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Marketable Products
In addition to being cost-effective and simple to operate the Ecosolids Process, through beneficial recycling, produces two marketable products:
Eco-Solid - a sterile, organic biosolid
Eco-Liquid - a liquid ammonia fertilizer
Eco-Solid - A sterile, organic biosolid
The Eco-Solids Process produces an Enhanced (Class A/Advanced Treatment) product that is a high pH (11-12) soil-like product called Eco-Solid, which has established a proven use as a replacement for sludge used in agricultural applications. A photo of the material being processed is shown below.
Eco-Solid being processed
This product has several advantages when it is applied to land:
Providing lime, nitrogen and organic humus to low pH soils, reduces high sodium (natric) soils and micronutrient-deficient soils.
Increasing the lime content increases the cationic exchange capacity (CEC), potassium (K) losses are retarded from surface soils, thereby increasing its availability to the crop.
In solids with a high alumina content (i.e. high clay content), phosphorus (P) availability for plants is increased by neutralizing exchangeable alumina ions (Al3+) and solubilising unavailable aluminium-phosphate (Al-P) compounds, as well as promoting vigorous root exploration in a larger volume of soil.
Considerably more phosphorus is needed for plant uptake when the pH is low than when a soil is limed to an acceptable pH range.
The phosphate runoff is dramatically reduced since most of the phosphate is in the calcium phosphate form instead of the more soluble sodium phosphate form. Also, the disassociation rate of calcium phosphate is generally less than the take-up rate at which crops can absorb it, which provides a slow release of phosphorous and helps to prevent the long-term build of phosphorous in the soils.
All crops require an optimal nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) balance. For most crops, a N/P ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 is required to optimise the provision of the nutrient requirements of the crop, while minimizing the "runoff" potential of excess nitrogen and phosphorus. The Eco-Solid provides a material that is optimal for plant growth.
Besides offering Eco-Solid for agricultural applications, Eco-Solids International Ltd is developing the product as a lightweight aggregate for use in the construction industry. In addition, Eco-Solid can be used in the following industries:
Coal fired power stations to help reduce sulphur emissions;
The export market as an agricultural product, particularly to regions of high acidity;
As a sulphur scrubbing agent in coal burning power plants;
In cement manufacture as a replacement for the lime;
In steel manufacturing to add carbon and lime;
To remediate coal field waste sites, raising pH levels for landscaping and planting; and
In combination with waste coal finings to produce a high-quality, low-cost smokeless fuel for industrial and domestic markets. This option is discussed in a separate report entitled 'Eco-Coal - Fuel of the Future', which is available for download.
Further information about the uses for the treated Eco-Solid product can be found in a separate report entitled 'Uses for Treated Eco-Solid Product', which is also available for download. Additional commercial applications for these products are being explored and developed by Eco-Solids International Ltd.
Eco-Liquid - A liquid ammonia fertiliser
The liquid separated from the sludge is a relatively small volume compared to the solids, but it may be utilised as fertilised irrigation water, with ammonia levels of around 800ppm ammonium hydroxide. Where this liquid is not utilised it can be returned to the headworks of the wastewater treatment plants for treatment.
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