Biodegradation of Cocoa Pod Husk Waste used Rot Fungi Consortium at Various Storage Times

Abstract

Cocoa pods is only considered as waste and was not utilized. Even though the utilization of cocoa pod husk waste was enough extensive, as a nutrient-rich fertilizer for plants. Degradation of cocoa pod husk waste naturally takes a long time, so could needed acceleration to degraded by using rot fungi. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of rot fungi consortium to degraded cocoa pod husk waste at various time of storage. Then to know percentage of lignocellulotics, weight loss, C/N ratio, and the nutrient content produced from the biodegradation process. The cocoa pod husk waste that has been chopped were inoculated with a consortium of Mycena sp., Tremella sp., and Pleurotus sp.. and fermented for 40 days at room temperature. The results showed that the lowest percentage of weight loss was on fresh cocoa pod husk, and the highest weight loss up to 2.3% in cocoa pod husk which was stored 30 days. The highest levels of C and P on cocoa pod stored 90 days and fermented 60 days, respectively at 8.98% and 0.59%. It’s showed that the best cocoa pods for compost were 90 days stored. Consortium of Mycena sp., Tremella sp., and Pleurotus sp. was a biodegradator for plantation crops waste that has the potential to be developed