Liquid fertilizer production by alkaline hydrolysis of carcasses and the evaluation of developed fertilizer in hot pepper cultivation

Abstract

Alkaline hydrolysis was used to develop a liquid fertilizer which was then applied to hot pepper plants in field in order to assess its potential to be used as a fertilizer. The treatments were control (Cn), developed liquid fertilizer (DLF), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), and DLF + NPK treatments. The chemical properties of the final DLF product were a pH of 10.2, TN of 2.26%, and K of 6.12%, respectively. The length and weight of the plant in hot pepper cultivation were higher in the order of DLF+ NPK> NPK> DLF >Cn treatment. The fresh weight of hot pepper under DLF + NPK treatment increased by 312% compared to control. Although the DLF showed a significant increase in fruit length and fruit fresh weight in the hot pepper cultivation compared to the control, the effect of DLF treatment on plant growth was limited due to the unbalanced N-to-P ratios in the DLF. In the potting experiment, the DLF could potentially be used as a supplement to inorganic fertilizer, demonstrating that alkaline hydrolysis is a promising technique for recycling bio-hazardous materials such as infected animal carcasses into value-added liquid fertilizer. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.