ECOFRIENDLY TREATMENT OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE USING EUDRILUS EUGENIAE

Greeshma G., Selvalakshmi M. and Pawlin Vasanthi Joseph*

ABSTRACT

An average of 40 tonnes of biomedical waste from 8,000 private hospitals and 2,200 government hospitals in the Kerala State is brought to Malampuzha on a daily basis. The enormous quantity of solid waste generation with its ever increasing trend is one of the growing problems of concern in both developed and developing countries. Vermicomposting is a simple biotechnological process of composting, in which certain species of earthworms are used to enhance the process of waste conversion and produce a better end product. The aim of the present work was to study the vermicomposting of biomedical waste from hospitals by employing Eudrilus eugeniae. The biological, physical and nutrient parameters of the vermicompost was analysed and the depletion rate of pathogenic bacteria in the vermicompost was assessed. All the biological parameters such as individual adult worm weight, length, total number of adult worms, number of cocoons, juveniles and total worm biomass increased. Temperature significantly decreased in the experiment. pH has come to neutral in the experiment. Moisture content has significantly increased in the samples. Nutrient parameters such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium have also significantly increased. All five pathogens have reduced significantly. Low capital investment and relatively simple technologies make vermicomposting practical for less developed agricultural regions.

Keywords: Vermicomposting, Bio-medical waste, cocoons, juveniles, total worm biomass, nutrient parameters, biological parameters.