Anoop Yadav

Recycling of organic wastes by employing Eisenia fetida.

This paper reports the recycling of nutrients by vermicomposting of cow dung (CD), poultry droppings (PD) and food industry sludge (FIS) employing earthworms (Eisenia fetida). A total of six vermicomposting units were established and dynamics of chemical and biological parameters has been studied for 13 weeks. The waste mixture containing 50% CD+25% PD+25% FIS had better fertilizer value among studied waste combinations. At the end of experiment, vermicomposts showed decrease in pH and organic C, but increase in EC, total Kjeldhal N, total available P and total K contents. The C:N ratio of final vermicomposts also reduced to 10.7-12.7 from 22.8 to 56 in different waste combinations. The earthworms have good biomass gain and cocoon production in all vermicomposting units but CD alone and 50% CD+25% PD+25% FIS were better than other studied combinations.

Management of food industry waste employing vermicomposting technology

This paper reports the vermicomposting of food industry sludges (FIS) mixed with different organic wastes employing Eisenia fetida. A total of 10 vermicomposting units containing different wastes combinations were established. After 15 weeks significant increase in total nitrogen (N(total)) (60-214%), total available phosphorous (P(avail)) (35.8-69.6%), total sodium (Na(total)) (39-95%), and total potassium (K(total)) (43.7-74.1%), while decrease in pH (8.45-19.7%), total organic carbon (OC(total)) (28.4-36.1%) and C:N ratio (61.2-77.8%) was recorded. The results indicated that FIS may be converted into good quality manure by vermicomposting if spiked with other organic wastes in appropriate quantities.

Vermicomposting – An effective tool for the management of invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus

This study reports the results of vermicomposting with Eisenia fetida of Parthenium hysterophorus mixed with cow dung in different ratios (25%, 50% and 75%) in a 18 weeks experiment. In all the treatments, a decrease in pH, OC(total) and C:N ratio, but increase in EC, N(total), P(aval), Ca(total), K(total) and heavy metals was recorded. The cocoons production and growth rate (biomass gain worm(-1) day(-1)) were maximum in 100% cow dung. The results indicated that parthenium can be a raw material for vermicomposting if mix with cow dung in appropriate quantity.

Organic manure production from cow dung and biogas plant slurry by vermicomposting under field conditions

BackgroundVermicomposting is a biological process which may be a future technology for the management of animal excreta. This study was undertaken to produce vermicompost from cow dung and biogas plant slurry under field conditions. To achieve the objectives, two vermicomposting units containing cow dung (CD) and biogas plant slurry (BPS) were established, inoculated with Eisenia fetida species of earthworm and allowed to be vermicomposted for 3 months.ResultsAfter 3 months, the vermicompost was harvested and characterized. The results showed that the vermicompost had lower pH, total organic carbon (TOC), organic matter (OM) and carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) but higher electrical conductivity (EC), nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) content than the raw substrate. The heavy metal content in vermicomposts was higher than raw substrates.ConclusionsDuring vermicomposting, the CD and BPS were converted into a homogeneous, odourless and stabilized humus-like material. This experiment demonstrates that vermicomposting is an environmentally sustainable method for the management of animal excreta.

Screening and identification of bacterial strains for removal of COD from pulp and paper mill effluent

Present study was conducted to characterize the physico-chemical parameters of pulp and paper mill effluent. Out of these 15 bacterial isolates 2 were selected (1 each from treated; Alcaligenes faecalis (strain-1) and untreated effluent; Bacillus cereus (strain-2)) on the basis for their COD removal capacity of their respective effluent. Physico-chemical analysis confirmed the levels of various pollutants in pulp and paper mill effluent and further shown that treatment of effluent using Alcaligenes faecalis (strain-1) and Bacillus cereus (strain-2). This study revealed that the highest COD reduction (63.2%) was obtained with bacterial strain -2 (Bacillus cereus) at 35 C after 10 days of incubation period day at pH 6. At various optimized conditions such as pH, temperature, nutrient sources etc., bacterial strain Bacillus cereus (strain-2) was found to be more efficient than the other studied bacterial strain Alcaligenes faecalis (strain-1) in terms of COD removal from pulp and paper mill effluent.

Physico-chemical Analysis of Treated and Untreated Effluents from Sugar Industry

The present research work was conducted to determine the physico-chemical analysis of sugar mill effluent. Treated and untreated effluents were analysed to assess the pollution load of effluent produced from sugar industry. Physico-chemical analysis of collected sugar mill effluent was done in three different months (January, March and May). Parameters such as colour, temperature, pH, alkalinity, total dissolve solid, total suspended solids, total solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand etc, were determined using the standard method. The effluent samples were compared with the prescribed limit of effluent discharge to land of irrigation given by BIS. Results of this analysis indicate that some parameters like alkalinity, TDS, BOD and COD of sugar industry exceed the permissible limit.

Authors response to Dr. Rathore’s comments on Singh B, Garg VK, Yadav P, Kishore N, Pulhani V (2014) uranium in groundwater from western Haryana, India. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 301: 427–433

So far, authors have published two articles on uranium quantification in groundwater in India. One manuscript entitled ‘‘Uranium concentration in groundwater in Hisar city, India’’, published in The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (IJOEM) [1]; and another entitled ‘‘Uranium in groundwater from Western Haryana, India’’, published in Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry [2]. Dr. Rathore has already written a Letter to the Editor of the IJOEM [1]. The appropriate responses were prepared and published in the journal [3]. Now, Dr. Rathore has given comments to the Editor of JRNC on second article, Singh et al. [2]. We believe that these comments have been prepared on the basis of three publications [1–3] although most of the comments have already been responded in the IJOEM [3], we try to make things more clear as follows. 1. Dr. Rathore implies that the information furnished about uranium analysis instrument by Singh et al. [2] is incorrect and misleading. The manuscript, published by Garg et al. [1], in the IJOEM was a correspondence and had a limit of 1,000 words. So, it was impossible to provide all details in the article. However, in response to his Letter to the Editor, published in the IJOEM, it was informed that model UA-1, fluorimeter from Quantalase, India has been used in the study [3]. But now Dr. Rathore has pointed on the basis of the IJOEM response by Garg [3] and JRNC article by Singh et al. [2] that the authors have furnished incorrect information regarding the instrument. This observation is not correct. In this regard it is submitted that in past M/s Quantalase Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Indore, India manufactured nitrogen laser fluorimeter (Model QL/NLF/ 02) and the same was used by the authors. The work reported in JRNC by Singh et al. [2] has been done using nitrogen laser fluorimeter (Model QL/NLF/02), the details of this model are given in the article Singh et al [2] (Picture of instrument given in Fig. 1). Later on, M/s Quantalase Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Indore launched another model of fluorimeter, viz, uranium analyser model UA-1 (Picture of instrument given in Fig. 2). The authors procured uranium analyser model UA-1 and the work reported in the IJOEM by Garg et al. [1] has been done using uranium analyser model UA-1. In these two articles [1, 2] different instruments were used for uranium analysis. It is important to note that both the instruments are based on the measurement of the fluorescence of uranium salt. A comparison between nitrogen laser fluorimeter and LED-based uranium analyser model UA-1 is given in Table 1. 2. The authors have mentioned that uranium quantification of the water samples was done as reported by This is the reply to article DOI: 10.1007/s10967-014-3392-7.