Aluminium dross neutralization and its application as plant fertilizer

Abstract

ADC12 aluminium dross and 6063 aluminium dross are the byproducts of aluminium production process. The processing of these dross is of great challenges due to its toxic nature. In the current study, neutralized dross was used as plant fertilizer. The planting efficiency of untreated and treated aluminium dross fertilizer at various contents up to 50 wt% was analyzed. Treated aluminium dross fertilizer showed enhancement in height and weight of Chinese cabbage than untreated fertilizer and control. The optimum content for plant growth enhancement was found to be 10 wt%. However, the plants treated with 30 wt% and 50 wt% of aluminium dross fertilizer were completely withered and desiccated after 10 days of growth. The growth enhancement was also observed in sweet corn, basil and spring onion. Hence, the aluminium dross after neutralization can be used as an environmentally friendly fertilizer as there is no existence of toxic heavy metal elements in the soil.