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Characterizing quality of frass produced by black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae after treating water hyacinth and fruit wastes in various proportions

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Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery
Authors:
Desta Mulu
Desta Mulu
Desta Mulu
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Fantaw Yimer at Hawassa University
Fantaw Yimer
George TIMOTHY Opande at KAIMOSI FRIENDS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
George TIMOTHY Opande
  • KAIMOSI FRIENDS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
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Globally, inefficient waste management is viewed as a social, environmental, and economic threat. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) waste treatment is a promising strategy for efficient waste management that offers a continuous supply of organic fertilizer. However, no thorough investigations have looked into the frass produced during the processing of water hyacinth and fruit waste as a fertilizer. In this study, BSFL processed experimental water hyacinth and fruit waste at various ratios for a total of 20 days of experimentation, first processing 8 kg of waste per treatment (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) for 14 days, and then adding 6 kg of waste per treatment for the following 6 days. The physicochemical composition of the frass produced by BSFL composting water hyacinth and fruit waste was examined to determine its fertilizer value. The results indicated that the moisture content of the frass ranged from 41.4 to 60%, while the pH, electrical conductivity, and carbon to nitrogen ratio ranged from 6.02 to 8.09, 4.00 to 6.34 ds/m, and 14.94 to 29.65, respectively. The micro-mineral content of the frass is within the acceptable ranges suggested by various organizations, with organic carbon ranging from 23.5 to 29.13%, total nitrogen from 0.79 to 1.95%, phosphorus from 0.18 to 0.42 mg/kg, potassium from 0.19 to 2.62%, calcium from 0.14 to 0.03%, and magnesium from 0.07 to 0.19% making the frass suitable for agricultural use. Similarly, the micro-mineral contents (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) of the frass are within acceptable ranges for use as organic fertilizer.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
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Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (2023) 13:15185–15196
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-04552-8
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Characterizing quality offrass produced byblack soldier fly (Hermetia
illucens)larvae aftertreating water hyacinth andfruit wastes
invarious proportions
DestaMulu1· FantawYimer2· GeorgeOpande3
Received: 3 April 2023 / Revised: 12 June 2023 / Accepted: 25 June 2023 / Published online: 14 July 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023
Abstract
Globally, inefficient waste management is viewed as a social, environmental, and economic threat. Black soldier fly larvae
(BSFL) waste treatment is a promising strategy for efficient waste management that offers a continuous supply of organic
fertilizer. However, no thorough investigations have looked into the frass produced during the processing of water hyacinth
and fruit waste as a fertilizer. In this study, BSFL processed experimental water hyacinth and fruit waste at various ratios for
a total of 20days of experimentation, first processing 8kg of waste per treatment (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) for 14days, and
then adding 6kg of waste per treatment for the following 6days. The physicochemical composition of the frass produced by
BSFL composting water hyacinth and fruit waste was examined to determine its fertilizer value. The results indicated that
the moisture content of the frass ranged from 41.4 to 60%, while the pH, electrical conductivity, and carbon to nitrogen ratio
ranged from 6.02 to 8.09, 4.00 to 6.34 ds/m, and 14.94to 29.65, respectively. The micro-mineral content of the frass is within
the acceptable ranges suggested by various organizations, with organic carbon ranging from 23.5 to 29.13%, total nitrogen
from 0.79 to 1.95%, phosphorus from 0.18 to 0.42mg/kg, potassium from 0.19 to 2.62%, calcium from 0.14 to 0.03%, and
magnesium from 0.07 to 0.19% making the frass suitable for agricultural use. Similarly, the micro-mineral contents (Fe, Zn,
Cu, and Mn) of the frass are within acceptable ranges for use as organic fertilizer.
Keywords Quality· Frass· Black soldier fly larvae· Water hyacinth· Fruit wastes
1 Introduction
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), which is usually
regardedas an aquatic invasive species and is found all
over the world, has developed into an aggressive and opu-
lent aquatic problem that harms irrigation systems, crops,
and the environment. For instance, water hyacinth produces
dense mats that obstruct irrigation canals, harm hydropower
projects, and impact rice fields [1]. Furthermore, accord-
ing to [2, 3], Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia and a
source of 50% of the nation’s fresh water, is getting smaller
due to the spread of water hyacinth. This lake serves as a
source of food and income for over 123 million people in
the Nile Basin as well as a water source for them through
fishing, irrigated crop farming, and ecotourism. Addition-
ally, water hyacinth invades freshwater streams, displacing
native species, decreasing biodiversity [4], and degrading
water quality [2]. A weed with a rapid rate of growth is the
water hyacinth. Water hyacinths can grow between 0.3 and
0.5m in length at a rate of 1.9% per day [5].
The International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) first listed water hyacinth among the world’s 100
most harshly hurtful species [6]. For example,Lake Tana
in Ethiopia has been experiencing shocking destruction of
the environment and biodiversity loss because of the expan-
sion of water hyacinth in the lake, which is also made worse
by global warming and human pressures. This is happen-
ing despite Lake Tana’s ecological and economic signifi-
cance both nationally and internationally. The Ethiopian
government has made an effort to combat this problem by
* Desta Mulu
desty21@gmail.com
1 College ofAgriculture, Food, Environment andClimate
Science, Injibara University, Injibara, Ethiopia
2 Wondo Genet College ofForestry andNatural Resources,
Hawassa University, Shashemene, Ethiopia
3 School ofScience, Kaimosi Friends University College,
Kaimosi, Kenya
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... Furthermore, Van Peer et al. [46] mentioned that these factors affect the bacteria population that supports the digestion and the potassium chloride solution extraction in the composting process. Generally, the substrate temperature within the optimal range for BSFL development likely contributes to increased metabolic activity, which can positively influence the potassium composition [47]. ...
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