BIOMASS ASH UTILIZATION OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

In Latvia and in the world there are problems with utilization of wood ash from large fireboxes because it is a technologically complicated, time consuming and costly process. The methods used to dispose of the ash when it is deposited in waste landfills are unsustainable. Pollution-increasing solution is needed since pure wood ash is a valuable source of plant nutrients. Ash contains the macro and microelements needed for plants and can replace some of the precious mineral fertilizers in agriculture, especially in organic. Ash use in agriculture is little explored and implemented, the use of the technology is not resolved (ash collection and screening, fractionation, drilling, evaluation, etc.). The LUA studies of ash and slurry mixing problem to prepare ash with mechanized spreaders. Cattle slurry is used as a binder that helps create solid ash fractions that are subject to dispersion with centrifugal fertilizer dispersers with a sufficiently good spreading quality. The research examines the conditions for the creation of different size fractions and their dissolution. The experimental results showed that the best used ratio of the mixtures was 1000 ml of ash and 200 ml of liquid manure or 1000 ml of ash and 300 ml of liquid manure. In this ratio, the produced granule size was very close to the size of  mineral fertilizers.

Keywords: mixing,, slurry, wood ash, granulation

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.083