Vermicompost in Pb and Cu Reduction of Environmental Liabilities in Silluta Cabanillas, Peru

Currently, there are mining environmental liabilities in the Puno Region, as well as in the town of Silluta Cabanillas. The soils are contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, copper, and other minerals extracted from inside the mine, causing negative environmental impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as well as effects on human health. These problems derive from mining activities carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. The bioremediation study was conducted in the city of Puno, carrying out experiments at the laboratory level during the period 2019–2022. The objective was to apply vermicompost technology to reduce lead and copper concentrations, using different treatments and times in soil samples with mining environmental liabilities in the town of Silluta Cabanillas - Puno, Peru. The study is of an explanatory type with an experimental design, using cells and treatments with earthworms, manure, and agricultural soil, as well as thermometers and pH meters. The vermicompost technology was applied with different combinations of 20, 30, and 40 worms, and times of 30 and 60 days. For data analysis, analysis of variance was used. As a result, a percentage reduction of lead of 26.69% and a reduction of copper of 19.75% were obtained in the samples of soils with mining liabilities in the locality. These results meet the objectives and confirm the proposed hypothesis.