Abstract
Present study was conducted to analyze the impact of varying levels of fly ash on the soil quality and plant growth. Pot experiments in random block design were conducted with different proportions of fly ash added to the soil to assess the effect of fly ash and carbonated fly ash on various growth parameters, biochemical content and antioxidant activities of Vigna radiata and Vigna mungo. Observations suggested normal seed germination in fly ash treated plants. No visible symptoms of either nutrient deficiency or phytotoxicity were observed in any case. Significant positive (p⤠0.01) correlations between heavy metals concentration in the soil and physical growth as well as photosynthetic pigments indicates the stimulating effect of fly ash on various growth parameters like length, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, germination rate and chlorophyll content. The increase in the activity of antioxidative enzymes and antioxidants synthesis in plants with higher doses of carbonated fly ash is indicative of plantâs ability to tolerate heavy metal toxicity. Thus, soil application of carbonated fly ash has the potential not only for improving their production but also for solving their disposal problem.
Highlights
Fly ash is a coal combustion residue generated from thermal power plant during burning of coal.Chemically, fly ash contains oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, silicates, and sulfates of calcium, iron, aluminum, and other metals in trace amount (Adriano et al, 1980)
The fly ash used in this research is classified as class F fly ash according to the requirement of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM- C618-08, 2008)
It is evident that the germination of seedlings was enhanced by the application of carbonated fly ash
Summary
Fly ash is a coal combustion residue generated from thermal power plant during burning of coal.Chemically, fly ash contains oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, silicates, and sulfates of calcium, iron, aluminum, and other metals in trace amount (Adriano et al, 1980). Fly ash is a coal combustion residue generated from thermal power plant during burning of coal. The mineralogical, physical and chemical properties of fly ash depend on the nature of the parent coal, conditions of combustion, type of emission control devices and storage and handling methods. Formation of fly ash depends on the ash content of coal and Indian coal used in power plants generally has very high ash content (35–45%) and is of lower quality (Mathur et al, 2003). A large amount of fly ash is generated in thermal power plants, and is disposed off in unmanaged landfills, lagoons and ponds. Disposal of fly ash in an unscientific way affects the local ecosystems due to the heavy metal pollution through erosion and leachate generation
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