Chapter 17
Earthworm-Assisted Amelioration
of Thermal Ash
Bhawana Sohal and Adarsh Pal Vig
Abstract Fly ash is the end product of burnt powdered coal. It has created various
environmental problems and many health issues. So to control its negative impacts,
earthworm-assisted technology (vermicomposting) was used for converting the fly
ash into valuable manure. It was studied that it is not only changing the substrate
from one form to another but also capable of improving its physicochemical
properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total organic carbon
(TOC). It had been confirmed to increase all the nutrient contents such as nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), which are required for good agricultural purposes. It was also found to have the capacity to remove heavy metals from the fly ash
samples. Thus, this chapter has mainly focused on the utilization and management of
fly ash through earthworms.
Keywords Vermicomposting · Earthworm · Fly ash · Physicochemical properties
17.1 Introduction
An earthworm is a tube-like, segmented, unique hermaphrodite annelid of the soil
fauna. It is capable of improving the whole ecosystem by reconstructing each
structural and functional unit of the soil system. The process that involves the
earthworms to mediate the subjected organic matter to natural manure is called
vermicomposting. Mainly, it reduces the contaminants and enriches the soil with
essential nutrients. It contributes natural supplements and microflora to the soil
through its nutritious and neutral fecal pellets (vermicast). It is overloaded with all
the essential nutrients for the healthy plant growth (Bombatkar 1996; Arancon et al.
2004). It is also responsible to enhance the microbial colonies in the soil, which in
B. Sohal · A. P. Vig (*)
Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar,
Punjab, India
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_17
281
Earthworm-Assisted Amelioration
of Thermal Ash
Bhawana Sohal and Adarsh Pal Vig
Abstract Fly ash is the end product of burnt powdered coal. It has created various
environmental problems and many health issues. So to control its negative impacts,
earthworm-assisted technology (vermicomposting) was used for converting the fly
ash into valuable manure. It was studied that it is not only changing the substrate
from one form to another but also capable of improving its physicochemical
properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total organic carbon
(TOC). It had been confirmed to increase all the nutrient contents such as nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), which are required for good agricultural purposes. It was also found to have the capacity to remove heavy metals from the fly ash
samples. Thus, this chapter has mainly focused on the utilization and management of
fly ash through earthworms.
Keywords Vermicomposting · Earthworm · Fly ash · Physicochemical properties
17.1 Introduction
An earthworm is a tube-like, segmented, unique hermaphrodite annelid of the soil
fauna. It is capable of improving the whole ecosystem by reconstructing each
structural and functional unit of the soil system. The process that involves the
earthworms to mediate the subjected organic matter to natural manure is called
vermicomposting. Mainly, it reduces the contaminants and enriches the soil with
essential nutrients. It contributes natural supplements and microflora to the soil
through its nutritious and neutral fecal pellets (vermicast). It is overloaded with all
the essential nutrients for the healthy plant growth (Bombatkar 1996; Arancon et al.
2004). It is also responsible to enhance the microbial colonies in the soil, which in
B. Sohal · A. P. Vig (*)
Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar,
Punjab, India
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. A. Bhat et al. (eds.), Earthworm Assisted Remediation of Effluents and Wastes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4522-1_17
281