Recycling Nutrients Contained in Biomass Bottom Ash from Industrial Waste to Enhance the Fertility of an Amazonian Acidic Soil

• Published in: Agriculture (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 2093
• Main Authors: Albuquerque, Alan R. L., Gama, Marcos A. P., Lima, Vitória M. N., Rodrigues, Andréia O., Angélica, Rômulo S., Paz, Simone P. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Acidic soils; Acidity; Agricultural production; Agriculture; alternative fertilizer; Aluminum; Amazonian biomass ash; Biomass; Bottom ash; circular economy; Energy; Experiments; Fertilizers; Forest soils; Incubation; Industrial wastes; Laboratories; Lignocellulose; Microbalances; mineral residue; Mineralogy; Nutrient availability; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrients; pH effects; Phosphates; Recycling; Seeds; Soil analysis; Soil chemistry; Soil fertility; Soil lime; Soil sciences; Soils; sustainable agriculture; Brazil
• ISSN: 2077-0472; 2077-0472
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture12122093

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of recycling ash from Amazonian biomass on the fertility of a dystrophic Yellow Latosol. For this purpose, a laboratory incubation experiment was performed with Yellow Latosol using four increasing doses of ash (8.75, 17.5, 35, and 70 Mg ha−1), three incubation times (20, 40, and 60 days), two positive treatments (13 Mg ha−1 lime and 2 Mg ha−1 phosphate fertilizer), and one control soil. The chemical analyses of the soil revealed that the application of increasing doses of ash positively affected the pH values and significantly increased the availability of the nutrients P, K, Ca, and Mg, the levels of which were adequate for the soils and main crops of the state of Pará, Brazil. The input of these nutrients and the moderate increase in pH contributed to the increase in base saturation and thus reduced the potential acidity of the soil and neutralized Al3+. Therefore, recycling ash from Amazonian biomasses in agricultural or forest soils may represent a sustainable and integrative alternative that balances the management of industrial waste and the fertility of acidic and nutrient-deficient soils in the state of Pará.