Wood Ash

The effects of wood-ash fertilisation on tree stands, soil characteristics and ground vegetation were studied on a drained pine mire in Finland (64°51′N, 26°04′E, 62 m a.s.l.). The original site type was a treeless, mesotrophic Sphagnum papillosum fen. The site was drained in 1933 and the wood-ash fertilisation experiment was started in 1947. The treatments were: (i) unfertilised, (ii) wood-ash 8 t ha−1, and (iii) wood-ash 16 t ha−1.Drainage and ash application had radical and long-lasting consequences on the biological activity on the site and the vegetation compartments studied. The understorey vegetation had been profoundly affected by the ash with almost complete transformation of the species and other life forms. Even 50 years after the ash treatment the changes in vegetation/site type and the tree stand were clearly visible. On the unfertilised plot, the biomass of ground vegetation consisted mostly of mosses and dwarf shrubs, but on the ash-treated plots it consisted mostly of herbs and grasses typical of upland forests.Ash treatment had promoted stem volume growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) substantially and for a long time. The total wood production on the ash plots during 1947–1994 was 13 and 17 times over that of the control plot. Unfertilised pine trees suffered from P and K deficiency throughout the study period. The concentrations of some plant nutrients (P, K) decreased during the past years on Ash8. No nutrient shortage afflicting the tree stand was observed on Ash16 during the study period.Ash application has also led to increased concentration of nutrients in the peat. A sizeable proportion of the mineral nutrients applied were still in the 0–20 cm peat layer. On the ash-treated plots the amount of soil nitrogen (0–20 cm) was 18 and 29 times and the amount of soil phosphorus 9 and 13 times over the amount bound by the tree stand and the ground vegetation (Ash8 and Ash16, respectively). The stock of potassium was generally small in the surface peat—only 60–90% of the amount of potassium bound in the tree stand and the ground vegetation.It was concluded that wood-ash had powerfully influenced the biological processes in surface peat. The decomposition of cellulose was significantly accelerated by both ash treatments. Ash fertilisation also increased the emissions of CO2. The intensified decomposition rate in the litter, vegetation and peat explained to a large extent the accelerated growth of the Scots pine stands studied.

In this study, Wood Ash is studied its workability and strength as partial cement replacement in conventional concrete. The strength parameters are compressive strength, split tensile strength of concrete with wood ash cement are studied. The concrete mixes are replaced with the amorphous wood ash as an admixture of cement having grain size less than 90 microns in proportions of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% by weight of cement. From the analysis of results obtained in this study, it was concluded that wood ash could be blended with cement with positive effects on strength of concrete.

This paper reports the results of experiments evaluating the use of wood ash from bread bakery as partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement in concrete. The chemical composition of the wood ash as well as the workability and compressive strength of the concrete were determined. Wood ash was used to replace 5% - 25% by weight of the cement in concrete. Concrete with no wood ash serves as the control. The mix ratio used was 1:2:4 with water to binder ratio maintained at 0.5. The Compressive strength was determined at curing ages 3, 7, 28, 56, 90 and 120 days. The results showed that wood ash from bread bakery is a Class F fly ash since the sum of (SiO2 +Al2O3 +Fe2O3) is greater than 70%. The compressive strength of wood ash concrete increases with curing period and decreases with increasing wood ash content. There was a sharp decrease in compressive strength beyond 10% wood ash substitution. It was concluded that a maximum of 10% wood ash substitution is adequate for use in str...

High Calcium Wood Ash (HCWA) and Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) are by-products from the wood biomass
and coal energy production which are produced in large quantity with combined annual production of 500
million tonnes. This poses a serious problem for disposal of the waste material especially at places where
land is scarce. The prescribed study was aimed to examine the mineralogical phases and their respective
amount present in the industrial wastes which governs the hydration mechanism towards self-sustained
solidification of the ashes when used in combination. Besides, the influence of various forming pressure and
hydrothermal treatment temperature on mechanical strength performance of HCWA-PFA cementless mortar
blocks was also examined. In the study, the mechanical strength of the HCWA-PFA cementless mortar
block produced using various forming pressure and hydrothermal treatment temperature was assessed in
terms of compressive strength and dynamic modulus. The results of the study are indicative that HCWA is
rich in calcium oxide and potassium oxide content. This enables the hybridization of HCWA with the
amorphous silica and alumina rich PFA to form a solid geopolymer binder matrix for fabrication of
cementless mortar block. Throughout the study, dimensionally and mechanically stable HCWA-PFA
geopolymer mortar blocks were successfully produced by press forming and hydrothermal treatment
method. Based on statistical analysis, the hydrothermal treatment temperature has a statistically
insignificant effect on the mechanical strength of the HCWA-PFA cementless mortar blocks. The dominant
factor which governs the mechanical strength of the HCWA-PFA cementless mortar blocks was found to be
the hydraulic forming pressure. Moreover, it was found that hybridized HCWA-PFA can be recycled as the
sole binder for fabrication of cementless concrete block which is a useful construction material.

authors/co authors : Cheah Chee Ban, Noor Shazea Ahmad Nordin, Part Wei Ken, Mahyuddin Ramli and Kwan Wai Hoe

In the present view, several buildings are constructed ranging from ordinary residential building to sky-scrap structures. Invariably in all the structures, mortar plays a vital role in construction. Generally mortar is mixture of cement, fine aggregate, water and different type of admixtures used depends upon the situation. The cost of cement is increasing progressively day to day. In consequently cost of the building is also being increased. Wood ash does not make any pollution and eco – friendly for green building construction. This material is easily get more from burning of wood in home and industries, there by the cost of material too be reduced. Therefore, it has planned to conduct experiment on mortar in which the cement is partially replaced by wood ash. SEM Analysis is also carried out in mortar mix for observing bond between cement and wood ash.

The possible use of wood ash as an adsorbent of nickel sulphate from dilute solutions and the effect of operating parameters were investigated in this study. The rate constants of adsorption were determined at different concentrations and temperatures. The applicability of the first-order reversible equation and an empirical kinetic model were tested to understand the kinetics of nickel sulphate removal at different concentrations. Pore diffusion was found as the rate-controlling step. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied to find out the adsorption parameters. The activation energy of adsorption was −11.54 kJ mol−1. The value of the enthalpy change was ΔH=−10.35 kcal mol−1.

Anthroponics is a recirculating soilless agriculture system that uses natural bacterial cycles to convert human biowaste such as urine into plant fertilizer.

A small experiment was conducted in Malmö, Sweden. The method involved building three anthroponic systems, collecting, and ageing urine samples from one healthy individual. The objective was to cultivate Cucumis sativus (cucumber) in the anthroponic systems under different dosages of wood ash to observe how it affected plant growth and the chemical composition of the water.

In the beginning of the experiment, System 1 received no amount of wood ash, System 2 received 37g of wood ash, and System 3 received 72g of wood ash. Afterwards, all systems were dosed with 165mL of aged urine every week. It was observed that wood ash supplied Systems 2 and 3 with a higher starting concentration of Potassium (150-200mg/L vs 20mg/L in System 1) and Magnesium (50mg/L vs 15mg/L in System 1), also affecting each system’s electrical conductivity level. System 1 had considerably higher Ammonia levels, indicating insufficient nitrification, possibly due to lower pH values throughout the experiment. All systems had an increase in concentration over time of Nitrate, and an increase in concentration of Phosphorus, with the exception of System 1. All systems showed very low concentrations of Iron (<0,06mg/L) considering the optimal concentration for cucumber (~3mg/L). Results from the laboratory analysis also confirmed an Iron deficiency (0,00mg/L) in the water and leaf tissue, as well as a correlation between wood ash and higher amounts of Potassium, Magnesium and Sulphur in the water and leaf tissue. Some Arsenic was found in the water above the reference level (>0,01mg/L), though no definite conclusion could be drawn from its source.

In conclusion, while the experiment was too short to observe fruit growth, System 2 produced the longest vegetative growth, as well as a bigger weight of leaves. While Iron was found lacking both in the water and as Iron deficiency signs in plant leaves, it seems the addition of wood ash has supplied sufficient Potassium and Magnesium in the cucumber plants of System 2 and 3. It is possible that a dosage amount of metal-free un-treated and safe wood ash between the amounts used for System 2 (37g) and System 3 (72g), as well as additional Iron supplementation and pH control, can provide sufficient nutrients for a healthy production of a cucumber plant in an anthroponics system.

Sharifi, M., Cheema, M., Mahoney, K., LeBlanc, L. and Fillmore, S. 2013. Evaluation of liming properties and potassium bioavailability of three Atlantic Canada wood ash sources. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 1209–1216. Wood ash has the potential to enhance productivity in agricultural systems by influencing soil pH and nutrient availability. The liming properties and fertility values of wood ash from three Atlantic wood ash sources were evaluated in this study. The liming properties were tested using three wood ash sources [JD Irving (IR), New Page (NP), and Brooklyn Power (BP)] and two local lime sources in an 8-mo incubation experiment at 25°C. Soil pH was measured 14 times during the incubation. Availability of potassium (K) in wood ash was evaluated in a greenhouse setting with a K-deficient soil using annual ryegrass as the test plant. Total plant K and P uptake and Mehlich-3 extractable K and P were used as predictors of nutrient bioavailability. Wood ash application increased soil p...

Ash generated by the combustion of solid biofuels is increasingly being returned to the fuel's place of origin (mostly forests). In this way, nutrient depletion and acidification caused by biofuel harvest is counteracted and a waste problem is solved. Concerns about the potential negative effects of ash spreading on forest biodiversity (in particular mosses) have been raised, but little is known. I studied the effects of the application of two types of ash (the most used self-hardened crushed ash including fine particles and a less reactive type, pellets without fine particles) on 28 moss species and 17 liverwort species. In two field experiments, one on transplants of ground-living species and one on wood-inhabiting species in situ, I measured the response during the first two months after ash application. Visible damage (discoloration from green to brown) was assessed for all species and the growth response was measured for 24 ground-living species. The responses to crushed ash were clearly related to the species’ pH ecology and phylogenetic position. The growth of bryophytes associated with acidic conditions (pooled data from 10 species) or considered as being indifferent to pH (4 species) was negatively affected, whereas there was no effect on the growth of bryophytes of non-acidic habitats (10 species). The connection to phylogeny was even clearer. Most taxa responded negatively, but transplants from the moss order Bryales (4 species) and the family Brachytheciaceae (2 species; order Hypnales) grew better when treated with ash. The genera with the clearest negative responses were Sphagnum mosses (5 species), Tetraphis mosses (1 species), Dicranum mosses (6 species), and Barbilophozia liverworts (2 species). The four red-listed wood-inhabiting liverworts studied were not significantly damaged. Concerning ash type, pellets caused smaller effects than crushed ash, both on the positive and negative side. The results show that responses to ash recycling of the bryophyte species included in this study are predictable from their phylogenetic position and/or pH ecology. Further studies are needed to determine the generality of these results and to sort out if phylogeny or current relationship to pH is the primary determinant of the response.

South Africa has scarce surface water and consequently groundwater is the only other means of meeting drinking water demand. It is estimated that approximately 15 million people in South Africa rely on groundwater for domestic purposes. However, groundwater often has some undesired solutes. The concentration of fluoride in drinking water is of concern because excessive fluoride can result in dental decay to users. This was the case in the majority of villagers using groundwater at Dididi village in the Thulamela Municipality in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The assessment of groundwater quality is therefore of critical importance in order to determine the fitness of water for domestic use. Groundwater samples were taken from Luwini spring in Dididi village, Limpopo Province. Sample results showed a mean fluoride concentration of 4.6 mg/l, which is significantly higher than the fluoride level of 0.75 mg/l recommended in South Africa and the 1.5 mg/l recommended by WHO for domestic water use. Defluoridation was attempted using wood ash, which is a naturally produced material following wood burning. pH adjusted and pH unadjusted experiments were undertaken to assess the effects of pH in defluoridation. The adjusted pH was 5.38, while the unadjusted pH was measured at 9.37. The experimental results showed a relative effect of adjusted pH versus unadjusted pH during fluoride removal. The wood ash treatment resulted in a significant drop in fluoride levels from 4.6 mg/l to 0.3 mg/l, which is well within acceptable standards. This shows that wood ash materials are capable of fluoride removal and further studies need to be done to assess the potential of other natural, viable and cost effective materials that can also be used in defluoridation.

An experiment was conducted under controlled environmental conditions to test whether supplementary wood ash application could improve the fertilizing effect of urine on maize (Zea mays L.) under saline conditions. The study consisted of three salinity levels (EC e) 0.6 (S0), 4.2 (S1), 9.6 (S2) dS m -1 , three nitrogen (given as urine) treatments 0 (no urine), 75 (U1) and 150 mg urine-N kg -1 soil (U2) and two wood ash treatments 0 (no wood ash) and 150 mg (WA) kg -1 soil. In total, six fertilizer treatments F0 (no urine, no wood ash), U1, U2, WA, U1+WA and U2+WA were tested at each salinity level. Maize height and SPAD-values were measured 35 days after sowing. Dry weights and shoot concentrations of K, P, Na, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu and Zn of treated plants were measured 45 days after sowing. Results showed that salinity stress significantly decreased plant height and shoot dry weight. At salinity level (S1), the combined application of wood ash and 75 mg urine-N kg -1 soil (U1) increased ...

Land application of wastes can increase the growth of crops. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of various waste products on the growth of trees. Two sites, one in northeast Alabama growing sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) and the other in west Tennessee growing cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.), were studied. At the Alabama site, 3 yr of replicated field plots were evaluated to assess the influence of scrubber gypsum, wood ash, and containerboard sludge on the growth of sycamore on a Decatur soil. Compared to the control treatment, a mulch application of scrubber gypsum at a rate of 672 Mg/ha improved the volume response of sycamore after 3 yr. There was no volume response to liming, whether agricultural lime or wood ash was used, and sycamore did not respond to nitrogen (N) in the containerboard sludge treatment. Further investigations into the use of scrubber gypsum applied at high rates as a mulch in combination with weed control appear warranted...

... Mira Liiri1, Katja Ilmarinen1,3 &amp;amp; Heikki Setälä2 1Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40351 ... ficiency of plant–mycorrhizal symbiosis (Bardgett et al., 1993; Finlay, 1985; Harris and Boerner, 1990; Klironomos and Ursic, 1998). ...

Plant growth, nutrient uptake, microbial biomass and activity were studied in pot systems containing spruce seedlings colonised with different ectomycorrhizal fungi from an ash-fertilised forest. The seedling root systems were enclosed in mesh bags inside an outer compartment containing crushed, hardened wood ash. Three different species of mycorrhizal fungi and a non-mycorrhizal control were exposed to factorial combinations of ash and N addition. Ash treatment had a highly significant, positive effect on plant growth and on shoot and root concentrations of K, Ca and P, irrespective of mycorrhizal status. Mycorrhizal inoculation had a significant effect on plant growth, which was proportionally greater in the absence of ash. N addition had a significant positive effect on plant biomass in mycorrhizal treatments with ash, but no effect in non-mycorrhizal treatments or most of the mycorrhizal treatments without ash. Piloderma sp. 1, which was earlier found to colonise wood ash granules in field studies, appeared to accumulate Ca from ash in the mycorrhizal roots. 5–6.7% of the total P in the ash was solubilised, with 0.9–1.5% in solution, 3.6–4.6% in the plants and 0.5–1.5% in microbial biomass. Bacterial activity as determined by [3H]-thymidine and [14C]-leucine incorporation was significantly greater in ash treatments than in controls with no ash addition. Principal component analysis (PCA) of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) showed a clear difference in bacterial community structure between samples collected from ash-treated pots and controls without ash.

We determined the effects of wood ash fertilization, given together with nitrogen (WAN), and nitrogen given together with P, B and Cu (SSF), on soil and foliage nutrients and fine root biomass in a 45-year-old Norway spruce stand in southern Finland. Fine roots were sampled 9 years, and the soil 10 years after ash (3 t/ha) and nitrogen (150 kg/ha) application. Fine root biomass

The paper reviews the effects of by-products: wood ash, biosolids (sewage sludge), and papermill residuals (papermill sludge) on tree growth and forest ecosystems and examines the effects of soils amended with by-products on foliar metal (e.g., Ni, Cr, Cd) and nutrient concentrations, soil chemical and physical properties, metal and nutrient leaching, runoff, and general effects on microbes, insects, flora and fauna.

... Both the choice of species and the rate of wood ash application may have important effects on soil nutrient concentrations and plantation biomass productivity, if/when the United States expands SRWC systems on a large scale to increase production of wood, fiber, or ...