Agronomic and environmental performance of bottom ash discharged from biomass-based thermal power plant

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the applicability of bottom ash (BA) discharged from a biomass-based thermal power plant as an agricultural soil conditioner. The physicochemical and structural properties of BA used in this study were similar to those of wood-pellet-based biochar derived at 600 °C. Additionally, XPS, FTIR, and SEM-EDS described the structural properties of BA well proving that BA has a stable carbon structure. It was confirmed that BA has beneficial agricultural functions, such as improved soil physical properties, water holding capacity and nutrient residence time, and CO2 reduction. Toxicity tests were performed on five crops to evaluate the stability of BA; these results were similar to those of the control, without significant differences. The optimal BA treatment for Chinese cabbage cultivation was 100 kg/10a, which showed a yield index of 138 compared to that of the control. There was no significant difference in the physicochemical properties of the soil and the content of inorganic components in Chinese cabbage in the presence or absence of BA treatment. Overall, it is suggested that BA can be used as an effective soil-improving agent for the cultivation of crops in agricultural land as it has an excellent role in soil improvement and crop yield enhancement.