = Pseudomonas striatum.

p (control)
p+ P
p+ PT
p+ PTA
p+ PTAS
ps (control)
ps + P
ps + PT
ps + PTA
ps + PTAS
pb (control)
pb + P
pb + PT
pb + PTA
pb + PTAS
psb (control)
psb + P
psb + PT
psb + PTA
psb + PTAS

Treatment

15.30 0.01
15.30 0.18
14.39 0.05
13.20 0.05
13.68 0.05
14.30 0.01
16.60 0.18*
17.40 0.05*
16.42 0.06*
16.88 0.05*
15.60 0.01
14.39 0.05
14.00 0.06
13.02 0.15
13.62 0.02
12.65 0.15
13.60 0.02
13.24 0.12
12.62 0.03
12.00 0.04

70 days

TABLE 2 Percentage of Decrease in Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in Sugar-Cane Waste By-products (Press-Mud Alone and in Combination) during Microbial Predecomposition
(030 Days) and Subsequent Vermicomposting (70 Days)

162
20 days
0.95 0.20
1.45 0.20*
1.48 0.25*
1.58 0.10*
1.58 0.15*
0.98 0.10
1.45 0.15
1.45 0.01
1.59 0.10*
1.56 0.15*
0.95 0.20
1.45 0.15*
1.44 0.10*
1.59 0.20*
1.52 0.25*
0.98 0.10
1.52 0.02*
1.56 0.02*
1.61 0.01*
1.60 0.01*

10 days
0.80 0.01
0.84 0.05*
0.83 0.10*
0.84 0.20*
0.84 0.10*
0.80 0.20
0.81 0.10
0.80 0.18
0.84 0.20*
0.84 0.28*
0.81 0.20
0.81 0.01
0.80 0.03
0.84 0.05*
0.83 0.01
0.81 0.01
0.82 0.20
0.83 0.20*
0.84 0.05*
0.84 0.50*

Significant

Note. All values are mean and standard deviation of three replicates.
( p < .01).

p (control)
p+ P
p+ PT
p+ PTA
p+ PTAS
ps (control)
ps + P
ps + PT
ps + PTA
ps + PTAS
pb (control)
pb + P
pb + PT
pb + PTA
pb + PTAS
psb (control)
psb + P
psb + PT
psb + PTA
psb + PTAS

Treatment
0.95 0.20
1.45 0.30*
1.48 0.01*
1.50 0.18*
1.52 0.18*
0.96 0.02
1.45 0.01*
1.45 0.02*
1.42 0.01
1.56 0.02*
0.95 0.01
1.45 0.01*
1.44 0.20*
1.51 0.18*
1.50 0.15*
0.98 0.01
1.56 0.10*
1.57 0.20*
1.62 0.25*
1.60 0.20*

30 days

0.90 0.20
1.42 0.18*
1.42 0.15*
1.40 0.10*
1.40 0.18*
0.92 0.05
1.40 0.05*
1.40 0.10*
1.38 0.10
1.38 0.20
0.93 0.20
1.40 0.02*
1.38 0.02*
1.36 0.01*
1.38 0.01*
0.96 0.02
1.40 0.01
1.42 0.01*
1.40 0.00
1.40 0.02

70 days

TABLE 3 Percentage of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) in Sugar-Cane Waste By-products (Press-Mud Alone and in Combination) during Microbial Predecomposition (030 Days)
and Subsequent Vermicomposting (70 Days)

163

TK
1.68 0.20*
1.70 0.20*
1.74 0.15*
1.74 0.10*
1.74 0.10*
1.68 0.20*
1.70 0.21*
1.70 0.20*
1.74 0.20*
1.76 0.15*
1.65 0.10*
1.78 0.10*
1.78 0.15*
1.78 0.10*
1.81 0.10*
1.68 0.10*
1.72 0.10*
1.74 0.15*
1.74 0.10*
1.80 0.10*

TP

0.53 0.01
0.53 0.02*
0.52 0.01*
0.50 0.02*
0.52 0.01*
0.58 0.01*
0.56 0.02*
0.58 0.15*
0.56 0.10*
0.56 0.01*
0.58 0.02
0.56 0.02*
0.54 0.01*
0.54 0.02*
0.55 0.01*
0.58 0.01
0.59 0.01
0.58 0.02*
0.58 0.01*
0.59 0.01*

Significant

TP

TK
1.80 0.10
1.93 0.10*
1.92 0.01*
1.91 0.02
1.90 0.02
1.80 0.10
1.93 0.15*
1.92 0.10*
1.91 0.10*
1.90 0.12*
1.80 0.15
1.92 0.10
1.91 0.15*
1.93 0.10*
1.93 0.10*
1.74 0.12
1.93 0.10*
1.93 0.10*
1.92 0.15*
1.91 0.10

20 days

0.56 0.10*
0.70 0.15*
0.70 0.10*
0.74 0.15*
0.98 0.10*
0.60 0.15*
0.78 0.10*
0.80 0.12*
0.81 0.12*
0.98 0.10
0.60 0.10*
0.70 0.15
0.78 0.10*
0.78 0.10*
0.98 0.15*
0.62 0.15
0.74 0.10*
0.80 0.10*
0.88 0.10*
0.98 0.15*

Note. All values are mean and standard deviation of three replicates.
( p < .01).

p (control)
p+ P
p+ PT
p+ PTA
p+ PTAS
ps (control)
ps + P
ps + PT
ps + PTA
ps + PTAS
pb (control)
pb + P
pb + PT
pb + PTA
pb + PTAS
psb (control)
psb + P
psb + PT
psb + PTA
psb + PTAS

Treatment

10 days

sition (030 Days) and Subsequent Vermicomposting (70 Days)

0.60 0.01
0.74 0.01*
0.72 0.02*
0.76 0.02*
0.98 0.02*
0.68 0.01*
0.80 0.02*
0.82 0.15*
0.84 0.10*
0.98 0.01
0.62 0.02
0.78 0.02*
0.82 0.01*
0.82 0.01*
0.98 0.02*
0.63 0.01*
0.84 0.01*
0.92 0.02*
0.92 0.01*
0.99 0.01*

TP

TK
1.88 0.20
1.96 0.20
1.96 0.15
1.98 0.15*
1.96 0.20
1.82 0.25
1.96 0.10
1.96 0.25
1.92 0.25
1.96 0.20*
1.82 0.25
1.96 0.20*
1.98 0.15*
1.98 0.10*
1.97 0.10*
1.81 0.10
1.92 0.15*
1.93 0.20
1.94 0.21
1.96 0.20

30 days

0.70 0.20
1.20 0.20*
1.20 0.15*
1.28 0.10*
1.78 0.15*
0.84 0.10*
1.28 0.20
1.32 0.20*
1.32 0.15*
1.88 0.10*
0.80 0.15
1.20 0.10
1.20 0.15
1.34 0.10*
1.98 0.15*
0.88 0.10
1.24 0.15
1.25 0.20
1.24 0.25
1.88 0.20*

TP

70 days

1.62 0.20
1.80 0.20*
1.88 0.18*
1.84 0.10*
1.84 0.15*
1.60 0.10
1.80 0.15*
1.80 0.15*
1.78 0.20*
1.81 0.20*
1.62 0.15
1.80 0.10*
1.80 0.15*
1.81 0.15*
1.82 0.15
0.60 0.10
1.82 0.10*
1.80 0.10*
1.78 0.15
1.78 0.10

TK

TABLE 4 Percentage of Total Phosphorus (TP) and Total Potassium (TK) in Sugar-Cane Waste By-products (Press-Mud Alone and in Combination) during Microbial Predecompo-

164
70 days
42.63 0.49
30.46 0.10*
24.12 0.18*
20.18 0.25*
22.32 0.20*
44.12 0.41*
28.16 0.41*
23.39 0.20
18.73 0.20*
17.64 0.25*
40.26 0.25*
22.62 0.20*
20.62 0.40*
16.18 0.48*
17.60 0.20
48.64 0.48*
24.67 0.40
20.60 0.40*
16.73 0.45*
16.20 0.40*

30 days

60.69 1.17
45.63 1.10*
41.12 1.00 *
40.02 1.17*
40.02 1.09*
68.72 1.17
56.72 1.02*
44.60 1.02*
41.12 0.41*
41.02 0.40*
65.73 1.02*
57.34 1.17*
45.70 1.10*
43.22 1.02*
42.12 1.12*
68.69 1.10
54.18 1.12*
45.70 1.02*
38.22 1.12*
38.30 1.02*

Significant

Note. All values are mean and standard deviation of three replicates.
( p < .01).

p (control)
p+ P
p+ PT
p+ PTA
p+ PTAS
ps (control)
ps + P
ps + PT
ps + PTA
ps + PTAS
pb (control)
pb + P
pb + PT
pb + PTA
pb + PTAS
psb (control)
psb + P
psb + PT
psb + PTA
psb + PTAS

Treatment

Cellulose (%)

33.07 0.32
22.35 0.18*
21.60 0.20*
18.62 0.25*
20.62 0.20*
35.67 0.41
20.35 0.41*
20.60 0.40*
17.60 0.45*
17.22 0.40*
34.62 0.40
22.32 0.45*
21.65 0.40*
21.22 0.45*
21.22 0.40*
38.67 0.40*
24.25 0.45*
21.20 0.20*
20.13 0.20*
20.10 0.25*

30 days
24.56 0.32
19.15 0.28*
18.97 0.49*
15.54 0.58*
15.50 0.50
28.60 0.58*
18.16 0.48*
17.27 0.40
15.25 0.48*
15.10 0.40*
25.32 0.07
18.16 0.41
16.24 0.40*
14.37 0.41*
14.30 0.48*
29.61 0.49
20.26 0.48*
18.28 0.49*
16.24 0.40*
16.20 0.40

70 days

Hemicellulose (%)

14.16 0.38
11.56 0.40*
10.91 0.45*
10.53 0.48*
10.50 0.45
15.36 0.40
12.16 0.42*
10.91 0.40*
10.51 0.48*
10.00 0.40*
14.12 0.19
11.62 0.15*
10.60 0.15*
10.58 0.20*
10.32 0.28*
15.16 0.38*
13.12 0.49*
12.10 0.40*
11.18 0.40*
10.01 0.48

30 days

Lignin (%)
70 days
8.76 0.20
5.13 0.25*
3.60 0.38*
3.20 0.40*
3.00 0.45
9.26 0.48
5.42 0.58*
3.67 0.49*
3.18 0.45*
3.20 0.48
8.80 0.50*
5.18 0.58*
3.52 0.20*
3.23 0.20
2.81 0.25
9.26 0.29*
5.10 1.15*
3.52 0.25*
3.42 0.25
3.20 0.28

TABLE 5 Percentage of Cellulose, Hemicellulose, and Lignin Contents in Predecomposed and Subsequent Vermicomposted Waste of Sugar-Cane Waste By-products

predecomposition at 20 days, the nitrogen increased

in all the treatments; however, afterwards no significant changes were observed. The increase in percentage
of TKN was maximum when Pleurotus sajorcaju, Trichoderma viridae, and Aspergillus niger were added together
in press-mud alone or in combination with other byproducts at 20 days of predecomposition. Ginterova
and Maxianova (1975) and Singh and Sharma (2002)
have shown the ability of P. sajorcaju to fix atmospheric
nitrogen. In our study, we also observed that wherever
the inoculation of substrate was done by P. sajorcaju,
the nitrogen percentage invariably increased in all the
treatments. Further, it has been demonstrated by Subba
Rao (2005) that the process of degradation is accelerated by synthesis of auxins such as indole acetic acid
and gibberellins; vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin,
pyridoxin, cyanocobalmine, nicotinic acid, and pantothenic acid; growth substances; and antifungal antibiotics by Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma viridae. This
may have influenced the growth of other inoculated microflora. These studies support our observations in the
degradation of sugar-cane waste by-products process accelerated with the use of bioinoculants. Table 3 reveals
that the nitrogen content decreased during vermicomposting, which may have been due to ammonification,
NH3 volatilization, and denitrification as reported by
Bernal et al. (2006). These findings are also supported
by Benitez et al. (1999) who observed a 36% loss of total
nitrogen during vermicomposting of sewage sludge.
Predecomposition and vermicomposting both resulted in a loss of carbon because of mineralization (Tables 2 and 3). The decomposition of the waste during
vermicomposting was slow as compared to predecomposition process. This might have been due to higher
initial N concentration, which might have increased
the microbial activity in the beginning, thus decreasing
the C/N ratio (Eiland et al., 2001). These results, however, contradict observations from the earlier work of
Vinceslas-Apka and Loquet (1997) who reported more
rapid degradation of substrate during vermicomposting
than composting.
Chemical analyses of the sugar-cane waste bioproducts under study with different treatments showed the
increase in phosphorus and potassium during initial microbial composting, possibly because of mineralization
of organic matter (Table 4). However, we observed that
during vermicomposting there is a marginal decrease in
phosphorous and potassium. All the three organic components, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, decreased
165

significantly both during predecomposition and subsequent vermicomposting, with maximum degradation
with all four bioinoculants (PTAP) (Table 5). Similar results were also reported by Singh and Sharma
(2002) who reported rapid decomposition of wheat
straw with a mixture of celluloytic fungi, Pleurotus
sajorcaju, Trichoderma reesei, and Aspergillus niger, along
with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azatobacter chroococcum. Along with this, the simultaneous activity of microflora present in the gut of earthworms and in the
waste substrate might have intensified cellulolysis and
lignolysis as suggested by Loquiet et al. (1984). The
structure of lignin changes, probably due to microbial
oxidation and demethylation. The microbial cleavage
of the aromatic rings of lignin leads to new polysaccharide and humus in the organic matter (Beyer et al.,
2005).
A noticeable increase in the number of earthworms
as well as the cocoons was observed during vermicomposting (Table 6). This increase in the growth of
earthworms with phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria Pseudomonas striatum suggests the dual role of bacteria, i.e.,
in having been utilized as food material and enriching the substrate with phosphorus through phosphorus
TABLE 6 Changes in Growth and Development of Earthworms
(Drawida willsi) during Vermicomposting of Sugar-Cane Waste
By-products (Press-Mud Alone and in Combination)

Treatment
p (control)
p+ P
p+ PT
p+ PTA
p+ PTAS
ps (control)
ps + P
ps + PT
ps + PTA
ps + PTAS
pb (control)
pb + P
pb + PT
pb + PTA
pb + PTAS
psb (control)
psb + P
psb + PT
psb + PTA
psb + PTAS

Total earthworm

Cocoon

89.0 2.00
118 4.00*
121 4.00*
128 8.00*
128 8.85*
92.6 2.16
119 4.16*
124 4.80*
128 6.56*
130 7.56*
87.6 2.12
118 4.81*
121 6.80*
128 6.00*
128 4.02*
93.2 4.06
128 4.58*
128 3.01*
131 3.80*
133 3.01*

20 2.01
35 3.58*
39 3.58*
42 3.62*
47 2.55
22 4.88
35 2.00*
38 3.00*
41 4.05*
42 4.05*
20 6.05
38 4.08*
39 3.05*
42 4.05*
42 2.05*
24 3.08
39 4.80*
40 5.08*
44 4.08*
44 3.80*

Note. All values are mean and standard deviation of three replicates.
( p < .01).

Significant

Composting and Vermicomposting of Sugar-Cane By-products

solubilization process. This has also been reported by

Kumar and Narula (1999). Various studies have shown
that earthworms utilize microorganisms in their substrates as a food source and can digest them selectively
(Curry and Schmidt, 2006; Subler and Kirsch, 1998).
The increase in earthworms growth may also be attributed to a low C:N ratio of the predecomposed substrate and positive role of bioinoculants used in the
present study (Nedgwa and Thompson, 2000).

CONCLUSION
The chemical analyses of the compost produced by
predecomposing of press-mud with other by-products
of sugar-processing industries, with efficient microbes
followed by vermicomposting point towards the feasibility of integrated system of vermicomposting process
tested in the present study. From the lignin degradation
point of view, the results suggest that this integrated system would be best for lignocellulosic waste treatment of
sugar caneprocessing industry. Reduction in the predecomposition time that is from 40 to 20 days would
enable us to potentially convert these sugar-cane byproduct wastes into value added products in a short
time.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors are thankful to the Department of
Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology,
Government of India, New Delhi, for financial assistance.

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Composting and Vermicomposting of Sugar-Cane By-products

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