WO2007135482A2

WO2007135482A2 - Substitute for the natural soil

Info

Publication number: WO2007135482A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/004069
Authority: WO
Inventors: Svetlana Popcetovic
Original assignee: Svetlana Popcetovic
Priority date: 2005-12-23
Filing date: 2006-12-22
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Also published as: WO2007135482A3

Abstract

Substitute soil is intended for the cultivation and re-cultivation of natural areas and areas degraded by humans. The new soil substitute is made of ground marl, low calorie coal, humified sawdust and quarry debris. Fertility of the substitute is defined by the needs of various plants intended for cultivation.

Description

Substitute for the Natural Soil

a) Area which this invention addresses to

Agriculture and forestry.

b) Technical problems

Cultivating and re-cultivating an area that lacks the natural fertile soil by using the debris.

c) Prior art

According to a definition by for me an unknown author, the fertile soil is "...A specific creation made (during a long period of time) of shaped, settled and thick lax mass on the Earth's surface, exposed to the physical, chemical and biochemical processes. And it differs from the lax mass formed by the rock decomposition in a way that it is fertile (i.e. it is capable of providing plants with nourishment, water and the air).

Depending on the type of the stem rock, climate, and phytocoenosis, it takes 100 to 1,000 years for lcm of fertile soil to be made. Since the agricultural methods need a layer at least 50cm deep, it would take approximately 5,000 to 50,000 years for the degraded area to be re-activated in a natural way. Until now, the cultivation of a terrain meant "borrowing" a fertile soil which would actually cause a double damage. Depending on a depth of the "borrowed" layer, there would be no or very thin layer of fertile soil left which had to be re-cultivated. The terrain intended to be cultivated would have a layer whose physical and chemical characteristics were changed due to the transportation, so the terrain needed to be re-cultivated itself.

The typical way of soil re-cultivation uses the technical, agro- technical and biological measures that need very long period of time and huge investments, with an uncertain beginning of agricultural and forestry exploitation. By using the above mentioned measures, there is only one type of soil which narrows the choice about the plants intended to grow. This also means the usage of the artificial fertilizers which decreases the biological and market value of the grown crops. The fertile elements accumulate only on the surface which is only a short-term fertility.

The Pljevlja Mine documentation, based on every known re- cultivation experience, estimated that before the grass mixture was seeded there should be applied 1,000 kg/ha of NPK fertilizer on the marl dump despite the fact that the marl consisted of 40mg/100gr of available K₂O and that there were plenty of nitrogen compounds in the air of the Pljevlja basin. The solutions like this one actually pollute the soil producing the radionuclides.

Artificial fertilizers are used on the organic fertilizer dumps in order to accelerate the process of mineralization and also cause the above mention side effects. If there is no manure, dumps without organic fertilizers can be improved with peat (peat exploitation consequences are well known) or with the organic earthworm fertilizer which is not payable if used on the areas greater than a dozen hectares.

In Pljevlja, there are many huge dumps of various materials for which there is no proper economic valorisation solution. They have decreased the fertile area, changed orography, climate, and phytocoenosis of the basin, as well as threatened the life of people, animals and plants.

There is a small fraction which is carried by the wind from the marl dump which cannot be further used in cement industry. This fraction mechanically pollutes the air thus making the area more exposed to smog. The younger dumps have a very shallow layer of earth and weed vegetation. Older dumps are very steep and on south and south-west of the dumps there are willows and alders which (in theory) need a high level of underground water. The explanation of this absurdity is the fact that the marl is rich in minerals, and the plants compensate the lack of water with the very high air humidity.

Marl is disposed together with the low calorie coal which cannot be used in thermal energy production. Due to the fact that it has a high level of sulphur this coal is highly flammable so it pollutes the air. In the marl ground, the coal, very similar to peat, is rich in minerals (plants feed on mineralised matter only) and it warms the substrate with its chemical reactions and attracting the sun's heat with its dark colour. By decomposing, the sawdust produces very acidic products that are carried on by the local river thus changing the reaction of the nearby soil. It is also very flammable, just like the coal. The dump is several decades old and its lower parts have been humified and there are several types of trees growing there.

There are large quantities of sandy and dusty ground limestone in the quarry. The ground limestone wind carried and it affects our lungs. The positive aspect is the fact that the limestone accelerates the chemical reactions, so it accelerates the creation of the organic and mineral complex.

Bybliography :

Antic M., Jovic N., Avdalovic V. : Pedologija, Sumarski fakultet, Beograd, 1975.

' Geoinzenjering ' : Elaborat o kategorizaciji i proracumi rezervi u Pljevaljskom basenu sa stanjem od 01.01.1981. godine. OOUR Institut za geologiju - Ilidza, Sarajevo, 1981. godine.

Tucovic A. : Fiziologija biljaka, Sumarski fakultet, Beograd, 1992. godina.

Milin Z. : Mineralna ishrana biljaka, Sumarski fakultet, Beograd, 1985. godina.

Resulovic H. 1984. : Problemi rekultivacije i mogucnosti koriscenja rekultivisanih zemljista, ,, Zemljiste i biljka ,, Vol. 35. No. 1. , Beograd, 1986.

Antic M. , Avdalovic V. , Popcetovic R. , 1983. : Izucavanje strugotine laboratorijskim metodama i vegetacionim ogledima, kao supstrata za koriscenje u biljnoj proizvodnji, Sumarstvo L, Beograd, 1983. godine.

Convest : Organsko - mineralni gnojivo, « Humofertil » , podobnosti primjene proizvodnje i investiranja, Zagreb, 1981. godine.

Bogdanovic M. , Stojanovic S. , Tancic N., Martinovic B. : Sastav i svσjstva organske materije treseta Podhumskog zaliva Skadarskog jezera, Poljoprivredni fakultet, Zemun, 1995. godune., Zemljiste i biljka, Vol. 44., No. 3. , Beograd, 1995.

Projektna dokumentacija Rudnika uglja AD Pljevlja i dvadesetogodisnje pracenje samonikle vegetacije odlagalista Rudnika uglja Pljevlja i KID «Velimir Jakic» Pljevlja.

The substitute for the natural soil has become a solution to all unsolved problems of degraded terrains. It can also stop the peat exploitation as well as the "soil borrowing".

As a result of a human work, there are dumps of the above mentioned four natural materials which endanger the surrounding. On the other hand, all of them have a biogenic potential characteristic for natural highly productive soil. This biogenic potential cannot be created by the natural processes due to the fact that the dumps are far from each other.

The substitute for the natural soil, regardless the components percentage, has a dormant fertility which allows us to press it into briquettes, because the plant's root absorbs solar energy and starts the pedological processes only after the seeding or planting. d) Presenting the core of the invention

Marl, low calorie coal, humified sawdust and quarry debris are the matters that posses the bio productivity characteristic for the natural soil since it originates from them due to the long-term natural processes.

The above mentioned components are stored as waste with the projected usage value of the surface layer only. For example, there can be 30,000 ha of the 0.5m thick soil made from the dumps material. By making the sterile soil fertile we could solve both the ecological and economic problems of the town of Pljevlje.

When producing a new substrate the manufacturer could control the soil fertility according to the needs of the plants intended to be planted as well as to the climate of the area that is going to be cultivated.

Marl is a sediment rock rich in clay minerals. It has a basic chemical reaction and it decompose due to the climatic factors. There is a high level of CaCO₃ that provides the saturation of the soil's calcium ion, thus making the suitable physiological and microbiological balance. It coagulates the colloids and forms the crumb structure, i.e. it creates the suitable water, air and warmth regimen. It decreases the binding, plasticity, stickiness, swelling, shrinking and resistance during the process. It regulates the chemical reactions and the activity of the soil bacteria, useful micro flora and it prevents the growth of the pathogenic organisms. It accelerates the decomposition of the fresh organic matter, and then it keeps the process of humifϊcation at its "early stage". Marl is also rich in potassium necessary for the growth of the plant's organs, for the production, transfer and metabolism of carbohydrates, as well as for the plant's resistance.

Plant can absorb the food only in mineralised form, and the most suitable content can be found in the low calorie coal. It is rich in biogenic, nutritious elements that were a part of extinct organisms so the mineralization process is completed.

During the mineralization process, the humified sawdust gives the energy to the entire line of processes beneficial to the soil fertility. The sawdust acid neutralises the marl base. The sawdust decomposes more slowly than any other ameliorated means, so it provides much more durable fertility of the new soil. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, easily-decomposing amino acids etc. are the main energy source. Lignin, polymerized humus matters, hardly dissoluble proteins, resin and wax can bind to the mineral component providing the huge sorption capacity, and water/air regimen. Since there is no damaging ion fixation, there is no elutriation. By applying a light desorption, the plant's absorption can be improved. The organic mass possesses a great capability of binding the physiologically active water.

While crushing the compact limestone rocks, which can hardly decompose on their own, there are by-products in the form of pebbles, sand and dust. In nature, these kinds of fractions provide a good texture composition, Le. they improve the physiological characteristics. Furthermore, minced parts have a vast active surface suitable for chemical processes and normal fertility functions. Depending on the needs of transporting the substitute of the natural soil can be pressed into briquettes which would improve the work on the natural and anthropogenic deserts.

e) The detailed description of the invention

For grinding and sieving the marl, coal and sawdust must be in their natural dry state, i.e. they should be taken from terrain when there is a minimal precipitation in order to cut the expenses needed for artificial component drying. The quarry waste is a grinding by-product and it should be sieved only. One should use the 5mm sieves, which means that used material less than 5mm in diameter.

Combining the material is done by mixing.

There are pedology maps of Ex-Yugoslavia with all characteristics of the natural soils, so they are used for determining the composition of the substitute for the natural soil.

The hard faze of the natural soils with the moderate climate contains 90% of the mineral matter. Due to the incomplete mineralization of the organic matter, there is only up to 40% of the humified sawdust in the substitute. There is up to 35% of coal in the entire organic part or up to 14% of the entire hard faze of the substitute for natural soil. There is up to 70% of marl, and up to 20% of the limestone due to the weak chemical activity.

One of the examples for the substitute for the natural soil of the moderate climate consists of 60% of marl, 20% of humified sawdust, 10% of coal, and 10% of ground limestone. When the substitute is pressed into a briquette the marl percentage rises due to its natural ability to cement.

An example for the pressed substitute briquette is: 75% of marl, 5% of ground limestone, 14% of sawdust, and 6% of coal, which makes the hard faze. 20% of water is added to the hard faze and it is exposed to the 24hour pressure of 200,000 Pa. The pressed briquette is used as a base, a substitute for "B" horizon of natural soil as well as the additional food when the plants develop their root systems.

In the section Technique State there is an example of self- grown willows and alders which is an indicator of the biogenic material.

The negative socio-economic developments in our country laid aside many research works, among which this very work regarding the field research.

On the picture there are the lab results of wheat crops.

In the container on the left there are both the above mentioned examples of the substitute for the natural soil. It is obvious that the crops are much better in the mixture of 60% of marl, 20% of humified sawdust, 10% of coal and 10% of ground limestone.

In the container on the right there are soil samples from the Pljevlje fields — (from left to right) brown soil developed on the marl of the middle depth and the alluvial - diluvial soil.

The wheat on the substitute for the natural soil has sprung up and developed its root system greatly than the wheat on the Pljevlje soil which was used for growing wheat.

Due to the complexity of the pressed briquettes it is not possible to seed or plant into the very briquette. Because of this, we must cover it with the lax substitute that contains greater level of organic components. Its thickness will depend on the root of the plant.

Depending on a type of plants, pressed briquettes can be in a form of a panel (for the seeding material) and in a form of a container (for a planting material).

Claims

Patent claims

1. Substitute for natural soil consists of organic and mineral elements characteristic for natural soil, characterized by that it consists of coal-mining by-product marl, low calorie coal, partially humified sawdust, as well as the quarry debris which cannot be naturally combined into organic and mineral mixture.

2. The procedure of producing the substitute soil, characterized by that the substitute soil produced by mechanically mixing the ground marl which is put through a 5mm sieve, low calorie coal, partially humified sawdust, and the quarry debris that are all in a dry state.

3. Substitute soil briquette, characterized by that the ground marl which is put through a 5mm sieve, low calorie coal, partially humified sawdust, and the quarry debris that are in a dry state are all combined with 20% water and exposed to the 24hour pressure of 200,000 Pa.