Vermicompost

Vermicomposting uses worms to decompose waste and make nutrient-rich "worm manure".

Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. This process is called vermicomposting, with the rearing of worms for this purpose is called vermiculture.

Vermicast (also called worm castings,[a] worm humus, worm poop, worm manure, or worm faeces) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by earthworms.[1] These excreta have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than the organic materials before vermicomposting.[2]

Vermicompost contains water-soluble nutrients which may be extracted as vermiwash and is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.[3] It is used in gardening and sustainable, organic farming.

Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage.[citation needed] A variation of the process is vermifiltration (or vermidigestion) which is used to remove organic matter, pathogens, and oxygen demand from wastewater or directly from blackwater of flush toilets.[4][5]


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  1. ^ "Paper on Invasive European Worms". Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  2. ^ Ndegwa, P.M.; Thompson, S.A.; Das, K.C. (1998). "Effects of stocking density and feeding rate on vermicomposting of biosolids" (PDF). Bioresource Technology. 71: 5–12. doi:10.1016/S0960-8524(99)00055-3.
  3. ^ Coyne, Kelly and Erik Knutzen. The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City. Port Townsend: Process Self Reliance Series, 2008.
  4. ^ Xing, Meiyan; JianYang, null; Wang, Yayi; Liu, Jing; Yu, Fen (2011-01-30). "A comparative study of synchronous treatment of sewage and sludge by two vermifiltrations using an epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida". Journal of Hazardous Materials. 185 (2–3): 881–888. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.09.103. ISSN 1873-3336. PMID 21041027.
  5. ^ Ceng, Fzweie. "Pilot studies for vermifiltration of 1000m3day of sewage wastewater". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-21.