MANAGEMENT OF

AGRICULTURAL WASTES
USING MICROORGANISMS

by Norberto R. Bautista
for Agricultural Biotechnology Class
Agricultural Waste is unwanted or unsalable materials produced
wholly from agricultural operations directly related to the growing of
crops or raising of animals for the primary purpose of making a profit
or for a livelihood. Some examples of agricultural waste include:
Chicken manure, rice hull, rice straw, corn stalks, coconut husks,
sugarcane bagasse, grass trimmings, and others.
TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL WASTES
• Livestock wastes – chicken manure, cattle manure, dead animals
• Postharvest Agricultural Wastes – dried stalks, rice hull, leaves, coconut
husks, coconut shells, coffee hulls, pili shells, over ripe / rotten fruits
• Agro-Industrial Residues – remnant wastes from processing – sugarcane
bagasse, precipitates from biogas & ethanol production, peels, mango
seeds, coconut coir dust, etc.

These wastes are still rich in plant nutrients!

Composting recycles this wastes into soil rich
in plant nutrients.
 AGRICULTURAL WASTES
Invertebrate Animals – earthworms, nematodes, ants,
termites, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, cockroaches,
snails, slugs, ticks,

Bacteria / Archae – Hydrolytic & Acidogenic bacteria

Examples are Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas
PROCESS OF fluorescens
(Heat & gases are expelled)
DECOMPOSITION Fungi – Penicillium, Aspergillus, Humicola,
Sclerotium, Trichoderma, various mushroom species
(Fungi tend to dominate)

NOTE: dead bodies of these invertebrate animals,

bacteria, and fungi becomes part of the decomposed
material and humus

HUMUS / ORGANIC FERTILIZER

PROCESS OF DECOMPOSITION

• Breakdown in size - by insects or by mechanical shredding

• Hydrolysis - Complex polymer molecules breaks down

into smaller molecules

• Acidogenesis - Further breakdown to CO2 + Water

volatile fatty acids escapes
• Methanogenesis - Alcohol production / fermentation

• Humification - formation of humus, a black amorphous

substance rich in plant nutrients
Hydrolysis is the first step in the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. It involves
the conversion of polymeric organic matter (e.g., polysaccharides, lipids, proteins) to
monomers (e.g., sugars, fatty acids, amino acids) by hydrolases secreted to the
environment by microorganisms.

Acidogenesis is the fermentation stage where the products of hydrolysis (soluble organic
monomers of sugars and amino acids) are degraded by acidogenic bacteria to produce
alcohols, aldehydes, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and acetate together with H2 and CO2

Methanogenesis is an anaerobic respiration that generates methane as the final

product of metabolism. In aerobic respiration, organic matter such as glucose is
oxidized to CO2, and O2 is reduced to H2O. In contrast, during hydrogenotrophic
methanogenesis, H2 is oxidized to H+, and CO2 is reduced to CH4.

Humification means the formation of humus. Humus is a black amorphous substance

produced by the decomposition of dead and decaying organic matter by microorganisms.
One commercial product that enhances decomposition
of wastes is EM-1 or Effective Microorganisms ™

EM® is the brand name given to a family of microbial-

based products using a technology developed
by Japanese scientist Prof. Dr. Teruo Higa. EM® is
an acronym for Effective Microorganisms®.

The main product, EM-1®, is a liquid probiotic

comprising of three groups of beneficial
microbes: Yeast, Photosynthetic Bacteria, and Lactic
Acid Bacteria.

They work together with local and native

beneficial microbes, creating a synergy among
microorganisms and larger forms of life
including insects and worms.
Once agricultural wastes are decomposed, it can then be applied in the field or in
individual trees or plants
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF DECOMPOSTING ENDEAVORS

Production of pure culture of decomposting bacteria / fungi (e.g.

Trichoderma and BM1)

Vermicomposting (African night crawler) of agricultural wastes

for production of vermi-cast fertilizers

Production of fly maggots as protein source (from food wastes)

for feed supplementation for Fish production.

Production of premix soil or potting media for ornamental and

vegetable crops