Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.

This study evaluated the bioconversion of coffee pulp by Hermetia illucens larvae in a controlled reactor designed to regulate temperature (27–30 °C), relative humidity (60–70%), and aeration. The system monitored environmental temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and substrate tempera...

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Main Authors: Diana M. Cuesta-Parra, Carlos Enrique Montenegro-Marín, Felipe Correa-Mahecha, Genoveva Rosano Ortega, Lorena Ortega
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2025-07-01
Series:Chemical Engineering Transactions
Online Access:https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/15353
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author Diana M. Cuesta-Parra
Carlos Enrique Montenegro-Marín
Felipe Correa-Mahecha
Genoveva Rosano Ortega
Lorena Ortega
author_facet Diana M. Cuesta-Parra
Carlos Enrique Montenegro-Marín
Felipe Correa-Mahecha
Genoveva Rosano Ortega
Lorena Ortega
author_sort Diana M. Cuesta-Parra
collection DOAJ
description This study evaluated the bioconversion of coffee pulp by Hermetia illucens larvae in a controlled reactor designed to regulate temperature (27–30 °C), relative humidity (60–70%), and aeration. The system monitored environmental temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and substrate temperature. The substrate—coffee pulp with 82.67% moisture, pH 5.32, and 38.58% total organic carbon—was supplied at 1 kg per container with 100 larvae (feeding rate: 115.53 mg dry matter/larva/day), with three replicates and a control without larvae. Larval growth was monitored for 15 days. The highest mass (0.133 ± 0.007 g) and length (18.0 ± 0.42 mm) were observed on day 14. CO2 concentration peaked at 5553 ppm on day 10, while environmental conditions remained stable throughout the experiment. The resulting compost exhibited a pH of 9.71, density of 0.53 g/cm³, and 36.04% total organic carbon. The fertilizer was tested in germination assays using Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seeds and coconut coir in various ratios. The 1:3 frass-to-coir treatment yielded the best plant performance: 96 cm height, 23 mm stem thickness, 14 leaves, and 86.67% germination over 27 days. These results demonstrate that black soldier fly larvae can effectively bioconvert coffee pulp into a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer suitable for early-stage plant development, supporting its potential application in sustainable agriculture.
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spelling doaj-art-ef07cc5e2ff84722ab998d62b28c9eaf2025-08-20T02:46:35ZengAIDIC Servizi S.r.l.Chemical Engineering Transactions2283-92162025-07-01117Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.Diana M. Cuesta-ParraCarlos Enrique Montenegro-MarínFelipe Correa-MahechaGenoveva Rosano OrtegaLorena OrtegaThis study evaluated the bioconversion of coffee pulp by Hermetia illucens larvae in a controlled reactor designed to regulate temperature (27–30 °C), relative humidity (60–70%), and aeration. The system monitored environmental temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and substrate temperature. The substrate—coffee pulp with 82.67% moisture, pH 5.32, and 38.58% total organic carbon—was supplied at 1 kg per container with 100 larvae (feeding rate: 115.53 mg dry matter/larva/day), with three replicates and a control without larvae. Larval growth was monitored for 15 days. The highest mass (0.133 ± 0.007 g) and length (18.0 ± 0.42 mm) were observed on day 14. CO2 concentration peaked at 5553 ppm on day 10, while environmental conditions remained stable throughout the experiment. The resulting compost exhibited a pH of 9.71, density of 0.53 g/cm³, and 36.04% total organic carbon. The fertilizer was tested in germination assays using Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) seeds and coconut coir in various ratios. The 1:3 frass-to-coir treatment yielded the best plant performance: 96 cm height, 23 mm stem thickness, 14 leaves, and 86.67% germination over 27 days. These results demonstrate that black soldier fly larvae can effectively bioconvert coffee pulp into a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer suitable for early-stage plant development, supporting its potential application in sustainable agriculture.https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/15353
spellingShingle Diana M. Cuesta-Parra
Carlos Enrique Montenegro-Marín
Felipe Correa-Mahecha
Genoveva Rosano Ortega
Lorena Ortega
Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
Chemical Engineering Transactions
title Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
title_full Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
title_fullStr Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
title_short Impact of Compost Produced with Coffee Pulp and Hermetia Illucens on Tomato Plant Growth.
title_sort impact of compost produced with coffee pulp and hermetia illucens on tomato plant growth
url https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/15353
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