On the Way to Sustainable Peat-Free Soil Amendments
On the Way to Sustainable Peat-Free Soil Amendments
Zane Vincevica-Gaile1, Karina Stankevica1, Maris Klavins1, Roy Hendroko Setyobudi2, Damat Damat3*, Praptiningsih Gawawati Adinurani4, Lili Zalizar5, Muhammad Zul Mazwan6, Juris Burlakovs7,
Didiek Hadjar Goenadi8,9, Rista Anggriani3 and Aamir Sohail10
ABSTRACT
Increasing global population and urbanization demands enhanced food and feed crop production, but due to several reasons, the areas of fertile agricultural lands are reducing worldwide. The market of growing substrates, soil amendments, and improvers still is based on peat extraction and processing. Due to peat’s fossil origin, it can be considered environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable. Seeking peat-substituting materials is of crucial importance on a global scale and may become a vitally significant assignment for future generations. The necessity for peat-free soil amendments is also directed by the targets of circular economy and environmental sustainability goals, leading to reducing or abandoning the use of fossil resources and paying attention to waste utilization as secondary raw material. This paper aims to discuss general features of peat-free soil amendments as well as provide efforts into the use of secondary raw materials such as biomass ashes for the elaboration of peat-free soil-improving products. As a case example, may serve a description of the peat-free product made by rotary drum granulation from biomass fly ashes (energy production waste) and local freshwater sediments in a mass ratio mixture of 67:100, optimally applicable for soil improvement at a rate of 50 g L–1. Besides, regional opportunities in Indonesia and Latvia are referred. It was concluded that peat-free soil amendment elaboration can be better implemented on a regional scale after assessing agricultural needs, soil specifics, and available raw material variety applicable as ingredients in soil-improving products.
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August 2021
Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability Improvement in Tropical Region
