Transformation of non-water sorbing fly ash to a water sorbing material for drought management

Securing water in the soil through suitable amendments is one of the methods for drought management in arid regions. In this study, a poor water sorbing fly ash was transformed into a high water-absorbing material for improving soil water retention during the drought period. The fly ash water absorb...

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Published inScientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 18664
Main Authors Saha, Abhisekh, Sekharan, Sreedeep, Manna, Uttam, Sahoo, Lingaraj
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 29.10.2020
Nature Publishing Group
Subjects
639/166
704/106/694/2739
704/172/169
Agricultural wastes
Arid zones
Clay loam
Drought
Drying
Fly ash
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrogels
Industrial wastes
Ionic strength
Loam
Management
Moisture content
multidisciplinary
pH effects
Plant growth
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Silt loam
Soil amendment
Soil water
Solid wastes
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Summary:Securing water in the soil through suitable amendments is one of the methods for drought management in arid regions. In this study, a poor water sorbing fly ash was transformed into a high water-absorbing material for improving soil water retention during the drought period. The fly ash water absorbent (FAWA) exhibited high water-absorbing capacity (WAC) of 310 g/g at par with commercially available superabsorbent hydrogel (SAH). The FAWA showed excellent re-swelling behavior for more than eight alternate wetting–drying cycles. The WAC of FAWA was sensitive to salt type, pH, and ionic strength of the solution. At maximum salinity level permitted for plant growth, the WAC of FAWA was 80 g/g indicating its suitability for drought management. There was only a marginal WAC variation in the range of pH (5.5–7.5) considered most suitable for plant growth. The drying characteristics of FAWA amended soil exhibited an increase in desaturation time by 3.3, 2.2, and 1.5 times for fine sand, silt loam, and clay loam, respectively. The study demonstrates the success of using a low rate of FAWA for drought management with the advantage of offering a non-toxic and eco-friendly solution to mass utilization of industrial solid waste for agricultural applications.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-75674-6