Potential of Industrial By-Products as Liming Materials and Digestate as Organic Fertilizer and Their Effect on Soil Properties and Yield of Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.)

Vladimir Ivezić, Vladimir Zebec, Brigita Popović, Meri Engler, Tihana Teklić, Zdenko Lončarić and Krunoslav Karalić
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Vladimir Ivezić: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Vladimir Zebec: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Brigita Popović: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Meri Engler: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Tihana Teklić: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Zdenko Lončarić: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Krunoslav Karalić: Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Vladimira Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Acid soils with pH values below 5.5 have a negative effect on agricultural production. For this reason, liming is applied as a measure to raise the soil pH to the optimum (pH = 6–7). The aim of our research was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of four liming materials (wood ash from biomass powerplant, filter dust from cement factory, blast furnace slag from iron factory, and carbocalk (limestone, a by-product from a sugar factory)) in combination with and without solid digestate (a by-product from biogas plant) as organic fertilizer. Two field trials were set up to determine the effect of the studied materials to neutralize the acidity, and the impact on soil fertility and nutrient status in the soil. The results showed that all four liming materials raised the pH of the soil. Out of these four, wood ash showed to be the best while blast furnace slag was the worst. The yield of alfalfa increased with the application of all four lime materials. Application of liming materials with solid digestate increased soil organic matter and had slightly higher yields compared to liming materials without solid digestate. The highest yields were achieved with the application of wood ash, probably due to somewhat higher concentrations of potassium and phosphorus in wood ash. Further research on the financial aspects of investigated by-products application is necessary to exploit their potential as a liming material.

Keywords: carbocalk; blast furnace slag; digestate; filter dust; wood ash (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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