PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF SOME NUTRIENT COMPONENTS IN ORGANIC COMPOST PREPARED FROM KITCHEN WASTE BY AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION

ABSTRACT

The research involves the preparation and evaluation of some nutrient components in organic compost prepared from kitchen wastes by aerobic biodegradation. Fresh kitchen wastes (Banana peel, Orange peel, Watermelon peel, Pineapple peel, Pawpaw peel, Plantain peel and Cabbage) were obtained from vendors inside and outside the University of Benin, Ugbowo, Egor local government area, Benin city, Edo state. The kitchen wastes were composted using aerobic composting method. Initial characterization was carried out on the sample before biodegradation (on day one) and final characterization was carried out at the end of the composting period (eight weeks) using standard methods. The nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and carbon were analyzed. Results showed that the nutrient parameters increased in the degraded samples compared to the initial samples before degradation. It was also observed that the carbon-nitrogen ratio (4:1) was far below the typical range of the carbon-nitrogen ratio in organic compost (20:1 - 30:1) which may be due to absence of brown material (bulking agents) in the feed stock used in this study.