Peat as a Raw Material for Plant Nutrients and Humic Substances

Rasa Paleckiene, Raminta Navikaite and Rasa Slinksiene
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Rasa Paleckiene: Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania
Raminta Navikaite: Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania
Rasa Slinksiene: Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: The ever-increasing intensity of agriculture is causing irreversible qualitative changes in the soil. Soil conservation and improvement is a priority of EU agro-environmental policy. However, this is also one of the most difficult challenges for agriculture. Various ways for sustainable agriculture have been proposed. One way to provide arable soil with humic substances is through the use of humic extracts. The aim of this work is to create a humic product for soil improvement from local raw materials, i.e., Lithuanian peat. Lithuanian peat samples from various peatlands with a different degree of humification were studied. The chemical composition of peat was determined using various methods (chemical analysis, AAS, XRD, SEM), and the optimal conditions for obtaining peat extracts were established. After examination of the chemical composition and properties of the peat extracts produced using 0.5 N KOH, it was determined that the sample with the highest degree of humification, (H8) Ezerelio JCS “Klasmann-Deilmann” (EKD), contained: 0.7% N; 0.1% P 2 O 5 ; 25.87% humic acids and 0.76% fulvic acids. It had a density of 1015 kg·m −3 , dynamic viscosity of 1.490 mPa·s, electrical conductivity of 33.3 mS·cm −1 and pH of 12.9.

Keywords: peat extracts; humic substances; bioresources; agriculture; chemical composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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