International Journal of Research in Environmental Science (IJRES)

Volume 3, Issue 1, 2017, PP 31-39

ISSN 2454-9444 (Online)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2454-9444.0301005
www.arcjournals.org

Generation of Electric Potential from Vermicomposted Fruit

Waste
Lathika.M1, Dr. M.Lakshmi Prabha2
IV B.tech Biotechnology1,2 , Assistant Professor2
Department of Biosciences and Technology
Karunya University, India

Abstract: Vermicomposting is the process of converting organic wastes into valuable organic fertilizer by
earthworms. Vermicompost is rich in metal ions and has the potential to be used as an electrolyte. The main aim
of this investigation is to explore the potential of earthworms to convert the fruit waste into high quality
vermicompost which can serve as a solution to solid waste management issues and act as an environment
friendly electrolyte for a cell. The present study has been carried out to identify the macro and micro nutrients,
physicochemical parameters and the electrical potential of fruit waste by employing exotic earthworm species,
Eudrilus eugeniae. The fruit waste is mixed with soil and allowed for pre-composting for 20 days and
earthworms are introduced for vermicomposting for 30 days. The macronutrients (N, P, and K) and
micronutrients (Fe, Zn) showed elevated levels in the vermicompost compared to control. The physicochemical
parameters of vermicompost namely moisture content exhibited higher levels and pH of vermicompost was
nearly acidic. Voltage was measured using copper and zinc plates as electrodes and vermicompost as
electrolyte. The lead wired was connected to electrodes, multimeter and LED device in series circuit and the
ions in the vermicompost could light up the Light-Emitting Diode (LED) device. The present study reveals that
the vermicomposting technique can be used to generate electrical energy from biodegradable waste.
Keywords: Eudrilus eugeniae , voltage, micronutrients, macronutrients, vermicomposting

1. INTRODUCTION
The problem of efficient disposal and management of organic solid wastes has become more rigorous
due to rapidly increasing population, intensive agriculture and industrialization, over the last few
years. The various types of environmental and disposal problems caused by the production of large
quantities of organic waste all over the world requires sustainable approach in a cost effective manner
and this has become a very important issue for maintaining healthy environment (Wani et al.,2013).
The present trend about waste management is to focus on recycling and the recovery of waste as new
materials or as energy. The waste organic materials produced by the city life, such as domestic refuse
and food wastes are accumulating to become a significant amount. The vermicomposting of these by-
products is more encouraged to avoid the loss of energy. Earthworms feed on the organics and convert
material into casting rich in plant nutrients. The chemical analyses of casts show two times available
magnesium, 15 times available nitrogen and seven times available potassium compared to the
surrounding soil. (Sharma et al., 2015)
India and many other countries are suffering from the entire problem due to urbanization, which are a
very rapid process and a worldwide phenomenon. Deteriorating quality of urban environment is one
of its important impacts. SOLID WASTE is its major contribution the complexity in character of solid
waste and its volume is greatly increasing due to increase of living standards and population density.
Hence the importance of efficient ―SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT‖ is increasingly recognized.
Industries produce a large quantity of wastewater and sludge’s during their each processing stage.
When this industrial waste comes into contact with the environment they produce serious impacts on
it. It is difficult to generalize the industrial wastes since its characteristics differ from industry and
also from its different processing plants. Before final disposal one can process and treat the waste so
as to reduce the ―wasteful wasting of waste‖. Some of the techniques available to achieve this
objective are volume reduction, recovery of resources, energy recovery. That’s why the world is
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Lathika.M & Dr. M.Lakshmi Prabha

entering new branch of bio information technology. This study has been done for reducing the
pollution problems due to solid waste and industrial sludge’s by converting it into compost by using
earthworms very successfully, economically and usefully. (Nweke, 2013)
2. VERMICOMPOSTING
Vermicomposting is a very useful biotechnique for converting solid organic waste into vermicompost.
The vermicomposting provides for the use of earthworms as natural bioreactors for cost-effective and
eco friendly waste management. Earthworm has the efficiency to consume all types of organic rich
waste material including tea waste, vegetable wastes, leaf litter waste, industrial, dairy farm wastes,
garden waste, sugar mill residues, slaughter house waste, hatchery waste and municipal wastes.
(Reddy et al., 2010)
The ability of the exotic composting species, Eudrilus eugeniae to transform the spent fruit waste into
valuable compost is considerable. Other than being an organic fertilizer, this secreted chemical
mixture which is rich in metal ions, acids, salts and enzymes have the potential to be used as an
electrolyte. Vermicompost being harmless do not cause any environmental pollution like the chemical
electrolytes used in battery. The ions present in the vermicompost can react with the metal electrodes
used in the cell and can produce a potential difference across the electrodes. This potential difference
can generate enough voltage similar to that produced by a commercial battery cell. The waste to
energy can be considered as a renewable technology and a better solution to solid organic waste
management. Even though food, plant and animal waste have been used as alternative resources for
electricity generation, they have several drawbacks. Conventional composting and anaerobic digestion
produces foul smell and harmful methane gas. According to the considerations of low cost, eco-
friendly, fast and efficient, we choose to explore the suitability of vermicompost from spent tea waste
as an alternative to replace chemical electrolytes (Prabha et al., 2014).
Earthworms act as an aerator, grinder, crusher, chemical degrader and a biological stimulator and
degrade waste by multiple actions. 1) Grinding action: The waste feed material ingested is finely
ground (with the aid of stones in their muscular gizzard) into small particles to a size of 2-4 microns
and passed on to the intestine for enzymatic actions. The gizzard and the intestine work as a
―bioreactor‖; 2) Enzymatic action: The gizzard and the intestine work as a ―bioreactor‖. Worms
secrete enzymes proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases and chitinases in their gizzard and intestine
which bring about rapid biochemical conversion of the cellulosic and the proteinaceous materials in
the waste organics. They ingest the food materials, cull the harmful microorganisms, and deposit them
mixed with minerals and beneficial microbes as ―vermicasts‖ in the soil. 3) Worms Reinforce
Decomposer Microbes & Act Synergistically: Worms promotes the growth of ―beneficial decomposer
microbes‖ (bacteria, actinomycetes & fungi) in waste biomass. They hosts millions of decomposer
microbes in their gut which is described as ―little bacterial factory‖. They devour on microbes and
excrete them out (many times more in number than they ingest) in soil along with nutrients nitrogen
(N) and phosphorus (P) in their excreta. The nutrients N and P are further used by the microbes for
multiplication and vigorous action. Reference showed that the number of bacteria and
―actinomycetes‖ contained in the ingested material increased up to 1000 fold while passing through
the gut. (Zirbes, 2011)
The vermicomposting process is a method which can convert wastages such as used sugarcane, spent
tea and grated coconut meat into valuable vermicompost which produces high voltage. The increase
of compartments increases the voltage produced. The voltage produced by one compartment of
vermicompost is equivalent to the voltage produced by one dry cell. Based on the experiment, it is
concluded that the vermicompost generates electricity and light up the LED. The vermicompost can
be used in battery to replace the chemicals used. The treatment of wastes is usually costly and
required a large space to compost it. Due to high cost of treatment, most of irresponsible parties
choose to dispose their wastages in open dump sites or illegal dumping. Areas like field and river are
the most popular places for people illegal dumping. Illegal dumping can cause river and land
pollution. Besides, some irresponsible parties managed their wastages using incineration method. As
the method of incineration involves combustion, therefore it is also known as thermal treatment.
Hence, to tackle these problems, more solid waste management alternatives such as vermicomposting
are needed. Batteries that are disposed incorrectly can seriously harm the environment. A battery

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Generation of Electric Potential from Vermicomposted Fruit Waste

convert chemical to electrical energy. The chemical by-products are hazardous which is dangerous
and harmful. In general, the battery contains harmful substances mainly Zn, Hg, Ni, Pb and other
heavy metals such as a variety of alkaline batteries and lithium batteries. (Majlessi et al., 2012)
Today’s alkaline batteries may contain approximately 0.025 percent mercury. Mercury (Hg) and its
compounds, especially organic mercury compounds, have high toxicity, bioaccumulation faster rate
and a longer biological half-life of the brain organ. Easy cadmium, Cd accumulation in plants and
animals affecting the growth of the plants and animals, is highly poisonous. Lead, Pb on human
breast, kidney, reproductive, cardiovascular and other organ and system adverse effects, observed as
mental retardation, kidney damage, infertility and high blood pressure. The toxicity of zinc (Zn) and
nickel (Ni) is relatively small, but over a certain concentration range, would cause horrible effects and
hazards. Used batteries in acid, alkali solution will affect the soil quality and thus affect the pH value
of the water. Eventually this caused of water acidification or water alkalization. The high chemical
doze in the electrolyte of batteries caused pollution to the environment. Battery of heavy metal ions in
soil or water soluble are absorbed by the roots of plants and thus starting the food chain. Finally,
human body will mount up heavy metals. The heavy metal ions in the body are hard to excrete
eventually they destroy the nervous system and liver function. The acidic or alkaline electrolyte in all
types of batteries contain dangerous substances that effects human being and the environment.
Electrolyte in batteries function as to react with the casings (anode and cathode) materials and to
produce force in order to move the electrons. The other burning issue nowadays is the hazard of
chemicals inside the batteries that can lead to environment contamination. If the batteries are left in
the environment, the chemicals can drain out and leech into water supplies, causing people to be
exposed to the hazardous chemicals (Karim et al., 2011).
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Collection of waste
Fruit wastes were collected from Karunya University Ladies hostel, Tamil Nadu, India. Many
researchers have highlighted the role of earthworms in breaking down the organic waste. Earthworms
can consume almost all kind f organic waste and convert it into vermicompost. In the present study
fruit waste is used as the biodegradable waste.
Collection of earthworms
The exotic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae was collected from Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu, India.
Vermicomposting technique
Clay pots were used as containers for vermicomposting as it can maintain moisture and low
temperature required for the worms to grow. Totally 3 pots were maintained for the experimental
purposes. T1 was control for soil. T2 was maintained as control for fruit waste (without earthworms).
The pot T3 was taken for vermicomposting of fruit waste (with earthworms). In pot T2 and T3, equal
amount of fruit waste was taken and mixed with proper amount of soil to neutralize the pH of the
waste. The earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae was released into the pot T3. Care was taken to avoid light
and rainfall. Samples were taken from the control as well as the experimental pots on 30th day for the
analysis of macro and micro nutrients, physicochemical analysis and electric potential.
NUTRIENT CONTENT
Macronutrients and Micronutrients
Vermicompost has higher content of macro and micro nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,
calcium, magnesium and micronutrients namely iron, copper, zinc and manganese (Prabha et al.,
2014).
4. ESTIMATION OF TOTAL NITROGEN
Principle
The nitrogen in organic material is converted to ammonium sulphate by sulphuric acid during
digestion. This salt, on steam-distillation, liberates ammonia which is collected in boric acid solution
and titrated against standard acid.

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Lathika.M & Dr. M.Lakshmi Prabha

Procedure
1. 10g of vermicompost was measured and transferred to 30ml digestion flasks followed by the
addition of 1.9g potassium sulphate, 80mg mercuric oxide and 2 ml of concentrated H2SO4.
2. Boiling chips were then added and the samples were digested till the solution becomes colourless.
3. After cooling, the digest was diluted with a small quantity of distilled ammonia - free water and
transferred to the distillation apparatus.
4. The flask should be rinsed with successive small quantities of water.
5. 100ml conical flasks containing 5ml of boric acid solution with a few drops of mixed indicator
with the tip of the condenser dipping below the surface of the solution were placed.
6. 10ml of sodium hydroxide thiosulphate solution was added to the test solution in the apparatus. It
was then distilled and the ammonia was collected on boric acid.
7. The solution was titrated against the standard acid until the first appearance of violet colour, the end
point.
8. A reagent blank was run with an equal volume of distilled water and subtracted the titration volume
from that of sample volume.
Calculation

The nitrogen content of the samples can be calculated based on the following formula

5. ESTIMATION OF TOTAL PHOSPHORUS

Principle
Inorganic phosphate reacts with ammonium molybdate in an acid solution to form
phosphomolybdic acid. Addition of a reducing agent reduces the molybdenum in the
phosphomolybdate to give a blue colour, but does not affect the uncombined molybdic acid. The blue
colour produced is proportional to the amount of phosphorus present in the samples.
Procedure
1. 10g of vermicompost was taken in test tubes and 10ml of the triple acid mixture was added into
each. The samples were digested over heated stand bath, made up the volume to 500ml with
distilled water.
2. Aliquots of 2.5ml of the test sample are taken in two labelled test tubes.
3. In a series of test tubes, 1.0 to 5.0ml of working standard phosphorus solutions is taken.
4. The volume of all the test tubes is made up to 5ml with distilled water and a blank is also prepared
with 5ml of distilled water.
5. 5ml of molybdate reagent is added to all tubes and mixed well
6. 2ml of amino napthol sulphonic acid reagent is added to all the test tubes.
7. The contents are allowed to stand for 10 minutes and the blue colour developed is read at
650nm.Intensity of the colour of each standard was measured on the colorimeter and a standard
curve was drawn.
8. From the standard curve, the concentration of phosphorus in the sample was read in ppm
Estimation of total potassium
Principle
In flame photometry, the solution under test is passed under carefully controlled conditions as a very
fine spray in the air supply to a burner. In the flame, the solution evaporates and the salt dissociates to
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Generation of Electric Potential from Vermicomposted Fruit Waste

given neutral atoms. A very small proportion of this move into a higher energy state, when these
excited atoms fall back to the ground state, the light emitted is of characteristic wavelength which is
measured.
Procedure
1. For potassium estimation 10g of the vermicompost was taken in the flask and 10ml of triple acid
was added and the samples were digested over heated stand bath and made up to 50ml with distilled
water.
2. The potassium content was fed directly to the flame photometer after adjusting the flame
photometer to zero with blank and standardizing with 100 ppm of potassium solution with 100
galvanometer readings.
3. The galvanometer readings were noted. From the standard curve drawn the corresponding ppm was
read. From the ppm, the percentage of sodium and potassium was calculated.
6. ESTIMATION OF IRON, ZINC
Principle
The technique involves determination of concentration of a substance by the measurement of
absorption of the characteristic radiation by the atomic vapour of an element. When radiation
characteristic to a particular element passes through the atomic vapour of the same element,
absorption of radiation occurs in proportion to the concentration of the atoms in the light path.
Procedure
1. 10g of vermicompost was taken into test tubes and added 10ml of triple acid, digested the samples
over heated sand bath, made up to 100 ml with distilled water.
2. The contents were directly fed in to the atomic absorption spectrophotometer with the nm of 248.3,
279.5; the corresponding iron, zinc were respectively estimated.
3. The corresponding ppm was read from the standard curve drawn.
7. ESTIMATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS
pH
5gm of finely powdered vermicompost was taken in a volumetric beaker and 50ml of distilled water
was added and the pH was measured by pH meter.
Moisture
The moisture content was then calculated as follows:
P = Weight of the empty plate
PW = Weight of the plate with wet sample
PD = Weight of the plate with the dry sample

8. ESTIMATION OF ELECTRIC POTENTIAL

Electrode was used as an electrical conductor to touch base with a non-metallic part of a circuit.
Electrode was referred as either anode or cathode. Determination of anode or cathode was -depending
on the direction of current through the cell. Determination of electrodes was based on the metal
elements in periodic table. Two different metals, copper and zinc plates were used as electrodes and
vermicompost as electrolyte. The electrode plates were polished using sand papers to remove oxides
formed due to oxidation of metals. The copper plate acts as cathode and zinc plate acts as anode. The
anode and cathode were then immersed into the vermicompost that is moistened to enhance the
contact with the metal plates. The lead wires were connected to the electrodes, multimeter and LED in
series circuit. Multimeter is used to measure the voltage between two electrodes.

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Lathika.M & Dr. M.Lakshmi Prabha

Fig 3.1 Fruit Waste Fig 3.2 SOIL (pH 7.4)

Fig 3.3 Pre composting of fruit waste without Fig 3.4 Earthworm species
earthworms (20 days) (Eudrilus eugeniae)

Fig 3.5 Earthworms introduced into the sample pot for

vermicomposting (30 days)

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Generation of Electric Potential from Vermicomposted Fruit Waste

9. RESULTS
Assay of Physicochemical Parameters in Vermicompost
Table 1. pH value, moisture and voltage of the three samples
Sample pH value Moisture (%) Voltage(V)
Soil(S1) 7.4 18.65 1.0
Soil sample with waste without worms (S2) 6.44 18.0 1.2
Vermicompost(S3) 6.27 19.59 1.6

Macronutrients and Micronutrients Present in the Samples

Table 2. Macronutrients
Macronutrients Soil(S1) Soil sample with waste without worms (S2) Vermicompost(S3)
Nitrogen(ppm) 7.5 10.2 14.4
Phosphorus(ppm) 13 22.5 34
Potassium(ppm) 19 32 37
Table 3. Micronutrients
Micronutrients Soil(S1) Soil sample with waste without worms (S2) Vermicompost(S3)
Iron(ppm) 1496.2 1536.6 1609.4
Zinc(ppm) 32.6052 36.5888 44.6075

Fig 4.1. Single vermicompost cell produces 1.6V

Fig 4.2. Three vermicompost cells in series produce 5.4V

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Lathika.M & Dr. M.Lakshmi Prabha

Fig 4.3. Vermicompost cell light up LED

10. DISCUSSION
Vermicomposting can be used as a method to treat fruit wastes. The vermicompost has significantly
larger nutrient content than that of conventional compost. The various macro and micro nutrients and
the salts present in vermicompost enhance the ionic content there by increasing the flow of charge.
The pH shows slightly acidic at the end of vermicomposting. This may be due to the various enzymes
that are released from the worm’s gut. The acidic nature makes it suitable for using as an electrolyte.
A single compartment of 200g vermicompost mixed with 50ml of water produces a voltage of 1.6V.
Whereas use of three isolated compartments of vermicompost gave a voltage of 5.4V that could light
up an LED bulb. The study shows that the higher number of beakers containing vermicompost used,
the higher the voltage and current produced in a circuit. The amount of voltage and current produced
also depends on the size of the electrode, amount of electrolyte (vermicompost), area of contact
between the electrode and electrolyte and the length of wires used. If the wires are too long, the
resistance in the circuit may be high resisting the current flow. However, the voltage remains high.
Electricity generated in the vermicompost cell is because of the presence of metals such as zinc (Zn),
nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) in the vermicompost. These elements provide ions which can undergo
chemical reaction and produce force called electromotive force (EMF). This reaction occurs between
the electrodes and the vermicompost solution. The ions inside the solution react with copper and zinc
electrode. The force produced is measured using a digital multimeter. The current is enough to light
up LED device. This shows that the wastes can be subject to vermicomposting and the vermicompost
can be used to generate electricity. This is due to the ions such as Zn2+ and Cu2+ inside the
vermicompost as a result of the enzymatic reaction by Eudrilus eugeniae(earthworm).
The vermicompost has good moisture content. The experimental study reveals that the moisture
content and the water holding capacity increased at the end of vermicomposting. The moisture content
in the vermicompost gives proper contact with the electrode for the chemical reactions. Hence this can
also be used in compressed state without addition of water to form a vermicompost cell. This
compressed condition of vermicompost is more practical to be used compared to the vermicompost in
aqueous solution. This is because in compressed condition, the vermicompost is easier to carry and
easier to be used. Moreover, the compressed vermicompost is more appropriate to be used as dry cells
compared to vermicompost in aqueous solution. For application purposes, the vermicompost can light
up the LED bulb and hence can be used for all application where a chemical battery is used since it
has the same capacity in generating electric current.
11. CONCLUSION
The vermicompost can be used as an alternative method to replace the chemical electrolytes. As the
vermicomposting process is a low cost technology, this process can be used to produce harmless
vermicompost which can produce high voltage and generate electricity. The ions inside the
vermicompost react with the electrodes to produce high potential difference. Our present investigation

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Generation of Electric Potential from Vermicomposted Fruit Waste

revealed that the vermicompost can not only be used as an organic fertilizer but also generate
electricity in a circuit. By using only worms as its catalyst and main component, the product can be
used for many benefits to mankind. As a conclusion, the vermicomposting process is a method which
can convert biodegradable waste into valuable vermicompost which produces high voltage. The
increase of compartments increases the voltage produced. The voltage produced by one compartment
of vermicompost is equivalent to the voltage produced by one dry cell. Based on the experiment, it is
concluded that the vermicompost generates electricity and light up the LED bulb. The vermicompost
can be used in battery to replace the chemicals used. This research can be upgraded in further research
whereas this battery of vermicompost can replace ultimately the usage of chemical electrolyte in dry
cells. Furthermore, it can also be upgraded and studied to be used as fertilizers in an area and at the
same time the vermicompost produced electricity. The vermicompost can also be used more widely as
it will solve the problems of solid waste management and also can be used in applications that
benefits mankind. Besides, further research can be conducted to find solution for increasing current in
the vermicompost.
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