Abstract
Many cattle feedlots are operated on bare soil because it is expensive to cover the entire lot with concrete. During heavy rainfalls, feedlots built on clay-rich soils often become muddy as their soils lose strength. These soils cannot support the weight of animals or equipment. As a result, the animals’ rate of gain suffers, and feedlot management becomes difficult. Fluidized Bed Combustor (FBC) ash from the Iowa State University Physical Plant was used to produce a significant increase in soil strength on a cattle feedlot near Nevada, Iowa. FBC ash is the residue from burning high-sulfur coal in fluidized bed combustors. Limestone (calcium carbonate) enters the combustor with the coal as a sorbent to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. FBC ash is considered a “nuisance” waste, and the cost for disposal exceeds US$20 per metric ton.Stabilizing cattle feedlot soil with FBC ash represents a recovery of resources because the ash, when combined with clay soil and water, has cementious properties. Research was conducted with three objectives: (1) to determine whether FBC ash can be used to increase the strength of feedlot soil when applied at a level of quality control attainable by using ordinary agricultural tillage equipment; (2) to compare feedlot soil stabilized with FBC ash to non-stabilized feedlot soil in both laboratory and field tests; and (3) to develop a low-cost alternative to paving a feedlot with concrete. Field results from a feedlot treated with FBC ash show that soil strength was improved 200% to 300% when compared with an adjacent untreated feedlot.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.