Possibility of Producing Compost and Vermicompost from Sugar Beet Waste in the Sugar Factory

Due to the unfavorable smell of the accumulated sugar beet wastes in the factory and its mixture with the lime wastes, it is costly and uneconomic to dispose this mixture. This research has been performed to investigate the possibility of producing compost and vermicompost from the waste in sugar beet factory in Qazvin. In order to produce compost, sugar beet wastes were collected. Temperature, moisture and aeration were controlled during production period. The quality of compost was examined by carrying out a series of quality control tests concerned with ripening degree. The initial results indicated an initial increase in temperature to over 60oC due to intensive activity of microorganisms. The temperature decreased gradually and reached the environmental temperature after two months. In order to investigate and control the quality of the produced compost, ripening degree of compost was calculated. Comparing the experimental results with the standard indices of ripening degree showed that the product is suitable in terms of temperature variation, cress, and percentage of Ammonium-Nitrate. Apart from the above findings, the produced vermicompost was suitable in terms of ripening degree. The produced vermicompost was superior to the compost produced from sugar beet wastes in terms of chemical characteristics, i.e., Phosphor in vermicompost increased 3 times as compared to compost while saltiness decreased by 50%. Zinc and Nitrogen were also increased.