Adsorption and utilization of available nutrients from river water using coconut coir-charcoal briquettes
2003
Billena, T.R.M.
Agricultural practices like the application of fertilizers release excess nutrients which find their way into ponds, streams, rivers, and large bodies of water. On the other hand, by products from industrial processes pose environmental problem of disposal. This study was done to recycle excess nutrients by absorption on agricultural by products. Coconut coir dust (CCD) and Charcoal dust (CD) and their combinations were prepared as briquettes and analyzed in order to determine their ability to absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from river water. The combinations were as follows: Pure CCD (T1), 25% CD:75% CCD (T2), 50% CD:50% CCD (T3) and 75% CD:25% CCD (T4). The briquettes immersed in river water showed a slight increase in the nitrogen and phosphorus content (9.00% and 6.38% increase respectively) but not statistically significant. On the other hand, potassium was observed to be leaching out. The amount of leached potassium in pure CCD was higher than the other combinations. The combinations immersed in IAS [Institute of Animal Science, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna, Philippines] lagoon water had significant increased in the nitrogen and phosphorus content. This was due to the relatively higher nitrogen and phosphorus content of lagoon water (124.10 mg/L and 44.49 mg/L) compared to that of the river water (1.50 mg/L and 0.34 mg/L respectively). However, the different combinations had equal capacity to absorb nitrogen: Phosphorus absorption showed that 75% CD:25% CCD had the highest amount adsorbed (54.58%-83.70%) followed by 50% CD:50% CCD (28.76%-10.72%) the same pattern of potassium adsorption was observed. The amount of nitrogen and potassium adsorbed by the combinations were affected by the concentration of nutrients in the water. Furthermore, the different combinations of CD and CCD had the same capacity to adsorb nitrogen. Phosphorus adsorption is directly correlated with the amount of charcoal dust present in the combination. Utilizing the adsorb nutrients from the different combinations in growing mungbean resulted to comparable plant growth of mungbean planted in garden soil. Plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, root length and dry weight, root to shoot ratio, total leaf surface area and average number of leaves were observed for 20 days. The different briquettes, which were soaked in river and lagoon waters, were evaluated as a growing medium for mungbean. The growth parameters evaluated did not show significant differences with the ordinary garden soil
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