Vermicomposting of coffee pulp using the earthworm Eisenia fetida: Effects on C and N contents and the availability of nutrients |
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Authors: | F H Orozco J Cegarra L M Trujillo A Roig |
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Institution: | (1) Instituto de Ciencias Naturales y Ecología Universidad Nacional, Apartado Aéreo, 3840 Medellín, Colombia;(2) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CEBAS, Apartado 4194, E-30080 Murcia, Spain |
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Abstract: | In Colombia, more than 1 million tons of coffee pulp are produced every year. Its transformation into compost by means of turned piles has led to a final product with poor physical and chemical characteristics and vermicomposting has been suggested as an alternative method of transforming these wastes into a useful organic fertilizer. The ability of the earthworm Eisenia fetida to transform coffee pulp into a valuable compost was evaluated. The influence of bed depth and time on different C fractions, N content and availability of nutrients was studied. The results showed that the C and N contents were not affected by the depth of the bed, whereas time affected both. An increase in the fractionation ratio, determined by calculating the C in the fraction smaller than 100 m as a percentage of C in the samples as a whole, and low values of humic-like substances were recorded during vermicomposting. After ingestion of the pulp by the earthworms, an increase in available P, Ca, and Mg but a decrease in K were detected. |
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Keywords: | Carbon Coffee pulp Eisenia fetida Nitrogen Nutrients Vermicomposting |
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