Production of Bioaugmented Composts with Trichoderma harzianum

Resumen

Objective: To develop a bioaugmented compost in a pile system through the addition of submerged fermentation products derived from Trichoderma harzianum.

Methodology: Biodegradation kinetics of newspaper were monitored over a 30-day period in a cylindrical air-lift bioreactor inoculated with Trichoderma harzianum (IrV6S1C7), aiming to generate fungal biomass and cellulolytic enzymes. Subsequently, the fermentation products were incorporated into a 60 kg pile of organic waste comprising banana, red mango, leaf litter, and lettuce to assess waste degradation time in comparison to an uninoculated control.

Results: By day 30 of fermentation, biomass production of T. harzianum reached 67 g/L, while the activities of cellulolytic enzymes carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) and filter paperase (FPase) were 2095.51 U/L and 1471.75 U/L, respectively. The compost pile inoculated with T. harzianum suspension exhibited a more consistent stabilization of the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio over time relative to the control.

Conclusions: The bioaugmented compost enriched with T. harzianum and its fermentation derivatives facilitated the production of a stable pre-compost with enhanced nitrogen availability, benefiting both plant growth and the proliferation of beneficial microbial communities.