Saving CO 2 Emissions by Reusing Organic Growing Media from Hydroponic Tomato Production as a Source of Nutrients to Produce Ethiopian Kale ( Brassica carinata )

Adrian Vollmer, Christoph-Martin Geilfus, Annika Nerlich and Dennis Dannehl ()
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Adrian Vollmer: Division Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
Christoph-Martin Geilfus: Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Hochschule Geisenheim University, Von-Lade-Str. 1, D-65366 Geisenheim, Germany
Annika Nerlich: Division Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
Dennis Dannehl: Division Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, D-14195 Berlin, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: Large quantities of growing media residues that are rich in nutrients are disposed of after their use in hydroponics. The objective of this study was to investigate the benefits of different organic growing media (wood fibers, hemp fibers, sphagnum moss) residues from hydroponic tomato production as a nutrient source to produce Ethiopian kale. The amount of nutrients that can be reused as fertilizer and the associated CO 2 savings have been calculated. Kale was cultivated in sand-residue mixtures, either with 25 or 50 vol% of the mentioned growing media residues. Control treatments with sand with or without nutrient addition were cultivated too. The incorporation of all growing media residues to sand increased the field capacity and growth. Plants that were supplemented with hemp fiber residues showed the strongest growth and highest yields. However, the hemp fiber residues that are used are not suitable for use in the open field due to its excessive content of certain nutrients, which restrict the output quantity. Regarding the fertilization effect of growing media residues, it was calculated that 11–300 kg nutrients ha −1 (N, P, K, Mg, Ca, S), with an average primary energy demand of 90–3435 MJ and 6–317 kg CO 2 eq, could potentially be saved when different crops were considered.

Keywords: hemp fibers; organo-mineral fertilizer; sphagnum moss; wood fibers; environmental relief; rock wool (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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