The effectiveness of utilizing different types of sugar solution as fermentation liquid in fruit waste composting

In the last few decades, Malaysia has faced problems in disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) due to the difficulty of finding space for a landfill. MSW has given a negative impact on humans and the environment. In Malaysia, 44.5% of MSW was generated from food waste. This has become more serious due to the lack of awareness in food waste management such as composting. The objective of this study was to determine the physical (moisture content, temperature, and pH value) and chemical parameters (Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, and Potassium concentrations) of composted fruit waste resulting from different types of fermentation liquids by using the Takakura composting method, and then compared the quality of the matured compost produced. Fermented soybean and mixed fermented food (fermented soybean, yogurt, and yeast) were used as fermentation liquid, and soil and rice husk were utilized as the decomposing medium. Four types of reactors were used in this study. Based on the results of three weeks of composting period, the range of moisture content was between 42% to 63% in all reactors. Moreover, the overall temperature of the reactors was within the range of 33°C to 47°C indicating the active phase for compost. Next, the pH value in each reactor exceeded 5.0 and approached neutral, 7, at the end of the composting period. The concentration range of Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorus (TP), and Potassium of all the compost reactors were from 81508 mg/L to 99187 mg/L, 96.08 mg/L to 108.06 mg/L, and 90.75 mg/L to 153 mg/L, respectively. In conclusion, the results showed that the utilization of mixed fermented food as fermentation liquid in fruit waste composting is more effective than the fermented soybean fermentation liquid.