Turn those vegetable wastes into fertilizer

The huge amount of vegetable refuse and other biomass generated every day at trading posts, bagsakan centers and large public markets can be processed into compost and liquid fertilizer that may be used in vegetable production. 

The trading post in La Trinidad, Benguet, for instance, generates at least 30 tons of vegetable refuse everyday, according to an LGU engineer in this town. The volume of refuse could be more during peak periods.

Bayani L. Profugo, president and general manager of Bens Agribusiness Corp., said vegetable refuse and other biomass can be processed quickly into compost if its solid and liquid content are first separated from each other using a de-watering equipment. 

Profugo developed a machine called Bayan screw press can shred vegetable refuse and other biomass into smaller particles and separate the liquid and solid components, leaving 20 to 30 percent of the biomass as solid waste. The solid component is then dried under a processing shed and treated with Biosec to become compost in just a month. 

Dr. Rene Sumaoang, president and general manager of Novatech Agri-Food Industries, said the liquid component of the biomass can be processed quickly into liquid fertilizer in just a week. Thus, LGUs (local government units) with vegetable trading posts or bagsakan centers as well as those with large markets could generate a lot of revenue by using this process.  

Manufactured by Novatech, Biosec consists of immobilized beneficial microbes and potent digestive enzymes that would digest the solid waste into compost with a pleasant smell.

With 30 tons of refuse at the La Trinidad trading post daily, for example, about 10 tons of solid waste could be produced with the Bayan screw press.  When processed with Biosec into fully decomposed compost, this would become 200 bags of compost. Thus, the refuse in one month would produce a total 6,000 bags. Even if the compost is sold at a low P150 a bag, this could mean a monthly income of P900,000 for the LGU or P10.8 million in a year.

The Bayan screw press can also be used in biogas systems and  slaughterhouses, as well as in the processing of carrots and virgin coconut oil. – Sosimo Ma. Pablico