Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Sugar Tech, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Biomass power plants utilizing poultry litter as fuel generate large quantities of ash residues, including boiler ash (BA), fly ash (FA), and wet ash (WA), which represent an underutilized source of plant nutrients, particularly potassium (K). This study aimed to characterize these ash materials and their water-soluble fractions and to evaluate the agronomic effectiveness of K fertilizers recovered via simple water extraction in sugar beet cultivation. Boiler ash, FA, and WA obtained from a poultry litter-fired biomass power plant were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) before and after water extraction. The water-soluble fractions were dried and formulated as ash-derived K fertilizers, designated BA-K (27.6%K2O), FA-K (21.4%K2O), and WA-K (25.2% K2O). A pot experiment was conducted in which these fertilizers were compared with conventional K2SO4 and a non-K control. XRD results indicated distinct mineralogical transformations following water extraction, with sharper diffraction peaks in the leachates, suggesting enrichment of water-soluble K phases. All ash-derived fertilizers significantly increased aboveground biomass and tissue K concentration compared with the control, indicating enhanced K accumulation in plant tissues, while FA-K produced the highest storage root dry weight. Ash-based fertilizers also improved Ca and Mg nutrition relative to K2SO4. Although sugar content decreased under K fertilization, total sugar yield was highest with FA-K and WA-K. Moreover, post-harvest soil plant-available K was higher in all K-treated soils, demonstrating that a portion of the applied K remained in the soil as residual K rather than being fully taken up by plants. Ash-derived K fertilizers showed strong potential as sustainable alternatives to conventional K fertilizers within a circular nutrient management framework.