Date of Award
Spring 2025
Document Type
Thesis
Terms of Use
© 2025 Isabela Ibrahim and Lindsey Turner. All rights reserved. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Engineering Department
First Advisor
E. Carr Everbach
Second Advisor
Sintana Vergara
Abstract
Organic waste is oftentimes poorly managed and directed to landfill and incineration, as more sustainable alternatives such as traditional composting are not always accessible. Swarthmore College has a robust composting partnership offsite, however, it does not leverage avenues for waste stream circularity on campus to its full potential. Vermicomposting, composting that incorporates earthworms (Eisenia fetida), consists of a method to achieve small-scale and accessible composting. The goal of this project was to create an on-campus, low-maintenance, replicable, and sustainable vermicomposter to efficiently repurpose food waste from Swarthmore’s dining hall into nutrient-rich soil amendments for the adjacent Our Food Garden. The vermicomposter’s design allowed leachate (i.e., compost tea) to drain through a perforated panel and be collected in a compartment below the soil layer, accessible through a tap. A monitoring system, run by a solar-powered Arduino Nano Every, tracked changes in compost weight, oxygen levels and soil conditions of temperature, moisture, and pH. Sensors were appropriately calibrated and data were stored in an SD card. The monitoring system accurately recorded weather-induced changes within the vermicomposter, mainly temperature and humidity fluctuations, and less accurately tracked other parameters. Total additions of food scraps to the vermicomposter were 85 lb, generating a harvested compost batch of 80.5 lb with an increase in organic matter of 9.14%, when compared to the original soil. Leachate production was minimal and structural challenges arose given fabrication with untreated wood. Overall, this project demonstrated a viable vermicomposter and monitoring system that yielded sufficient compost, created opportunities for research and replication, and contributed to waste stream circularity on campus.
Recommended Citation
Ibrahim, Isabela , '25 and Turner, Lindsey , '25, "Closing the Loop: Solar-Powered Vermicomposter" (2025). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 974.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/974
