Conservation of Natural Resources Through Sustainable Fertilized Soil from Alum Sludge by Takakura Composting

The management of alum sludge produced by water treatment plants has become a significant environmental issue. Improper handling of this sludge can lead to various environmental problems. Effective sludge management is crucial to mitigate or eliminate negative impacts on land, air, soil and water quality. Utilization of alum sludge, a byproduct of water treatment, promotes waste reduction and conservation of landfill space. At the same time, Takakura composting is proven to conserve nutrients in organic waste, returning them to the soil and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of Takakura composting methods (TCM) using alum sludge from a water treatment plant in Jenderam Hilir, Sepang. Four different TCM set-up were prepared with varying ratios of vegetable waste, sludg and seed compost. The composts were allowed to stabilize for up to four weeks and the final product was analyzed to assess the level of decomposition and quality of the final compost. The physical analysis revealed a maximum temperature of 46°C. After four weeks of composting, the nutrient content analysis showed that available phosphorus ranged from 23.71 to 33.75mg/kg, potassium from 0.36meq/100g soil to 0.53meq/100g soil and total nitrogen from 0.21 to 0.45%. The study concludes that the compost developed is appropriate for use in farming. Notably, Compost B, consisting of a 0.4:0.1:0.5 ratio of vegetable waste, sludge and seed compost respectively (measured in grams), yielded the best results.