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Aquatic worms grown on biosolids: biomass composition and potential applications
H J H Elissen1, W J Mulder, T L G Hendrickx
1Wetsus, Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. hellenelissen@hotmail.com
Bioresource Technology
|September 15, 2009
Summary
Biological waste sludge can be minimized using the aquatic worm Lumbriculus variegatus. This worm biomass, rich in protein and fatty acids, offers potential applications in waste management and resource recovery.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
- Waste Management
Background:
- Increasing biological waste sludge from wastewater treatment presents disposal challenges due to stricter legislation.
- Traditional disposal methods are becoming less viable, necessitating innovative solutions for sludge management.
- The aquatic worm Lumbriculus variegatus shows potential for reducing sludge volume and recovering valuable compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically explore potential applications for biomass produced by Lumbriculus variegatus grown on wastewater sludge.
- To evaluate the composition of worm biomass for resource recovery opportunities.
- To identify feasible applications for worm biomass, considering production scale and market demand.
Main Methods:
- Cultivating Lumbriculus variegatus on biological waste sludge.
- Analyzing the proximate composition (protein, fat, sugar, ash) of the worm biomass.
- Assessing the presence of trace elements, such as heavy metals.
- Evaluating potential applications based on biomass composition and production characteristics.
Main Results:
- Worm biomass primarily consists of protein, with smaller amounts of fat, sugar, and ash.
- Low concentrations of heavy metals were detected in the biomass.
- The potential biomass yield is relatively small and produced decentrally.
- Promising applications include recovery of specific components like amino and fatty acids.
Conclusions:
- Lumbriculus variegatus offers a viable method for minimizing biological waste sludge.
- Worm biomass composition supports applications focused on specific valuable compounds.
- Initial applications should be simple, progressing to specialized uses as the process is optimized.
- Biomass from sludge grown on clean sources has potential as fish feed for consumption.
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