Abstract
Sapropel deposits are widely distributed
around the globe. In the Americas area they are adjacent
to the Great Lakes region, in Europe sapropel deposits can
be spotted in the territory of Scandinavia, France,
Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and in the
northern regions of Ukraine.
Use of sapropel as a fertilizer can enhance high and
stable yields of crops. However, despite the proven
effectiveness of long-term practical researches in this
area, nowadays sapropel is almost not used. One of the
reasons - lack of developed processing methods of
extraction and processing, including dehydration.
Material properties as an object of interaction with
the working bodies, change of their settings in the
processing are crucial in the choice of technologies,
development, bringing up to the necessary parameters and
subsequent use.
Sapropel high humidity (95-98%) is one of the main
factor that determines the quality of its properties after the
interaction with working bodies. However, in the process
of decreasing, in interaction with oxygen, there are
significant changes in physical and mechanical properties
of sapropel.
Decisive in the direction selection process of lake
sapropels’ use in the economic sector is their moisture
exchange and thermodynamic parameters. The
complexity of setting the water apart, if freshly extracted
sapropels possess only 15-20% of it, shows their strong
water-retaining capacity. The above mentioned
phenomenon proves the need for their use as an organic
fertilizer during the crops growing, as superficial loss of
moisture in the soil creates a new global problem.
On the basis of deep analysis of the sapropels’
properties, the authors suggest three areas of freshly
extracted lake sapropel application in mixtures with leafy
part of the crops: in biogas production with its further use
as an organic fertilizer; making a compost mixture of
organic origin which physical and mechanical properties
are approximate as that of the soil; alternative solid fuels
in the form of briquettes.
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Authors and Affiliations
Justyna Lalak-Kańczugowska