Monitoring the fate and transport of vinasse chemical components applied to different soil types

Author(s)

João Alberto Lelis Neto

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2009-02-02

Examining board members

Jarbas Honorio de Miranda; Edivaldo Casarini; Marcos Yassuo Kamogawa

• Advisor: Jarbas Honorio de Miranda

Abstract

While sugarcane has been one of the main crops in Brazilian agriculture since the time of colonization, it is now also a major source of biomass energy, serving sugarcane agribusiness and being responsible for many direct and indirect jobs in Brazil. Industrial processing of sugarcane leads to such products as sugar, alcohol (both hydrated and anhydrated), pulp and vinasse. One concern about the application of vinasse to agricultural operations relates to possible environmental impacts of vinasse. Hence, the present research had as objective to monitor of the dynamics, in different soil types, of chemical components present in vinasse, and to measure breakthrough curves (BTC´s) of vinasse from repacked columns. The research was carried out at the experimental facility of the Department of Exact Sciences, ESALQ, USP, a protected environment containing 50 boxes arranged in a random manner. The vinasse was collected at the Usina Costa Pinto COSAN site in the municipal district of Piracicaba, SP, and applied at rates of 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 m³ ha-1. The analyzed elements were nitrate and potassium, but measurements were also made of pH, electric conductivity and calcium. The BTC´s were used to provide estimates of the transport parameters of nitrate (using flow-injection analysis for the chemical analyses) and potassium (using a photometer for the chemical analyses). The measurements showed that soil nitrate concentrations varied between 3,6 to 119 mg L-1 in the sandy soil, and between 1 and 70 mg L-1 in the clay soil. Observed potassium concentrations were between 4,4 to 171,2 mg L-1 in the sandy soil (mainly at a depth of 60 cm), and between 0 and 30 mg L-1 in the clay soil. Calcium concentrations were found to similarly vary from 1,98 to 64,45 mg L-1 in the sandy soil, and between 2,6 and 86,5 mg L-1 in the clay soil. The values of pH furthermore varied between 6,4 to 7,75 for the sandy soil and between 4,8 to 7,32 for the clay soil, while the electric conductivity was between 0,3 to 2,3 dS m-1 for the sandy soil and between 0,23 to 0,75 dS m-1 for the clay soil. The vinasse BTC´s of the clay soil showed that both potassium and nitrate were displaced considerably to the right (to higher pore volumes) as compared with the sandy soil. This indicates that the potassium and nitrate ions were kept (adsorbed) much stronger by the clay relative to the sandy soil. Ion transport rates hence were found to be a function of soil type. Results suggest that the transport of ions from the vinasse is best studied over relatively long periods of time, also in field soil profiles, to better show the long-term dynamics in the subsurface (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 06/05401-0 - Monitoring the fate and transport of vinasse chemical components applied to different soil types
• Grantee: João Alberto Lelis Neto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master