Phosphorus-humus fertilizers based on oxidized licorice meal and phosphate raw materials
Аннотация
Humus-containing organic and organo-mineral fertilizers play a key role in increasing soil fertility due to their high water-holding capacity, improved water permeability, and ability to reduce phosphorus fixation by calcium and magnesium ions in calcareous soils and by sesquioxides in acidic soils. Organic matter from livestock waste, peat, and brown coal can enrich fertilizers with humus. However, plant residues such as aspen bark, agricultural husks, and licorice root meal are among the most effective additives to produce organic fertilizers. The present study evaluates the synthesis of phosphorus-humus fertilizers in grain form using indicator phosphate rocks discovered in the Kyzylkum deposit, Turkmenistan, and oxidized licorice paste, treated with hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. The methodology lab experiment consisted of three steps. In the first step, the oxidation behavior of finely ground licorice meal (particle size < 0.1 mm) was investigated using an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution and acetic acid at mass ratios relative to the organic fraction of the licorice meal in the range of H2O2: CH3COOH = 100 : (10–20) : (0.1–1). In the second step, the phosphate rock was decomposed by 92% sulfuric acid, requiring 30-80% equivalent amounts for monocalcium phosphate. In the third step, the resulting products were mixed with the oxidized licorice paste at a ratio of 100:10:1. This paper evaluates the optimal conditions for processing the phosphorus-humus fertilizer, also producing flowcharts for processing, such as phosphate, provided by each resource. The efficiency of this new technology is presented. The results suggest that low rock phosphate and waste licorice root are environmentally friendly and can be recommended as an alternate tool to reduce the use of high-consumption chemical fertilizers or time consuming conventional composting process.