Development and Comparative Assessment of Tobacco Waste-Based Composts for Sustainable Agriculture

The global demand for compost, produced through the bioconversion of organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments, is increasing due to the adverse environmental, health, and economic impacts of synthetic fertilizers. Compost use offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative, improving soil fertility and long-term productivity. However, the potential of tobacco waste as a composting substrate remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing tobacco waste as a composting feedstock and to develop an optimized composting method. Tobacco waste (scrap leaves and midrib stems) was composted with cow manure in earthen pots to promote decomposition and nutrient mineralization, and its performance was compared with compost produced from cow manure and vegetable waste (vegetable leaves). Vermicomposting, which involves the addition of earthworms to conventional compost treatments, was also implemented to enhance composting efficiency and nutrient release. The final composts, both conventional and vermicompost, were analyzed for organic carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and the maturity duration. Among the three conventional compost variants, the mixture of cow manure and tobacco leaves had the highest nitrogen concentration at 1.45% and the cow manure and tobacco stems had 1.23% as the second best. Cow manure and tobacco stem compost had the highest K content of 1.13%, followed by tobacco leaves (0.99%). Sulfur levels were also found to be higher in the tobacco stem compost compared to the other compost types, with the highest value of 0.56%, followed by tobacco leaves (0.23%). All three vermicompost variants outperformed their conventional counterparts in terms of nutrient concentrations and achieved maturity in shorter durations. The cow manure with tobacco stem mixed vermicompost was notable for its elevated potassium (1.35%) and sulfur (0.89%) contents. The results indicate that vermicomposting offers a faster and more nutrient-enriched composting approach, particularly with tobacco waste. Incorporating tobacco waste into this process has the potential to produce high-quality compost, presenting a sustainable strategy for waste valorization and enhancing soil fertility.