The impact of fertiliser granules produced from waste on soil

Abstract

The growing volume of waste is driving research into its use as a nutrient source for plants. The study aimed to determine the effect of fertiliser granulates produced from waste on selected qualitative indicators of mineral soil following harvesting of test plants. To achieve this objective, fertiliser granulates produced from three types of waste were tested: industrial sewage sludge, ash and a mixture of sawdust from deciduous and coniferous trees.
Increasing fertiliser granulates doses increased pH_KCl in the soil after harvesting both test plants. Significant differences in pH_KCl in the soil were observed between the first and third doses. The doses of granulates A, B, C, and D applied to the soil after harvesting both test plants increased N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S levels compared to the control. The total Ca and Mg content in the soil after the application of granulates A and C was, on average, 17.8% and 17.5% higher than in the cases where granulates B and D were applied. It was shown that under the influence of the tested granulates A, B, C, and D the total of Cu, Zn, Cr, and Cd in the soil after harvesting the test plants increased slightly. The application of fertiliser granulates to the soil caused a slight increase in their content. The heavy metal Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn content indicates that the soil did not contain excessive amounts of these metals before and after the experiment.