Production Of Compost Using Eichhornia crassipes And Its Nutritive Analysis

The aquatic weed of monster invasive nature is Eichhornia crassipes (mart) with massively grown in tonnes and occupies various lakes. It takes up the nutrients of the lake water and destroys the habitat environment for the fauna and other flora. To reduce the weed with an alternative method, they were collected, shredded and mixed up with the vegetable waste (4:1) and subjected to composting. After 68 days of composting, the matured compost prepared using the Eichhornia crassipes is subjected to colour, odour and foam were found to be in the acceptable range similar to the commercial compost. The electrical conductivity of both matured compost and commercial compost were analogous to each other. The ratio of carbon was about 15 whereas the nitrogen was one. With the pH of the prepared matured compost was about 7 analogous to the commercial compost, the chemical parameter, such as organic carbon of prepared matured compost and commercial compost with a 1.31% difference. The total nitrogen, total potassium, total phosphorus of the prepared matured compost and commercial compost are similar and within an acceptable range. The total calcium and total magnesium are very low with the maximum acceptable range. The mineral content, such as iron and manganese with a minimal difference, whereas the zinc and copper were within the acceptable limits for both the prepared compost and the commercial compost. In this study, the resource utilization approaches of Eichhornia crassipes by using turn waste into treasure and solve the water hyacinth breeding problem, it could also produce economic and ecological benefits.