Utilization of Tofu Liquid Waste Generated From Anaerobic Processing in Compost Preparation

Abstract

This study aims to identify the ability of tofu liquid waste generated from anaerobic processing to act as a microorganism source to help expedite compost decomposition. In this research, composting was performed on 2 kg of rice husks to which tofu liquid waste was added in various volumes (500-2000 mL) and 1 kg of cow manure. This research used a nonfactorial completely randomized design with five treatments and four repetitions, which made a total of 20 unit trials. Changes in pH, humidity (rH), C composition, N, C/N ratio, and number of colonies were analyzed to observe the compost quality. The data collected were then analyzed using SPSS 16. The research findings showed that increasing the volume of tofu liquid waste has a significant impact on composting temperature, and all compost outputs were within proper compost criteria. Increasing tofu waste volume can improve the population of microorganisms, which accelerated the decomposition process of organic matter. The highest number of bacterial colonies, 73 colony forming units, was found on 1500-mL treatment. At this condition the values obtained were 17.94%, 0.9%, and 20.1 for C, N, and C/N ratio, respectively.