Application of Organic Amendments to Cadmium-contaminated Soils for Phytostabilization Potential by Dicotyledonous Bioenergy Crops

Acacia (Acacia mangium), jatropha (Jatropha curcas), and cassava (Manihot esculenta) were cultivated in a greenhouse to see how organic amendments affected plant survival and accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in plant tissues. The study plants are bioenergy crops, which are advantageous to phytomanagement because they provide a significant economic benefit to local residents and farmers in the agricultural sector while also simultaneously reducing Cd entry into food webs through consumption. In this study, bone meal/bat manure and leonardite/bat manure were the key organic amendments that promoted the best growth performances in acacia (growth rate in dry biomass; GRDB 24.2) and cassava (GRDB 22.2), respectively, while jatropha preferred bone meal (GRDB 17.2). However, leonardite/bone meal considerably reduced Cd uptake values in whole plant tissues of acacia and cassava (35 mg plant-1 and 119.1 mg plant-1, respectively), while bone meal/chicken manure greatly reduced Cd uptake values in jatropha (127.8 mg plant-1). Cassava is a Cd excluder; however, it may not be a useful bioenergy crop to cultivate in Cd soil because it displayed toxicity symptoms after harvesting. The best plant for phytomanagement in this study was jatropha, which demonstrated substantial growth biomass and Cd accumulation, followed by acacia.

INVESTIGATION OF THE EVAPORATION AND CRYSTALLIZATION OF A SESSILE DROP OF AMMONIUM SULFATE SOLUTION ON A SMOOTH HEATED SURFACE.

Creation of new composite granular fertilizers with layered structure, which are formed due to the layered mechanism of granulation in the granulator of the fluidized bed is an urgent task. The process of forming these granules is achieved due to the layered granulation mechanism, the basis of which is the formation of a layer of solids on the surface of the granules by mass crystallization. In the production of granular fertilizers based on ammonium sulfate with the addition of organic and inorganic impurities an important place is occupied by the processes of evaporation and mass crystallization, which determine the morphological properties of the obtained granular material. During the experimental study of the evaporation process, it was found that the process consists of three main evaporation periods: the heating period from the initial temperature to equilibrium, the period of equilibrium evaporation and the decreasing drying rate period with crust formation, during which a solid crystal structure is formed. The beginning of each period according to the example of drying droplets in a gas stream during spray drying is described by the nature of the change in droplet temperature. This paper presents the obtained thermograms of the process of evaporation of droplets with a diameter of 3–7 mm 40%, 50% and 60% aqueous solutions of ammonium sulfate with the addition of a mixture of bone meal. The evaporation of 40%, 50% and 60% solutions of ammonium sulfate with the addition of a mixture of bone meal, with a given ratio of AS: BM on a dry residue of 60:40 and 80:20 on a surface temperature of 95°C in the second evaporation period crystalline nuclei appear, and the concentration of solute is close to saturated and almost unchanged, so that the evaporation rate and temperature of the drop, as can be seen from the thermogram, remain constant temperature for all solutions of ammonium sulfate. Increasing the content of bone meal from 8 to 24% to shift the wet thermometer in the kinetics of the evaporation process. The paper also presents the results of morphological analysis of the obtained solid crystallized drops of ammonium sulfate with impurities of bone meal. It was found that the solid crystallized drop of ammonium sulfate with bone meal consists of a framework of microcrystals of ammonium sulfate, with a reduced size of 10 to 80 μm, bone meal in the form of inclusions is placed in the frame, the particle size of bone meal varies up to 100 μm, indicating that the solution is a suspension.

Evaluating the Effects of Milling Speed and Screen Size on Power Consumed During Milling Operation

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of rotor speed and screen size on power consumed during milling operation. The milling system was tested using three fish feed ingredients; bone meal, groundnut cake and maize. The moisture contents of the ingredients bought from the market are 13.1%, 14.7% and 17.5% dry basis, respectively. The milling machine was evaluated with the 3 kg of each feed ingredient and was replicated three times for each of the experimental parameters. The machine parameters varied during the experiment includes four screen sizes (1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm) and five rotor speeds (1500 rpm, 1800 rpm, 2100 rpm, 2400 rpm and 2700 rpm). Regression analysis was carried out on the data collated. The analysis was used to develop a model which is capable of predicting the electrical energy (kJ) consumed. There was no significant effect of screen size on the average power consumed during milling since there is no linear relationship between power consumed and screen size. However, there is a significant effect of speed on average power consumed, the power consumed increases as speed decreases therefore making milling operation at higher speed to be cost effective since it doesn’t require much power to achieve the required output. The P-Value depicts that screen size has no significant effect on the electrical energy consumed during the milling operation while speed has a significant effect on the electrical energy used at 95% confidence level.

Dual Inoculation With Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Phosphorus Solubilizing Fungi Synergistically Enhances the Mobilization and Plant Uptake of Phosphorus From Meat and Bone Meal

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important mineral nutrient for plant growth and plays a vital role in maintaining global food security. The natural phosphorus reserves [phosphate rock (PR)] are declining at an unprecedented rate, which will threaten the sustainable food supply in near future. Rendered animal byproducts such as meat and bone meal (MBM), could serve as a sustainable alternative to meet crop phosphorus demand. Even though nitrogen (N) from MBM is readily mineralized within a few days, >75% of the P in MBM is present as calcium phosphate that is sparingly available to plants. Thus, application of MBM with the aim of meeting crop N demand could result in buildup of P reserves in soil, which necessitates the need to improve the P mobilization from MBM to achieve higher plant P use efficiency. Here, we tested the potential of two microbial inoculum-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and P solubilizing fungi (Penicillium bilaiae), in improving the mobilization of P from MBM and the subsequent P uptake by maize (Zea mays). Compared to the non-inoculated MBM control, the application of P. bilaiae increased the P mobilization from MBM by more than two-fold and decreased the content of calcium bound P in the soil by 26%. However, despite this mobilization, P. bilaiae did not increase the tissue content of P in maize. On the other hand, AMF inoculation with MBM increased the plant root, shoot biomass, and plant P uptake as compared to non-inoculated control, but did not decrease the calcium bound P fraction of the soil, indicating there was limited P mobilization. The simultaneous application of both AMF and P. bilaiae in association with MBM resulted in the highest tissue P uptake of maize with a concomitant decrease in the calcium bound P in the soil, indicating the complementary functional traits of AMF and P. bilaiae in plant P nutrition from MBM. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation with MBM also increased the plant photosynthesis rate (27%) and root phosphomonoesterase activity (40%), which signifies the AMF associated regulation of plant physiology. Collectively, our results demonstrate that P mobilization and uptake efficiency from MBM could be improved with the combined use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and P. bilaiae.

The Effect of Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) on Crop Yields, Nitrogen Content and Uptake, and Soil Mineral Nitrogen Balance

A long-term (six year) field experiment was conducted in Poland to evaluate the effect of meat and bone meal (MBM), applied without or with mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer, on crop yields, N content and uptake by plants, and soil mineral N balance. Five treatments were compared: MBM applied at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 Mg ha−1, inorganic NPK, and zero-fert check. Mineral N accounted for 100% of the total N rate (158 kg ha−1) in the NPK treatment and 50%, 25%, and 0% in MBM treatments. The yield of silage maize supplied with MBM was comparable with that of plants fertilized with NPK at 74 Mg ha−1 herbage (30% DM) over two years on average. The yields of winter wheat and winter oilseed rape were highest in the NPK treatment (8.9 Mg ha−1 grain and 3.14 Mg ha−1 seeds on average). The addition of 25% and 50% of mineral N to MBM had no influence on the yields of the tested crops. The N content of plants fertilized with MBM was satisfactory (higher than in the zero-fert treatment), and considerable differences were found between years of the study within crop species. Soil mineral N content was determined by N uptake by plants rather than the proportion of mineral N in the total N rate. Nitrogen utilization by plants was highest in the NPK treatment (58%) and in the treatment where mineral N accounted for 50% of the total N rate (48%).

Composite Scaffolds from Gelatin and Bone Meal Powder for Tissue Engineering

Bone tissue engineering offers versatile solutions to broaden clinical options for treating skeletal injuries. However, the variety of robust bone implants and substitutes remains largely uninvestigated. The advancements in hydrogel scaffolds composed of natural polymeric materials and osteoinductive microparticles have shown to be promising solutions in this field. In this study, gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels containing bone meal powder (BP) particles were investigated for their osteoinductive capacity. As natural source of the bone mineral, we expect that BP improves the scaffold’s ability to induce mineralization. We characterized the physical properties of GelMA hydrogels containing various BP concentrations (0, 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/mL). The in vitro cellular studies revealed enhanced mechanical performance and the potential to promote the differentiation of pre-osteoblast cells. The in vivo studies demonstrated both promising biocompatibility and biodegradation properties. Overall, the biological and physical properties of this biomaterial is tunable based on BP concentration in GelMA scaffolds. The findings of this study offer a new composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Rate and Timing of Meat and Bone Meal Applications Influence Growth, Yield, and Soil Water Nitrate Concentrations in Sweet Corn Production

Using local resources and minimizing environmental impacts are two important components of sustainable agriculture. Meat and bone meal (MBM), tankage, is a locally produced organic fertilizer. This study was conducted to investigate the response of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata Stuart.) and soil water nitrate (NO3-N) concentration to MBM application at two locations, Waimānalo and Poamoho, on the island of O’ahu. The objectives were to determine effects of six application rates (0, 112, 224, 336, 448 and 672 kg N ha−1) and two application timings (preplant and split application) on: (1) sweet corn growth, yield, and quality, and (2) soil water nitrate concentration within and below the root zone. The split-plot was designed as four replicates randomly arranged in a complete block. Plant growth of roots and shoots, yield, and relative leaf chlorophyll content of sweet corn increased with increasing application rates of MBM in both locations. At Poamoho, yield was 13.6% greater in preplant versus split application. Nitrate-nitrogen losses were reduced by 20% at Waimānalo and 40% at Poamoho when MBM was applied in split applications. These findings suggest that MBM is an effective nitrogen source for sweet corn and a split application of MBM may reduce the potential for pollution.