Vermes is Latin for worms. In nature, all organic matter eventually decomposes. In vermicomposting, worms are fed with decomposed matter and the organic material will pass through the earthworm gut and the end up with a rich end result called worm castings. Wormcastings consists of organic matter that has undergone physical and chemical breakdown through the muscular gizzard which grinds the material to a particle size of 1-2 microns.
Nutrients present in wormcastings are readily soluble in water for uptake by plants.
Hence, vermicomposting is an aspect of biotechnology involving harnessing of earthworms as versatile bioreactors for cleaning up the environment with cost effective waste management technology. At the same time, it helps in the development of sustainable agriculture on waste lands using wormcastings as natural organic bio-fertilisers. Earthworms play a key role in soil biology by serving as biorectors to effectively harness the beneficial soil microflora and destroy soil pathogens, thus converting organic wastes into valuable biofertilisers with biopesticides, vitamins, enzymes, antibiotics, growth hormones and proteinous worm mass. They maintain a stable temperature through temperature regulation mechanisms, thus speeding the rates of various bio-processes, and also preventing enzymes from getting deactivated due to high temperatures. All enzymes are active in a very narrow pH range and earthworm bioractors efficiently maintain the highly nonlinear parameter like pH. The active califerous glands in the earthworms contain large quantities of carbonic anhydrase which catalyse the fixation of carbon dioxide in the form of calcium carbonate, preventing the fall in the pH of the bodyfluid.