CONVERSION OF COCONUT COIR PITH INTO BIOFERTILIZER BY SOLID STATE FERMENTATION

摘要

Coconut coir pith, a brown dust produced as an agricultural waste from coconut coir processing industries was left un attended and accumulated as a solid waste in south India. Every year south Indian states accumulates 40,000tonnes each of pith as a solid waste. This coir pith contains 30% lignin, 200%moisture content, and very low bulk density that makes it noncombustible, nonbiodegradable, potentially toxic solid waste which creates water, air and soil contamination in rural areas. In the present study four fungi have been identified, isolated, acclimatized and employed in solid state fermentation. The process involves two steps, delignification of coir pith from 30% to 4.8% and release of glucose from coir pith using fungi. In the second stage, addition of azetobactor to this mass, which grows on the released glucose and fixes the atmospheric nitrogen. The process has been tried in lab scale (5kg), bench scale (25kg), pilot plant scale (100kg) and medium scale industry (1000kg). This paper presents parameter optimization, product quality, scale up studies and application of this fertilizer in to various plants. Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers adjudged this particular project for the national award.