• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.259-266
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• 1993

This experiment was carried out to the effect of population densities on the growth reproduction, cast production of the earthworm and chemical composition of worm casts. The population densities of 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 individuals of the earthworm fed with cow manure was studied in rearing box($6,400cm^3$) and fertility stage during a period of 60 days. The results were summarized as follows 1. Survival rates(SR) of the earthworms had significantly positive correlated with increasing rate(IR). But, survival rates(SR) and increasing rate(IR) had significantly negative correlated with reproductive efficiency(RE). 2. The ranges of optimum population densities estimated were $42.7cm^3-128.0cm^3/worm$. 3. The cast production estimated were 36.5mg-80.9mg/day/worm grown in optimum population densities(50-150 worms/$6,400cm^3$). 4. The earthworm castings are an excellent soil conditioning material with a high chemical composition and their physical properties.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2014

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of feeding fermented earthworm cast additives (FEC) on egg production, egg yolk fatty acids, blood lipid, cecal microorganism and fecal odor. The completely randomized experiment was applied, and the treatments were designed as 2 feeding regimens (control vs. FEC feeding), and FEC contained 3.5% top dressing to common diet. Egg production and egg weight of FEC group were significantly higher than that of control (p<0.05). Ratios of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in the egg yolk of FEC group were significantly higher than those in control group (p<0.05). Concentrations of HDL-C in FEC group was significantly higher than control group (p<0.05), but not triglyceride and total cholesterol. The caecal Lactobacillus of FEC group was significantly higher in FEC group than control group (p<0.05). $NH_3$ concentrations from poultry house were significantly lower in FEC group than control (p<0.05). In conclusion, these study results showed that the addition of FEC at 3.5% to the diet has reduced odor of poultry house and improved the n-6/n-3 fatty acid of egg yolk and egg production in laying hens.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.807-817
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• 2017

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of fermented earthworm cast feed prepared by using three probiotic mixture with Bacillus subtilis strain on meat quality and growth performance of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four treatments: 1) control, 2) 0.2% commercial product contain strain of Lactobacillus fermentum (CP), 3) 0.3% fermented earthworm cast feed (FECF3); and 4) 0.5% fermented earthworm cast feed (FECF5). Mean body weight gain, thymus, spleen, and F-bursal weight of birds fed with FECF were higher than those of birds fed with control or CP. Serum IgG levels were higher in birds fed with FECF than those in birds fed with CP or control. Cecal Lactobacillus counts were higher whereas Escherichia, Salmonella, Coliform bacteria, and total aerobic bacteria counts were lower in FECF groups than those in CP or control group. Water holding capacities in FECF groups were higher than those in CP or control group. Ratios of n-6/n-3 in chicken meat were lower in FECF groups compared to those in CP or control group.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.287-298
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• 2008

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different feed conditions on growth, cast production and conversion efficiency of organic matter to the earthworm. The experiment was tested on cow manure(CM) mixed with rice hulls (RH) or rice straw(RS). The mixture ratios were designed as one time, two times and three times of cow manure volume, respectively. The CM and RH mixtures resulted better on growth rate, reproductive efficiency and wormcast production than those for CM and RS mixtures. Especially on three times of RH mixture showed the highest growth characteristics compared to the other mixtures. Although both were between 20 and 34 on carbon and nitrogen ratio, the result inferred that the difference on the growth might have been caused by feeding conditions. On the mixtures of cow manure with rice hulls(CM+RH) was significantly higher on values on the conversion rate and conversion efficiency of organic matter to earthworm tissues than the mixtures of cow manure with rice straw(CM+RS). The most concerned point of the mixture of earthworm feed is that high contents of volatile solid and total carbon that increases in conversion efficiency of organic matter to earthworm tissues, and also causes the increase in growth rate and reproductive efficiency. The wormcast could be used as a valuable plant growth medium or soil conditioner for sustainable agriculture and it may be due to their high qualities of physico-chemical properties.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.44-49
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• 2000

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the adsorption capacity of casts for heavy metals. The casts were excreted by earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus, after having eaten the paper sludge. Various batch experiments on adsorption were performed to compare cast and activated carbon. The pH increase in solution due to extractives from cast was 1.3 and the cation exchange capacity which implies adsorption capacity for solubles is greater on activated carbon than on cast. According to the results of batch experiment, the removal rates of Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn using the activated carbon and casts as adsorbent were 98%, 93%, 94%, 89%, 82% and 95%, 90%, 88%,80%, 66%, respectivity, and this removal were achived less than 90 minutes. It can be said that casts is so good adsorbent as activated carbon is, although adsorption carbon was found to be some large than those of casts through Freundlich isotherm applied for adsorption of soluble. As a result on the experiment of isothermic adsorption from the mixed component solution in the batch, the order of preferable elements in heavy metal adsorption was found to be Pb＞Cd＞Cu＞Cr＞Zn on activated carbon, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.577-586
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fermented earthworm cast feed prepared with three complexed probiotics containing Bacillus subtilis separated from the earthworm casts, on egg production, egg quality and odor removal from poultry house. A total of 240 laying hens were divided into 4 treatments and completely randomized. Experimental groups were divided into control, 0.3 to 0.5% (fermented earthworm cast feed FECF3, FECF5) and 0.2% commercial probiotics (CP). The egg production rate was significantly higher in the FECF groups compared to the control group fed the normal feed, but there was no difference in the CP group. Haugh units, egg shell thickness, breaking strength, egg yolk index and albumen height were increased in FECF groups compared to control but not in CP group. The n-3 content of eggs was higher in the FECF groups than in the control group, while the n-6/n-3 ratio was lower and there was no difference from the CP group. Ammonia production was lower in the CP and FECF groups compared to the control group after 5 days storage at room temperature to poultry feces.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2012

Removal of methane, benzene and toluene was evaluated in a lab-scale biocover packed with a soil mixture of forest soil and earthworm cast (75:25 weight ratio). The bacterial community in the biocover was characterized using quantitative real-time PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Methane was removed at the upper layer of the biocover (-0.1 ~ -0.4 m), where the oxygen concentration was remarkably lower. The average removal efficiencies for methane and benzene/toluene were 90% and 99%, respectively. The pmoA gene copy numbers, responsible for methane oxidation, in the upper layer were higher than those in the lower layer. While type I methanotrohs dominated the lower layer, type II methanotrophs, such as Methylocystis and Methylosinus, were noted to be predominant in the upper layer. Benzene and toluene were removed from the lower layer (-0.6 ~ -0.9 m) as well as the upper layer. Moreover, the tmoA gene copy number, responsible for benzene/toluene oxidation, seen in the upper layer was not significantly different from those seen in the lower layer. These results suggest that a biocover packed with a soil and earthworm cast mixture is a promising method which could be utilized for the control of methane and volatile organic compounds such as benzene and toluene.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.488-492
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• 2007

The influence of additive materials including saw dust and cow manure in the ripening of leather sludge for the efficient vermisabilization was studied. The ripening characteristics of the leather sludge, the growth of earthworms in the growth bed and the by-products like cast were observed according to the mixing ratio of additive materials. When the mixed leather sludge of which the additive materials contents were over 20% were ripened for 50 days, the values of ORP and alkalinity were changed to the favorable ranges for earthworms, the positive (+) and below 1,000 mg/l as $CaCO_3$, respectively. The velocity of ripening improving the characteristics of the leather sludge was faster in the sludge mixed with cow manure than saw dust. This results could also be verified from the monitoring of the states of earthworm growth using the survival rate, the increase rate of lifeweight and the hatching rate of earthworm cocoon in the their growth bed packed with the ripened sludge. The values of CEC in cast, the vermi-stabilized sludge, were increased with the mixing ratio of additive materials, but the content of heavy metals was drcreased by the dilution effect and accumulation in the earthworm body. Above results show that the leather sludge might be efficiently stabilized by earthworms through the ripening for 50 days using additive materials. Cow manure can be used as a good additive materials for leather sludge as much as saw dust, and the optimum content of additive materials in the well-ripened leather sludge was about 30%.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.197-208
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• 2014

The present study was conducted to provide basic data for efficient vermicomposting of swine manure by investigating the effect of sawdust mix on growth and reproduction of earthworms, amount of earthworm cast produced, and its chemical composition when mixing swine manure in different levels (0(SSD0), 10(SSD10), 20(SSD20), 30(SSD30), and 40%(SSD40)) with sawdust commonly used as moist control in manure composting. The C/N ratio of the feed and the survival rate of earthworms for the SSD0 treatment (10.19, 35.2%), The C/N ratio of the feed was 11.09-16.44 and increased with higher level of sawdust mixed, and the survival rate of earthworms during the experiment period was 35.2-100%. The number of earthworms was 16.6 in the SSD40 treatment, and young worms were not found in the SSD0 treatment or the treatment with less than 30% sawdust in the mix. The number and the weight of cocoons in SSD30 and SSD40 treatments were found to be in the ranges of 23.8-59.8 and 256-660 mg respectively. The production of earthworm cast and digested amount were higher with the higher level of mixed sawdust (p<0.05), and the C/N ratio of cast increased with the mixed sawdust ratio, being significantly higher ratio in SSD30 and SSD40 than other treatments (p<0.05). Heavy metals content tended to decrease with the mixed sawdust level. To summarize, the higher level of mixed sawdust was associated with improvement in growth and reproduction of earthworms, and 30-40% sawdust mix in particular could result in efficient vermicomposting.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.92-96
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• 2003

The on-site sewage sludge vermicomposting equipment was designed and evaluated on the batch and continuous tests. The vermicomposting equipment was designed to consider the mechanization as well as automation. In terms of performance evaluation of equipment with continuous experiments, the highest treatment rate was found in the condition of 5mm in particle size and 10mm in e feeding height. Also, 20~25kg of earthworm per 50kg of sewage sludge was the most appropriate density of earthworm. In addition, the most effective separation of cast was found when the earthworm breeding box height was 80cm. The performance evaluation on equipment allowed the establishment of earthworm composting capacity of 2ton per a day with a size of $5{\times}3{\times}1m$ and the automatic control devices.