COMPOSTING OF SOLID AND LIQUID WASTE AND BIODEGRADABLE SLUDGE BY MEANS OF EARTHWORM HUMUS (EISENIA FETIDA AND SIMILAR SPECIES) AND COMBINATIONS OF EARTHWORM HUMUS AND STOMACH MATERIAL WITH A HIGH MICROORGANISM CONTENT

摘要

The present invention consists of a method (humucomposting) for obtaining a product (humucompost) by composting solid and liquid waste and biodegradable sludge using earthworm humus (Eisenia fetida and/or similar species). In practice, the invention comprises four steps: a) preparation of heaps for humucomposting: the heaps may be made using only earthworm humus or with mixtures of earthworm humus and a material with a high microorganism content such as, for example, bovine ruminal contents; b) addition of solid waste to said heaps; c) addition of liquid waste or sludge to the heaps; d) supply of humucomposted material from the heaps to agricultural lands and/or reuse thereof in the processing of further biodegradable waste. Composting takes place in a minimum of 15 days at low temperatures, 0 to 15°C, like those found in the Bolivian Altiplano. It does not require frequent mechanical stirring or aeration systems and it does not give rise to flies or generate bad odours. Therefore, it is an effective method of producing an agricultural soil improver, humucompost, while at the same time reducing pollution of bodies of water, expressed primarily as COD, BOD, P and N, caused by biodegradable waste.