Performance Study of Tea Waste as Nutrient Rich Organic Fertilisers

Abstract

The amount of tea waste grows rapidly along with the increasing consumption of tea products. Global demand increases led to the increasing of tea waste which normally into the landfill together with other waste. Therefore, there is availability to increase the potential of tea waste utilization into high added value products such as organic fertilizer. The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of tea waste as an organic fertilizer for Murraya koenigii plant. The efficiency of tea waste was determined by comparing pH values, plant growth measurement as well as chemical component characterization using Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. Accordingly, the methodology begins with the preparation of organic fertilizer made from tea waste as well as other organic waste source material of fish waste. Four samples were prepared and pH readings for each sample were recorded. The performance of the tea waste organic fertilizer was observed based on the plant growth measurement. The results show that the additional of tea waste as organic fertilizer towards Murraya koenigii plant significantly increased the plant growth. Besides that, additional of other organic material has affected the plant growth performance as well as affecting the soil properties that would interfere the process of plant growth.