Enhanced soil fertility, plant growth promotion and microbial enzymatic activities of vermicomposted fly ash

Abstract

It is reported that coal consumption in the Asia-Pacific region is going to increase to about 87.2 percent by 2035. Management of coal combustion residues (CCRs) generated by industries is a major bottleneck towards handling the repercussions of coal usage. The present study investigates a management technique for these potentially hazardous wastes by means of vermicomposting. In the present investigation, studies were made on the effects of various concentrations of vermicomposted fly ash (VCF) added to agricultural soil, on the growth and yield of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and brinjal ( Solanum melongena L.) plants. The toxicity of trace elements in VCF were estimated using coefficient of pollution and potential ecological risk index, which revealed no apparent risks to the environment. A gradual increase in VCF concentrations in the agricultural soil improved the physico-chemical properties, enzymatic activities, microbial biomass, carbon and microbial population upto 90 days after sowing of seeds. The VCF amendments significantly ( p < 0 . 05 ) improved the soil quality (2.86% nitrogen and 1.05% Phosphorous) and germination percentage (82.22%) of seeds in L . esculentum and also in S . melongena . The results of this study reveal that, CCRs can be effectively managed in agriculture specially in developing economies.

Vermicomposting—Facts, Benefits and Knowledge Gaps

“…SW includes organic and inorganic materials produced by different sources. There are numerous classifications of SW that are also complex, but research on domestic waste [4], municipal solid waste [5], sewage waste [6], ashes [7], manures [8] and many others in the literature can be found. Global waste, mostly industrial, can also be classified into hazardous and nonhazardous waste [9].…”

Zea mays L.'nin termik santral uçucu kül uygulamalarına karşı ekofizyolojik tepkileri

“…In this study we have done, we can say that, similar to Dash et al (2015), the application of fly ash over 5000 ppm has negative effects on plant and human health [10]. Usmani et al (2019) determined that fly ash increased the germination percentage of the plants they used in their study (L. esculentum and S. melongena), but in our study, it was determined that the application of fly ash did not affect the germination percentage of Zea mays [12]. Singh et al (2008) stated in their study that fly ash application caused significant reductions in growth, biomass, and yield responses of Beta vulgaris.…”

“…The disposal of Fly Ash, which is formed by the activities of these power plants, creates a great concern globally. In addition, this problem becomes serious for developing countries [12,22,23,24]. Afşin-Elbistan, Çatalagzi, Çayırhan, Kangal, Kemerköy, Orhaneli, Seyitomer, Soma, Tunçbilek, Yatağan and Yeniköy are some of them operating in Turkey.…”

“…Their use with soil likely improves soil physicochemical properties such as pH, texture and water holding capacity (WHC). Alkaline FA supplementation with a pH above 9.07 can reduce soil acidity to a suitable level for agriculture and increase the availability of trace metals, SO2 and other nutrients [12]. The coal fly ash mainly contains Si, Al, and Fe as a major element concentration along with a substantial amount of Ca, Na, K and Ti [3].…”

From the editorial board

“…Любечанского представляет особый интерес.Несмотря на появление и развитие инновационных технологий, мировая, в том числе и российская энергетика наряду с электроэнергией и теплом ежегодно производит, к сожалению, миллионы тонн золошлаковых отходов. Основная масса этих отходов годами хранится в золоотвалах, площадь которых во всем мире будет только возрастать (Das et al, 2013;Usmani et al 2019). В России, в частности, в настоящее время площадь золоотвалов превышает 20 тыс.…”