Exploring portable gas monitoring for process assessment and disturbance detection during vermicomposting

Greenhouse gas emissions represent a major environmental challenge and contribute significantly to climate change. The waste management sector plays a crucial role in mitigating these emissions through the implementation of effective treatment strategies and management practices. In this context, the present study evaluates the feasibility of using a commercially available portable gas analyzer as a practical tool for monitoring gaseous emissions during a vermicomposting process. The study assesses whether a portable instrument originally designed for occupational safety can provide useful operational information for tracking biological waste treatment processes under real experimental conditions. The device was used to monitor the temporal evolution of gaseous emissions (CO 2 , CH 4 , NO, NO 2 and SO 2 ) during the vermicomposting of five different mixtures composed of lavender residues from the essential oil extraction industry and horse manure. The results indicate that portable gas monitoring devices can provide relevant information on process evolution and may help identify deviations associated with suboptimal decomposition conditions. Transient changes in gas concentrations were associated with specific process conditions and potential disturbances. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of commercially available gas detection technologies as complementary tools for rapid and in situ monitoring of vermicomposting processes. This approach may contribute to improved process control and support further research into simple sensor-based monitoring systems in organic waste management.