A vermiculture unit comprises structural elements defining an interior fillable with organic substance and through which worms for converting the organic substance to environmentally compatible products migrate; a perforated surface for supporting the organic substance; and fixed walls extending upwardly from the perforated surface to a void area located below an uppermost edge of the structural elements, removal of worms from the interior that is below the void area being prevented by the fixed walls. An extractor is insertable into the interior via the void area, for extracting from the interior, solidified organic substance to which the worms have upwardly migrated, allowing grown worms to be separated from the extracted organic substance and collected. In one embodiment, the extractor is an openwork drawer member. In another embodiment, the structural elements are used for vermicomposting while an inclined surface receives worm processed byproducts downwardly discharged through the perforated surface.

Devices and methods are disclosed for the containment and culture of worms, and the preparation of composts, vermicomposts, and castings from organic and inorganic wastes.

A portable, climate-controlled, continuous flow-through, computer-operated vermiculture bioreactor and method for the treatment of organic solid wastes utilizing accelerated microbiological decomposition including composting and vermicomposting to convert materials into environmentally compatible products, including stable biofertilizer. The portable bioreactor design converts carbon-based organic waste into biofertilizer using thermophilic composting, vermicastings and vermicomposting that can be used directly for plant and farming applications.

The present invention relates to a bio-conversion treatment method and related system that uses one or more species of microorganisms preferably larvae of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) to effectively convert organic waste into harmless and value-added products such as fertilizers and animal feed.

The present invention is a composting bioreactor system that continually receives biodegradable solid wastes, waste waters and exhaust gases, automatically recycles the biodegradable wastes into nutrients and heat energy, and automatically supplies the nutrients and heat into an integrated hydroponic or aquaponic system. This invention together with integrated food growing system may be installed onsite such as balconies, backyards and premises of restaurants and food factories etc. therefore may lead to zero mileage targets both for recycling wastes and for supplying foods. This invention integrates composting process and aquaponic technology together and may establish a closed-loop recirculation of both water and gases therefore upgrades aquaponics into compoponics. A compoponic system has both soil and soilless growing beds and mimics nature recirculating nutrients, carbon and energy among human being, animals, microorganisms and plants by way of photosynthesis, slow burning by cellular respiration and burning by combustion.

Disclosed is a soil conditioner, comprising the following components in parts by weight: 10-20 parts of distiller's grains; 1-10 parts of cow dung; 1-10 parts of vermicompost; 1-10 parts of oil cake; 10-20 parts of dregs of decoction; 20-40 parts of fallow soil; and 20-40 parts of river sand. Also disclosed is a method for preparing a soil conditioner, comprising: first, separately fermenting distiller's grains, cow dung, vermicompost, oil cake, and dregs of decoction, and then mixing them with river sand and fallow soil for secondary solid fermentation to obtain the soil conditioner. The present invention has a remarkable restoration effect on obstructive soil, the microbial diversity index of the restored soil is increased, the microbial ecological structure of the soil is improved, and the quality of crops is enhanced.

A method for vermicomposting includes providing an underground cell comprising a bottom, sidewalls and an open top, layering a base bedding layer at the bottom of the underground cell, layering a bottom organic waste layer on the base bedding layer, layering a stack of one (1) or more intermediate bedding layers and one (1) or more one or more intermediate organic waste layers, alternating between an intermediate bedding layer and an intermediate organic waste layer, on the bottom organic waste layer to partially form a compost heap, layering a top bedding layer on a top organic waste layer of the stack of the intermediate bedding layers and the intermediate organic waste layers to form the compost heap, watering the compost heap at a predetermined watering cycle, introducing worms to the compost heap, aerating the compost heap at a predetermined aeration cycle, and harvesting compost from the compost heap.

Melanin or inorganic fertilizers are produced from fermentation leachates or from low-cost nutrient-rich solutions. The method for producing the melanin or inorganic fertilizer comprises repetitive trophic cycling in the controlled conditions of primary and secondary bioreactors. Nutrients are cycled between microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and fungi and black soldier fly larvae, Hermetia illucens. Polysaccharides are partly converted into natural melanins or inorganic fertilizer, which are difficult to biodegrade and hence accumulate in the bioreactors. The method can employ, as a source of nutrients, leachates produced from food waste or from sugar-rich liquid waste of the food industry. These leachates can be used raw or can be augmented with low-cost sugar-rich solutions such as molasses, hydrolyzed cellulose or starch. The method is inexpensive and does not require the use of expensive chemically-defined culture media.

A vermicomposting system for treating waste water streams that includes a pretreatment stage for converting liquid or semi-liquid organic waste streams into a feedstock for vermicomposting; a vermicomposting digestion stage having populations of worms and beneficial bacteria which consume and break down organic material and nutrients present in the feedstock from the pretreatment stage to create worm castings, vermicompost, and a liquid compost tea that contains plant nutrients, plant growth promoting substances, and beneficial bacteria; and a post-treatment stage in which the liquid compost tea is removed for use as an soil amendment or inoculant, or is further treated in a separate containment tank where nutrients and oxygen levels are controlled to increase specific bacterial and fungal populations.

The present disclosure relates to degradation of polymer materials, such as plastic materials. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method for digestion of one or more plastic-comprising material by the use of at least one larva of the species selected from the group consisting of Galleria mellonella, Tenebrio molitor and Alphitobius diaperinus. The product obtained by the method is also within the inventive concept. The disclosure furthermore relates to use of said at least one larva for digestion of a plastic-comprising material.