Production and Characterization of Organic Fertilizer from Tubang-Bakod (Jatrophacurcas) Seed Cake and Chicken Manure

The processing of Jatrophacurcas (tubang-bakod) to produce biodiesel entails wastes in the form of seedcake which can be converted into valuable product that can help nurture and improve soil properties. The College of Industrial Technology and the Chemical Engineering Department of Batangas State University (BatstateU) conducted an experimental study which includes the composting of the combination of Jatropha Seed-Cake(JSC) and Chicken Manure(CM) , formulating ratios of JSC and CM andcharacterization of the organic fertilizer produced. Generally, this study aimed to promote proper waste disposal by producing an organic fertilizer from the waste of biodiesel production which uses Jatropha plant and proving the feasibility of making the fertilizer as the main source of nutrient for plants. Specifically, the nutrients that were considered were Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) and the Carbon: Nitrogen (C:N) ratio. Composting lasted for 6 weeks, three formulations were used, 30(CM):70(JSC), 50(CM):50(JSC) and 70(CM):30(JSC). The result implies that theorganic fertilizers produced can be a good substitute to the commercially available fertilizers.

Keywords –composting, C: N ratio, Jatropha seedcake, organic fertilizer, plant nutrients