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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #137352
Title: SEQUESTERING MANURE N WITH SYNTHETIC ZEOLITES

Author
item Stout, William
item GRTUZEK, M. - PENN STATE UNIV
item GOLDEN, D. - ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH U
item Saporito, Louis - Lou

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2002
Publication Date: 11/10/2002
Citation: Stout, W.L., Grtuzek, M.W., Golden, D., Saporito, L.S. 2002. Sequestering manure N with synthetic zeolites [abstract]. Agronomy Abstracts. Paper No. 2335.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Natural zeolites have a long and successful history of agricultural use in Japan and more recently in the U.S. However the price (often > $US500 Mg -1) limits their use in agriculture. Zeolites can be synthesized from fly ash by reaction with sodium hydroxide solutions and low temperature. The projected costs of synthetic zeolites is about $US50 Mg-1. Such zeolites are able to adsorb liquids and gasses, and take part in cation exchange. Thus, they have the potential to sequester manure N. The objectives were to determine: 1) the ability of zeolites synthesized from Class F fly ashes to adsorb NH3 from dairy and swine manure, and 2) the plant availability of ammonia absorbed by zeolites. Zeolites were synthesized by boiling class F and class C fly ashes in near stoichiometric amounts of NaOH. Class F ashes tended to produce Na-P1 zeolite and Class C ashes tended to produce mixtures of tobermorite and hydroxysodalite. The Class F samples containing Na-P1 outperformed the Class C ash samples containing hydroxysodalite and tobermorite in absorbing NH3 from manures. Acid neutralized zeolite samples tended to encapsulate more ammonia than counterparts that were simply rinsed and dried. Plant uptake data will also be presented.