Synergistic nutrient recovery from spent coffee ground and organic wastewater via an intergated Berkeley composting-vermicomposting system

Lim, Chuan Zhong (2026) Synergistic nutrient recovery from spent coffee ground and organic wastewater via an intergated Berkeley composting-vermicomposting system. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Increasing demand in the Food and Beverages (F&B) and livestock industry has generated thousands of tonnes of spent coffee grounds (SCG) and swine wastewater (SW) annually in Malaysia, creating significant waste management challenges such as landfill leachate. This study investigates their utilization in an integrated Berkeleyvermicomposting system using Eudrilus Eugeniae to convert these wastes into a stabilized organic amendment that supports circular economy principles. Four treatment sets (A–D) were evaluated through a sequential Berkeley composting and vermicomposting process. Key physicochemical and biological parameters monitored including total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio, available nutrients (N, P, K), caffeine content, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), earthworm biomass, and germination index (GI). The findings showed that the system improved compost maturity, as evidenced by a reduction in C/N ratio (14.32 ± 0.36 to 19.95 ± 0.66) and enhanced nutrient enrichment. Among all treatments, Treatment D demonstrated the best overall performance, achieving the highest nitrogen concentration (3624 ± 186 ppm) and potassium concentration (7254 ± 363 ppm) contents, along with the greatest earthworm biomass gain (92.82 ± 4.75%) and germination index (118.52%), indicating low phytotoxicity and high compost stability. Low phytotoxicity was also supported by the reduction in caffeine content (-14.3% to -36.8%) throughout the integrated system. Overall, the integrated system effectively produced a nutrient-enriched final product with potential for agricultural application while promoting sustainable waste valorisation.

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