Evaluation of the adaptation of the red worm «Eisenia foetida» to leaching sludge from a sanitary landfill with perspectives for its use in vermicomposting processes.

Abstract

The adaptation of «Eisenia foetida» to an unconventional medium such as leaching sludge opens the door to its use in vermicomposting processes and to the possibility of solving a very problematic waste management problem. The adaptation of the red worm in leaching sludge from a sanitary landfill was evaluated, for which it was necessary to design an experiment combining: sludge and sawdust in variable proportions as substrates and different masses of worms, they were placed in plastic buckets used as units. experimental. In the first instance, the worms were cultivated in the previously conditioned medium, carrying out a control of the environmental variables to verify the adaptation of the organisms while also controlling physical, chemical and biological parameters to determine the degradability of the sludge in time function. Physical changes could be observed in the experimental units such as: looser consistency of sludge, fading of unpleasant odors and increase in the volume of the samples, clear indicators of transformation of the sludge and evidence of colonization of the worms in the experimental substrates. It was concluded that in those experimental units with higher percentage contents of sludge, a greater number of worms adapted and grew and showed higher values ​​of electrical conductivity indicating the presence of inorganic species as a result of the conversion of the initial organic matter, therefore, Eisenia foetida it was effectively adapted to the leaching sludge and, most importantly, after 60 days the sludge showed signs of efficient composting, which is why it is ensured that vermicomposting as an alternative to treat these residual sludge could be viable.