EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL ACTIVATED PHONOLITE ROCK AS AN ALTERNATIVE POTASSIUM FERTILIZER

What is it about?

Alternative sources of inorganic fertilizer are being studied mainly in relation to potassium. The reactivity of rocks and therefore the K+ availability can be changed by modifications in the mineral structure. Stonemeal is an alternative agricultural practice that helps to rehabilitate poor soils and renew the fertilization of farm areas through the incorporation of ground rocks into the soil. In this context, the objective of this work is to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of the phonolite rock, from the Poços de Caldas Plateau, MG, according to the parameters for evaluation of potassium fertilizers. The phonolite rock has about 9% of K2O, in addition to other nutrients that are also required by plants, such as Mn, Ca, and Fe. The main minerals that make up the rock, identified by XRD, are microcline and orthoclase, confirming that its main mineralogy is formed by potassium feldspar minerals. All the samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM/EDS, and K+ availability was investigated in 0.01 mol L−1 citric acid solution. It was concluded that the phonolite activated by dry mechanical activation for 60 min increased K-released content compared with the wet process and ratified the possibility of the activated phonolite rock as a slow-release fertilizer.

Featured Image

Photo by Ries Bosch on Unsplash

Photo by Ries Bosch on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The results indicate that MECHANICAL ACTIVATED PHONOLITE ROCK potential for application in agriculture as an alternative POTASSIUM FERTILIZER.