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Anyone involved in composting is well aware of the
problem of soil exhaustion and how difficult it is to
treat it with lignocellulosic compost because of its
variable and difficult to control quality.
To overcome this problem, a team of Spanish researchers
has come up with a novel idea.
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The solution involves the extracting of humic substances
from plants in order to enrich soil without having to use
artificial humus, while simultaneously recycling certain little-used
types of biomass.
Once the lignocellulose elements have been composted, the
humic part is extracted in liquid form at high temperature
with extreme pH values. After that, liquid and solid phases
are separated.
The final product is extremely concentrated - thus reducing
transport costs to a minimum.
It is still necessary to constantly monitor and analyse the
quantity of humus, in order to classify the final product
for marketing.
Various research studies have been carried out on the subject
of extracting humic substances directly from wood and other
vegetable waste (such as pumpkins, old vegetables and garden
waste), in order to control the possible phyto-toxicity of
the final product, its effects on vegetable production and
its influence on some micro-organisms which act as indicators
of soil fertility.
While the research is not yet complete, results obtained
so far are very encouraging.
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