Overview
This source page is a mechanical bulk-ingest record for a PDF in the methylmercury infant-formula research pull. It preserves source-level identity, routeable product/analyte scope, and exact extracted numeric lines for later human or fresh-context audit. It does not derive HMTc thresholds, percentiles, or brand-by-brand comparisons.
Key numbers
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- © 2009 The Authors. This is the author-manuscript version of the paper. Reproduced in
- ingest the heavy metals. Volume is significantly reduced from 1 m of wet sludge (80% moisture) to 0.5 m of vermicompost (30%
- levels and ingest the heavy metals. Volume is significantly reduced from 1 m of wet sludge (80% moisture) to
- 0.5 m of vermicompost (30% moisture; Eastman 1999).
- them ‘intestine of earth’, meaning they digest a wide variety of organic materials from earth (Darwin & Seward 1903,
- (Fraser-Quick 2002). Earthworms have over 600 million years of experience as waste and environmental managers of bio-waste,
- Corresponding author: Sunil Herat, Senior Lecturer, Griffith School of Engineering (Environment), Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD 4111,
- Australia E-mail: s.herat@griffith.edu.au Received 31 March 2009; accepted in revised form 9 June 2009 Figures 1–4 appear in color online:
- Environmental adaptations of earthworms it is saving over 13,000 m3 of landfill space every year in Aus-
- Worms are adapted to survive in harsh environments and in tralia (Komarowski 2001). Redland Shire in Queensland
- moderately acidic-to-alkaline conditions with pH values started vermicomposting sludge in 1997 with the help of the
- ranging from 4.5 to 9. They can tolerate a temperature range Vermitech company. The facility received 400–500 tons of
- 60–75% is optimum for good worm function (Hand 1988). 200 tons of vermicast was produced every week (Vermitech
- They are tolerant to moderate salt salinity and can also toler- 1998, Lotzof 2000).
- (e.g. Eisenea foetida) have been found to bio-accumulate up lize about 66 m3 of sewage sludge every week, along with
- to 7600 mg Pb g–1 dry weight of their tissue (Ireland 1983) green mulch. Zeolite mixed with the sludge helps balance the
- and withstand extremely toxic chemicals like TCDD (2,3,7,8- pH and also in absorbing ammonia and odour. About 44 m3
- et al. 1997).
- every 60–70 days (Hand 1988). chemical degrader and a biological stimulator (Sinha et al.
- 2002). Worms decompose the organic fraction in the sewage
- Night Crawler (Eudrilus euginae), and the Red Worm (Lum- 1. The sludge is softened by the grume excreted in the mouth
- age sludge under all climatic conditions. 2. In the oesophagus, the softened sludge components are
- stabilizing municipal as well as industrial (paper mill, dairy and 3. In the muscular gizzard, it is finely ground (with the aid of
- textile industry) sludge as well as effluents and sludge from stones) into small particles to a size of 2–4 µm and passed
- intensively housed livestock (Collier 1978, Hartenstein & on to the intestine for enzymatic digestion. The gizzard
- Bisesi 1989, Ceccanti & Masciandaro 1999, Elvira et al. 1998, and the intestine work as a ‘bioreactor’.
- Ndegwa & Thompson 2001, Fraser-Quick 2002, Contreras- 4. In the intestine, the ground and pulped sludge compo-
- Ramos et al. 2005). Aerobic and anaerobic sludge are mixed nents are decomposed by proteases, lipases, amylases, cel-
- and aerated for more than 15 days. To 5000 m3 of sludge are lulases and chitinases secreted here and then absorbed.
- added 5 kg of earthworms and, in about 8 months, it is con- 5. The final process in vermiprocessing and degradation of
- Contreras-Ramos et al. (2005) studied the vermicompost- are converted into complex amorphous colloids contain-
- solids in the vermicompost decreased by 5 times, heavy metal decomposer microbes in waste biomass through improving
- concentrations and pathogen levels (with no coliforms) aeration (Dash 1978, Binet et al. 1998). They also host mil-
- were below the limits set by USEPA (1995). Carbon con- lions of decomposer microbes in their gut and excrete them
- increased by 1.2-fold. excreta (Singleton et al. 2003). The nitrogen and phosphorus
- Large-scale vermicomposting of sewage sludge in enhanced action. Edward & Fletcher (1988) showed that the
- Vermiprocessing of sludge from sewage and water treatment ingested material increased up to 1000-fold while passing
- 15,000 will foster a microbial population of billions (Morgan sewage sludge contains calcium, it is important to add some
- & Burrows 1982). Singleton et al. (2003) studied the bacterial additional sources of calcium for good vermicomposting. Egg
- tion of the organic matter in the sludge (Morgan & Burrows mophilic (temperature rising up to 55˚C) in which many bene-
- 1982, Xing et al. 2005). ficial microbes are killed and nutrient especially nitrogen is
- Factors affecting optimal worm activity and sludge system fully aerated and aerobic processes are about 10
Methods (brief)
- intensively housed livestock (Collier 1978, Hartenstein & on to the intestine for enzymatic digestion. The gizzard
- each sample which were vermicomposted at three different sludge that act synergistically in sludge stabilization
- About 75% moisture is recommended for sludge digestion. the pathogenic organisms in the sewage sludge making it vir-
- while samples subjected to thermophilic composting only
- poultry and dairy industries 1. There were no significant changes in the control sample
- Sample tested Stabilization (%) Colilert test under UV lamp
- granules of Colilert powder were added to the samples and It also implies that, under the conventional composting
- incubated for 24 h at 35˚C. The samples are tested under a systems by enhanced microbial degradation, pathogens will
- A 1-g sample from Treatment 1 (12-week aged sludge)
- cence indicating the presence of total coliforms in the were done using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Samples
- Samples (1 g) from Treatments 2 and 3 (vermicomposted tor and ground to 1 mm particle size. An air-dried sample (1 g)
- There was no colour change indicating complete absence of digestion tube for 3 h at 145˚C. The solution was allowed to
- Samples (1 g) from Treatments 4 and 5 (conventionally a funnel into a 25-ml volumetric flask. The solution was then
- Sample tested Cadmium (% reduction) Lead (% reduction)
- Sample tested TOC (%) gen sulphide. Zeolite has additional advantages. Its cage-like
- TOC was measured by heating 3 g of samples in crucibles tal burden (emitting greenhouse and toxic gases and the
- from the samples. They were then cooled in desiccators for necessarily disposed in secured landfill sites at still higher
- 30 min. The weight of the samples was recorded again to cost. The up-front cost of construction of an average secured
Implications
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Update history
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