Assessing potassium release in natural silica sand from novel K-enriched sewage sludge biochar fertilizers.

Enrichment of biochars to produce slow nutrient release fertilizers with minimal losses to the environment is a promising strategy. However, the release of potassium (K) from biochar-based fertilizer produced from sewage sludge (SS) is still poorly studied. In the present 30-day incubation study, the dynamics of K release were evaluated from SS biochar-based fertilizers enriched with potassium chloride (KBF) in different forms, subjected to two levels of silica sand moisture (10 and 20%). The KBF was evaluated in the form of granules, pellets and powder, in addition to pure KCl mineral fertilizer. During the incubation period water-soluble K extractions were performed, where the K contents were adjusted to K release kinetic models. An additional experiment was performed to assess the effect of KBFs and KCl on K leaching. In general, at both moisture levels all KBFs presented a slower K release compared to pure KCl mineral fertilizer, reducing the release rate by up to 77%. The K release dynamics were affected by the type of biochar fertilizer (granule, pellet and powder) and the silica sand moisture level. The behavior of KBFs as slow-release fertilizers is strongly dependent on the silica sand moisture level. At the 10% moisture level, biochar fertilizers in the form of pellets and granules can be classified as slow-release fertilizers with the potential to increase the efficiency of K use in agriculture. Furthermore, compared to the chemical fertilizer, KBF reduced the amount of leached K, diminishing the risk of this nutrient polluting the groundwater. Our results must be further assessed in real conditions using soil as a suitable medium for agronomic and environmental evaluation. Therefore, future studies should consider the dynamic of K and other nutrients from KBFs in distinct soil types.

Novel K-enriched organomineral fertilizer from sewage sludge-biochar: Chemical, physical and mineralogical characterization.

Sewage sludge biochar (SSB) is a multi-nutrient fertilizer with very low K concentration. This study presents a novel K-enriched SSB fertilizer with the potential to increase K use efficiency by crops. The object of this work was therefore to evaluate the physical-chemical, morphological and mineralogical characteristics of a SSB organomineral fertilizer (OSSB) enriched with K. SSB was enriched with KCl and K2SO4 using three technological methods (granules, pellets and powders). The enrichment of SSB with K ensured a K2O content about 75 times higher than the pure SSB. Organominerals in powder form had higher levels of total nitrogen, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus and higher pH than granules and pellets. The morphology and physical characteristics of enriched OSSBs were more influenced by the form of the fertilizer than by the source of K. In general, the enriched OSSBs are influenced by the quantities of feedstocks and the enrichment technology.

Teor de umidade e densidade básica da madeira de nove espécies comerciais amazônicas / Moisture content and basic wood density of nine commercial Amazonian tree species

The aim of this work was to group species with similar moisture content and basic wood density in order to compose mixed species loads for industrial kiln drying. Nine tree species with three repetitions each were sampled at an Upland Forest in Central Amazonia. For all the species the moisture content was the same for top and base portions of the trunk, which gives stability during wood drying processes. The basic wood density values varied from 0,561 to 0,904 g cm-3. The species were divided in three groups based on basic density and moisture content; the first one included the species Minquartia guianensis, Lecythis poiteaui, Mezilaurus itauba, Manilkara huberi and Brosimum rubescens which are considered dificult or slow drying heavy woods (density ranging between 0,835 to 0,904 g cm-3). The second group was composed with the species Clarisia racemosa and Ocotea rubra (avarage density of 0,665 and 0,720 g cm-3, respectively), the third group includes Parkia paraensis and Brasimum parinarioides that showed average density and were considered fast drying woods (density of 0,561 e 0,588 g cm-3, respectively).

Este trabalho teve como objetivo agrupar espécies com características de teor de umidade e densidade básica da madeira semelhantes para compor cargas mistas de espécies para secagem em câmaras industriais de secagem da madeira. Foram amostradas nove espécies em floresta de terra firme na Amazônia Central com três repetições por espécie. Em todas as espécies os teores de umidade não diferiram entre base e topo do tronco, o que confere estabilidade da madeira durante o processo de secagem. Os valores de densidade básica variaram de 0,561 a 0,904 g cm-3. A partir do presente estudo foi possível separar as espécies em três grupos com base na densidade básica e teor de umidade, o primeiro com as espécies Minquartia guianensis, Lecythis poiteaui, Mezilaurus itauba, Manilkara huberi e Brosimum rubescens que são consideradas madeiras pesadas (densidade variando de 0,835 a 0,904 g cm-3) , de secagem mais lenta ou difícil. O segundo grupo contem as espécies Clarisia racemosa e Ocotea rubra (densidade média de 0,665 e 0,720 g cm-3, respectivamente) e o terceiro grupo com as espécies Parkia paraensis e Brasimum parinarioides que apresentam densidade média e secagem rápida (densidade de 0,561 e 0,588 g cm-3, respectivamente).