Application of biochar coupled with FGD waste for waste management in agriculture improvement

Abstract

Flue gas desulfurization waste (FGD) is one of coal combustion products (CCP) in coal-fired power plants. Mostly, FGD gypsum is applied in cement and wallboard industry. Also, it can be used in agricultural activities for soil amendment but the amount of FGD waste used in this function is still low. Furthermore, biochar has long been used to improve soil fertility. The positive impacts of biochar amendment on soils are that it can increase soil capacity to adsorb plant nutrients, decrease soil bulk density, increase plant available water retention and so on. In Thailand, some areas like Nan province has a problem of soil degradation from deforestation and excess use of chemical fertilizer. With the benefits of these FGD waste and biochar, the study of soil amendment will be performed by using degraded soil. Therefore, this research is aimed to apply FGD waste coupled with biochar to improve soil quality from degraded soil in Nan Province. Also, the objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of FGD waste and biochar on soil properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density and soil texture. The concentrations of FGD waste and biochar are ranged from 5-25% and 5-30% by weight, respectively. The results present that the soil quality has been improved in that pH can increases from 5.664 up to 7.309. The soil texture has changed in the better quality from clay to silty loam or loam. Furthermore, the bulk density of soil is reduced in order to have more space for air and water for all mixture which is conducive to plant growth. Consequently, this research can contribute to the improvement of degraded soil properties to fit well for agriculture and the results can be applied for practice in the real field.

Preparation and properties of carboxylated styrene‐butadiene rubber/flue gas desulfurization ash composites by in situ carboxylate reaction

“…FGD is used in agriculture primarily because it contains a significant number of alkaline oxides, which aid in improving crop growth through acid-base neutralization, soil alteration, and soil modification. 21,22 Yan et al 23 demonstrated that FGD as a calcium source to produce hydroxyapatite (FGD-HAP) can enhance the retention capacity of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in soil, suggesting that the application of FGD-HAP could diminish the environmental risk of leachable heavy metals to groundwater. FGD was also reported in the field of wastewater.…”

The Utilization of Recycled Gypsum as a Soil Amendment

“…The utilization of gypsum from recycled drywall in soil would allow for the reversal of the harmful effects of road salt on the environment, as it works to rebalance soil pH, reduce loss of essential elements, and increase a plant's tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress factors (Bello et al, 2021;King et al, 2016). Gypsum as a soil amendment is also safe for animals (Sengsingkham et al, 2019). For humans, gypsum is also known to have no toxic effects and is extremely beneficial for agricultural use (United States Department of Agriculture, 2015).…”

“…A study by Chen et al (2014) specifically tested the toxicity of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum on earthworms and found no adverse effects on survival, growth, or reproduction (Chen et al, 2014). Similarly, Sengsingkham et al (2019) reported that the use of gypsum-based biochar did not have any negative effects on soil microbial activity, which is an important indicator of soil health (Batool et al, 2015). Furthermore, the nutritional value of gypsum in animal feed has been found to have beneficial effects on nonhuman animal health and productivity as it provides a good source of calcium and sulphur (Cieslar, 2023).…”