Growth and reproduction of earthworm in organic waste mixtures and effects on chemical and microbial properties of vermicompost

There is a large demand for organic fertilizers in organic agriculture, but few options for different wastes have been studied. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the biological responses of earthworms Eisenia andrei Bouche in wastes composed of cattle manure, peanut husk and spent coffee grounds, as well as to analyze the effect of earthworms on the microbial density and chemical properties of the vermicompost. Four treatments were employed, H1: cattle manure (100%), H2: cattle manure (75%) + peanut husk (25%), H3: cattle manure (75%) + spent coffee grounds (25%), H4: cattle manure (50%) + spent coffee ground (25%) + peanut husk (25%), with six replicates in a completely randomized design. The addition of spent coffee grounds to the manure increased the total biomass and indicated a rising trend in the production of cocoons, while the peanut husk apparently did not affect these variables. The CFU of bacteria and fungi were affected by the treatments at the beginning and end of the experiment and by the earthworms during the waste transformation. The evaluated organic waste mixtures differently affected the growth and reproduction of earthworms and chemical and biological properties of humus.

Application of orange peel waste in the production of solid biofuels and biosorbents

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Recycling leather waste: preparing and studying on the microstructure, mechanical, and rheological properties of leather waste/rubber composite

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Recycling leather waste: preparing and studying on the microstructure, mechanical, and rheological properties of leather waste/rubber composite

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Physical characterization of particleboard produced with waste from ethanol and sugar mill

The problem of proper disposal of solid waste generated in different industrial processes is one of worldwide environmental concerns nowadays. Thus, this study aimed to establish a new alternative for the disposal of two agro-industrial residues employing them to produce particleboard for different purposes in building construction. The focus was given to the reuse of the sugarcane bagasse (SB) originated during the processing of Saccharum officinarum for sugar and ethanol production, and bamboo stem leaves of Dendrocalamus giganteus(BB). For this, six particleboards were produced in the following compositions: with 100% SB, 75% SB + 25% BB, 50% SB+50% BB, 40% SB +60 BB, 25% SB+ 75% BB and 100% BB in the total mass of the composites. The particleboards physical characterization followed Brazilian Standard ABNT NBR 14810-3 to density, moisture content and water absorption. Results showed these raw materials are compatible to particleboard production.

Study of the feasibility of mix of species from sawmill waste and limiting for particleboard

This study aims to determine physical properties of particleboard made of sawmill waste, as a mix of several wood species, and two adhesives: urea-formaldehyde, usually employed in industry (even with drawbacks or formaldehyde emission during pressing) and FASTBOND®, water based resin, still poorly referenced in literature. Sixteen panels have been produced, in four experimental conditions, defined by using two adhesives and a 12 mm thick limiter (or not). Variance analysis was adopted to evaluate influence of experimental conditions on physical properties of produced panels, manufactured in nominal dimensions 350x350mm; 10% resin related to particles mass (at 5% moisture); 3.5 MPa compaction pressure, temperature 130°C, in a 10 min cycle. Tests to determine density, moisture content, swelling and water absorption were carried out based on normative parameters of ABNT NBR 14810:2006. Results have been satisfactory to panels produced with urea-formaldehyde but those manufactured with polychloroprene based resin (FASTBOND®) not meet regulatory requirements. Best results have been obtained without limiter.

Addition of lipolytic enzyme in anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure and inclusion levels of waste vegetable oil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Orange and mango byproducts: agro-industrial waste as source of bioactive compounds and botanical versus commercial description: a review

Vegetal origin agro-industrial wastes are seen as a problem since the beginning of the industrial processes; however, they are becoming attractive as raw material for numerous purposes such as active enzymes and in the molecule bioprospecting area. Moreover, it is difficult to understand what the studied residue is consisted of in studies on agro-industrial waste, since the wastes names and constituents may vary according to the used equipment, as for waste from orange and mango processing. Thus, defining a specific waste, including comparisons between botanical and industrial descriptions, can help in understanding studies about wastes. The current review sought to contextualize such a scenario by gathering definitions, relevant information and studies on agro-industrial wastes and by-products, international enzymes market, and recent studies on bioactive compounds. In this context, waste from orange and mango are interesting because of the expression of these fruits on the world market; moreover, the processing does not include steps that could disrupt these biomolecules.

Cultivation and bromatological analysis of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Curt.: Fr.) P. Karst cultivated in agricultural waste

The objective of the study was to evaluate the production of two strains of Ganoderma lucidum on agricultural waste and carry out bromatological analyses of the basidiomata obtained from the cultivation. The experiment was carried out at the Mushroom Module at the School of Agronomic Sciences of the São Paulo State University (FCA/UNESP - Botucatu, SP, Brazil) and two strains were used (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) which were cultivated on waste, oat straw, bean straw, brachiaria grass straw, Tifton grass straw and eucalyptus sawdust under two situations: with (20%) and without (0%) supplementation with wheat bran. All the waste was taken from dumps of agricultural activities in Botucatu-SP. Both treatments were carried out in 10 repetitions, totaling 200 packages. The mushrooms cultivation took 90 days. Next, the biological efficiency of the treatments and the bromatological analysis of the basidiomata were evaluated. The biological efficiency (BE) values (%) varied from 0.0 to 6.7%. In the mushroom bromatological analyses, the results ranged from 8.7 to 13.7%, from 2.0 to 6.7%, from 0.83 to 1.79% and from 38.8 to 54.5%, for total protein, ethereal extract, ash and crude fiber, respectively. Thus, we conclude that the substrates which presented the greater yield were the brachiaria straw, 20% in both strains tested (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) and the bean straw, 20% in the strain GLM-10/02. The mushrooms showed high levels of ethereal extract, fibers and ashes and a low level of proteins.