Title: Treatment of equine beds for composting and vermicomposting processes

Authors: Flávia Gonçalves; Pedro Henrique Presumido; Andressa Vitória Duarte De Souza; Jaqueline Dos Santos Silva; Marcelo Hidemassa Anami; Kátia Valéria Marques Cardoso Prates; Tatiane Cristina Dal Bosco

Addresses: Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil ' Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering – Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, Porto, 4200-465, Portugal ' Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil ' Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil ' Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil ' Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil ' Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Londrina, Av. dos Pioneiros, 3131, Londrina Paraná, Brazil

Abstract: Equine breeders seek alternatives to properly allocate saturated beds produced during the confinement and composting and vermicomposting can be viable alternatives. However, it is not elucidated what material used as bed provides better conditions for the waste treatment. This paper aimed to evaluate the performance of five equine beds during composting and vermicomposting made of: T1 - coffee hull; T2 - sawdust; T3 - sawdust and Brachiaria; T4 - rice straw; T5 - rice straw and Brachiaria. The waste was pre-composted in pile for 42 days. After this period, 15 vermireactors (triplicate) were mounted and the rest of the material remained in piles, to continue the process of composting for 58 days. Vermicomposting of T1 is not recommended because it wasn't tolerated by the earthworms but showed good compost quality in composting. Equine beds with Brachiaria improve the conditions for waste treatment, as it increases aeration, provides easily degradable carbon and assists in the mineralisation of nitrogen.

Keywords: Eisenia foetida; treatment of farming waste; coffee hull; sawdust Brachiaria; rice straw; solid waste; earthworms; composting; vermicomposting; equine beds.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.117194

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.28 No.2, pp.219 - 239

Accepted: 29 Aug 2019
Published online: 23 Aug 2021 *

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