Leaching pattern of phosphate glass fertilizers with different compositions under Soxhlet distillation conditions

Glass fertilizers in the phosphate systems were melted at 900-950 °C with a soaking period of 1 h. Leaching study of these glasses with a maximum time period of 300 h was conducted under Soxhlet distillation condition with distilled water. Weight loss and the leach rates of the glass fertilizer samples were calculated from BET surface area measurements. They were in the range of 6.3x10-3 to 2.3x10-3 g.m-2.h-1 at 90 °C. The effect of different modifier ions like Na+, Fe3+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and K+ in the basic phosphate networks on melting and time of melting has been found to be evident. The pH determination ranging from 4.80 up to 7.50 of the leachate solution at ambient temperature under varying time intervals showed interesting and regular variations. The leaching study of such glasses under Soxhlet condition showed Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ to be good candidates as modifier towards faster leaching. The findings have been corroborated in terms of ionic size, ionic radius, and hence the ionic potential of the modifier ions incorporated into the glass structure. The application of glass fertilizers was made on kharif paddy.

pH-Dependent Leaching Characteristics of Major and Toxic Elements from Red Mud

This study analyzes the leaching behavior of elements from red mud (bauxite residue) at pH values ranging from 2 to 13. The leaching characteristics of metals and contaminated anions in five red mud samples produced by Bayer and combined processes were analyzed using the batch leaching technique following the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Method 1313. In addition, the geochemical model of MINTEQ 3.1 was used to identify the leaching mechanisms of metals. The results showed that Ca, Mg, and Ba follow the cationic leaching pattern. Al, As, and Cr show an amphoteric leaching pattern. The leaching of Cl− is unaffected by the pH. The maximum leaching concentration of the proprietary elements occurs under extremely acidic conditions (pH = 2), except for As. The leaching concentration of F− reaches 1.4–27.0 mg/L in natural pH conditions (i.e., no acid or base addition). At the same pH level, the leaching concentrations of Pb, As, Cr, and Cu are generally higher from red mud produced by the combined process than that those of red mud from the Bayer process. The leaching concentration of these elements is not strongly related to the total elemental concentration in the red mud. Geochemical modeling analysis indicates that the leaching of metal elements, including Al, Ca, Fe, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mg, Ba, and Mn, in red mud are controlled by solubility. The leaching of these elements depended on the dissolution/precipitation of their (hydr)oxides, carbonate, or sulfate solids.

An Investigation Into the Short-Term Effects of Biochar on Nitrate Leaching From Artificial Columns of Sand

Leaching of NO3 has been shown to be a major problem in coarse-textured sandy soils. It has been suggested that biochar application to sandy soils could reduce leaching of NO3. However, how biochar could be used to provide short-term NO3 leaching reduction in sandy soils has received little research attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if and how biochar could be used to reduce NO3 leaching from artificial columns of sand (sandy soil). To achieve this, a simple assay was developed in a controlled temperature room to assess the short-term impacts of biochar on NO3 leaching from a column containing sand. The capacity to pick-up variations in NO3 leaching pattern from the sand columns based on the concentrations of the NO3 solutions used to perfuse the sand columns, as well as, the rate at which these solutions were perfused through the sand columns using this approach was initially established. A pulse chase experiment showed that the NO3 was very mobile, and once the supply was removed, the column of sand rapidly lost the NO3. The exception appears to the inclusion of biochar where this process is slowed down, but eventually the sand column lost all the NO3. When oak biochar produced through high temperature pyrolysis (500-600 oC) by a commercial producer (Humko, d.o.o., Bled Sheenjek, Slovenija) was applied to the sand columns at a rate of 10% (w/w), the pattern of NO3 leaching was modified. Biochar appeared to delay NO3 leaching from the sand. The extent of this delay, and how it may influence NO3 availability in the soil for plant uptake requires further research.

Controlled-release Fertilizer Placement Affects the Leaching Pattern of Nutrients from Nursery Containers during Irrigation

Maximizing nutrient use efficiency while minimizing nutrient leaching and non-point source contributions from containerized crop production systems are goals of researchers and growers. These goals have led to irrigation and crop nutrition management practices that reduce fertilizer and irrigation expenditures and reduce the nutrient load into the environment. However, one area that has received little attention, and may lead to the further refinement of crop management practices, is how dissolved nutrients (solutes) move through a substrate while water is being applied during irrigation. A study was conducted to characterize the effect of a controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) placement method on changes in leachate nutrient concentration throughout an irrigation event and to evaluate these changes at different times throughout a production season. A pine bark:sand (9:1, by volume) substrate was placed in 2.7-L nursery containers (fallow) and was treated with topdressed, incorporated, and dibbled CRF or did not receive CRF. The nutrient leaching pattern was evaluated at 3, 9, and 15 weeks after potting (WAP). Leachate nutrient concentration was the highest in the first 50 mL of effluent and steadily diminished as irrigation continued for the topdressed, incorporated, and the no CRF treatments. Effluent nutrient concentration from containers with dibbled CRF generally increased throughout the first 150 mL of effluent, plateaued briefly, and then diminished. The nutrient load that leached with higher volumes of irrigation water was similar between incorporated and dibbled CRF placements. However, the unique nutrient leaching pattern observed with the dibbled CRF placement method allowed for a lower effluent nutrient load when leaching fractions are low. Dibble may be an advantageous CRF placement method that allows for the conservation of expensive fertilizer resources and mitigates non-point source nutrient contributions by reducing undesired nutrient leaching during irrigation.

Comparative Evaluation of Nitrogen Release Patterns from Controlled-release Fertilizers by Nitrogen Leaching Analysis

Seven nursery grade (8-9 month duration), polymer-coated, controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) were topdressed or incorporated into a 2 peat: 1 vermiculite: 1 sand (by volume) medium to yield the same amount of N per container. The pots (0.5 L) were uniformly irrigated with DI water every week to produce a target leaching fraction of 25%. Leachate N contents (ammonium plus nitrate), employed as indicators of N release, allowed for comparison of CRF performance as a function of temperature changes over a season. Two distinct N leaching (i.e., release) patterns were observed over the 180-day experimental period. The fertilizers Osmocote 18-6-12FS (Fast Start: OSM-FS), Prokote Plus 20-3-10 (PROK), Osmocote 24-4-8HN (High N: OSM-HN) and Polyon 25-4-12 (POLY) exhibited a N leaching pattern that closely followed changes in average daily ambient temperatures (Tavg) over the season. This relationship was curvilinear, with N leaching rates per pot (NLR) being highly responsive to Tavg changes between 20 and 25 °C. Temperatures above 25 °C produced an average maximum NLR of 1.27 mg·d-1 for these fertilizers. OSM-FS, PROK, and OSM-HN had the highest cumulative N losses over the experimental period. In contrast, the CRF group formed by Nutricote 18-6-8 (270: NUTR), Woodace 20-4-12 (WDC), and Osmocote 18-6-12 (OSM) showed a more stable N leaching pattern over a wider range of temperatures, with rates about 30% to 40% lower than those in the temperature-responsive CRF, and averaging a maximum NLR of 0.79 mg·d-1 for Tavg >25 °C. NUTR and WDC had the lowest cumulative N losses over the season. Soluble salt readings paralleled N leaching for each CRF, indicating similar leaching patterns for other nutrients. Incorporation produced significantly higher cumulative N losses than topdressing, but without effect on the actual N leaching pattern over the season. Regardless of the N formulation in the CRF, over 85% of the N recovered in the leachates was in the nitrate form.