Enzimas que participan en el proceso de vermicompostaje

One of the main concerns of today's society is the use, management and final destination of residues from natural resources generated by human activities. Due to the biological nature of most of these residues, it is necessary to understand some basic aspects of the enzymatic biotransformation involved, in order to give them appropriate management and final destination. The present study reports the enzymatic dynamics of composting and "vermicomposting" (composting involving the earthworm Eisenia andrei) of ground or minced oat straw. Twenty-three, 46, 69, 92, 115, and 148 days after earthworms addition, protease, amidase, urease and nitrogenase activities were evaluated. The enzymatic activities were higher in the treatments with earthworms than in those without them. The activity of the enzymes decreased with time. The use of ground straw accelerated the enzymatic process. The addition of enzymes at the right time could accelerate the biotransformation processes involved. Vermicomposting made residue transformation a more sustainable process and the knowledge generated can be applied to other types of residues.