Detecting Organic Materials in Fly Ash using Chromatographic Method

Fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants, is entirely inorganic and inert, making it unfit for life. In Korba, fly ash is deposited in dykes, which are open embankments. The quest for organic compounds was critical because the humus formation is a revolution in fly ash, and just it will be capable of supporting life forms. This was conducted in the dykes to verify the organic materials source in fly ash, namely, whether they are originated from coal, furnace start-up oil, or animals and plants that grew in the area. Thin layer chromatography and ascending paper chromatography in a liquid medium were used as the method.

Methods for restoring fertility and improving physical and mechanical properties of soils

Insufficient intake of organic matter into the soil, non-compliance with crop rotations result in the soil degradation. Only due to the use of mineral nutrition, it is impossible to maintain a high level of soil fertility. To compensate for the lack of humus, the most optimal is the use of green fertilizers. The costs of producing and applying cover crops are significantly less than the costs of using organic fertilizers. In terms of peasant farms conditions in the Tambov region, two types of crop rotations with the introduction of sideral crops are recommended. It is important to carry out grinding and embedding of sideral crops specifically so that it can provide optimal parameters for the decomposition of organic mass and promote humus formation. Currently, four processing techniques are used for harvesting and embedding sideral crops. The recommended scheme involves mowing and step-by-step grinding of the grass stand with a mower-shredder located in front of the tractor, followed by embedding in the soil with a disc harrow. The analysis shows that small producers segment has no affordable machines for high-quality grinding of sideral crops with low specific energy consumption. To ensure stems cutting with minimal specific energy consumption, a mower has been developed, which, due to the trough-shaped type of its body, forms plants tilted forward in a mass and then, they fall into the grinding zone with the angle of inclination of the stems in this mass close to the angle of body inclination. In the grinding zone, the plant stems are exposed to knives rotating in plane surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal surface of the mower body. As a result of operational tests of the mower-shredder of sideral crops and crop residues, it was found that technological process of plants grinding is carried out steadily and with a quality that meets agrotechnological requirements.

Organic matter of soils and technogenic surface formations of residential areas of the city of Perm

On the territory of the left-bank part of Perm, the urban pedocomplexes (UPC) were distinguished as a combination of soil and technogenic surface formations on the same soil-forming rocks within a certain functional zone. Within the UPC, formed on eluvial-deluvial loams and clays in the zone of multi-storey buildings, the surface horizons of soils and TSF (technogenic surface formations) were studied. A change in the zonal trend of humus formation in reclaimed soils was observed as an increase in the content of organic matter, as well as in a change in the type of humus to the humate side. The conservation of zonal features of humus formation in non-purposefully recultivated urban soils and TSF was noted. It manifests in a low or medium content of organic carbon, the formation of a humate-fulvate type of humus. Keywords: URBAN ECOLOGY, URBAN SOILS, URBAN PEDOCOMPLEX, HUMUS, HUMUS TYPE, SOIL PROPERTIES

Biological activity and humus state of soils in the near-adjacent part of the Selenga River

Peculiarities of humus formation and manifestation of biological activity of soils are revealed. The objects of research are grey forest nonpodzolized, alluvial meadow soils as arable land, meadow-marsh soils as hayfield. Humus condition of the studied soils is in satisfactory condition within each soil type. The current state of the humus fund of old-arable grey forest soils is characterized by low humus content and unsatisfactory composition, which is caused by the absence of fertility change. The productivity of meadow-marsh soils is high and considerably exceeds grey forest and alluvial meadow soils. The information obtained on biological activity, can be used in agricultural practice to assess soil productivity, as well as in environmental monitoring.

INDICATORS OF CHEMODESTRUCTIVE FRACTIONATION OF ORGANIC MATTER SOILS OF NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC-TRANSFORMED LANDSCAPES OF THE SOUTH OF PRIMORYE

The differences in the qualitative composition of organic matter in the soils of natural and anthropogenically transformed landscapes in the south of Primorye were established by the method of chemodestructive fractionation (CDF). The lowest indices of the easily oxidizable part (EOP) in the organic matter are typical for soils of technogenic landscapes (embryozems) with very low humus content due to low reserves of aboveground phytomass and the supply of fresh organic matter of plant origin. Embryozems are characterized by a low supply of humus with nitrogen. Higher EOP values are characteristic of soils of natural landscapes (burozems) with average humus content. In burozems, oxidative and eluvial processes are balanced by humus formation. In the soils of agrogenic landscapes (agro-dark-humus podbeles, agro-dark-humus gley soils) with low humus content, the proportion of EOP decreased and, at the same time, the proportion of the hardly oxidized part in the composition of soil organic matter increased. Some increase in EOP was recorded in agro-dark-humus gley soils with rump crops, which is associated with the intensification of the transformation processes of organic matter and the transition of organic matter from the difficult-to-oxidize to the easily oxidized part. Based on the data obtained on the qualitative composition of organic matter, the CDF method implies that in the soils of natural landscapes (burozems), the proportion of EOP exceeded that in comparison with soils of agrogenic (agro-dark-humus podbely, agro-dark-humus gley) and technogenic landscapes (em-briozems). This indicates differences in the conditions of soil formation and the ongoing oxidative and humus-forming processes.

REGULARITIES OF THE MICROELEMENT COMPOSITION FORMATION OF SOILS UNDER THE MOUNTAIN-MEADOW VEGETATION OF THE GREATER CAUCASUS

Report. The purpose of the work is to identify the features of the formation of the microelement composition of soils under the mountain meadow vegetation of the Greater Caucasus based on the analysis of literary materials and the results of our own field research. Methods. The study of the microelement composition of soils under subalpine and alpine vegetation was carried out on the territory of the Teberdinsky State Biosphere Reserve. Traditional methods of soil-geochemical studies were used with the laying of soil sections, the selection of soil samples and their analysis for the content of four trace elements (Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd). Determination of trace elements was carried out by voltammetric and atomic absorption methods. The humus content was determined by the Tyurin method with wet salting, the pH of the water extract was determined potentiometrically. Statistical processing of the obtained data was performed in the Statistica 10 program. The microelement composition of soil-forming rocks was compared with the clarks of chemical elements in the upper part of the continental crust; the microelement composition of mountain-meadow soils was compared with the clarks of the soils of the world. The radial distribution of trace elements in the soil profile was analyzed. The qualitative trace element composition of soils was characterized as a sequence of decreasing the content of trace elements in the humus horizon. Results. It is established that the microelement composition of soils under the mountain-meadow vegetation of the Western Caucasus is formed under specific conditions that affect the course of soil processes. High solar insolation, low temperatures, intensive humidification throughout the year affects the features of the processes of humification, the formation of clay minerals in the soil and other products of intra-soil weathering. The predominance of acid hydrolysis processes leads to the predominant accumulation of aluminosilicates, Fe hydroxides, chelated organomineral complexes in the soil profile, which play a leading role in the binding of trace elements. The microelement composition of mountain-meadow soils under subalpine vegetation is formed with more intensive processes of humus formation and oglinivaniya. These soils are characterized by a more pronounced biogenic accumulation of Cu and Zn in the humus horizon, the illuvial nature of the Cd distribution is more pronounced. The microelement composicomposition of mountain-meadow soils under alpine and rock-scree vegetation is formed against the background of relatively weakened processes of humus formation, humus accumulation and oglinivaniya. This affects the lower intensity of biogenic accumulation of trace elements, their leaching into the lower part of the profile. Conclusions. The main regularities of the formation of the microelement composition of mountain-meadow soils are determined by the special conditions in which these soils develop. The fixation of trace elements in mountain-meadow soils occurs mainly on aluminosilicates, Fe, Mn hydroxides and chelated organomineral complexes, which largely form the silty fraction. The movement of silty particles along the soil profile leads to the redistribution of trace elements associated with them. The granulometric composition, which is an indicator of the content of the silty fraction and its distribution along the soil profile, is of great importance when characterizing the microelement composition of mountain meadow soils. The established regularities of the formation of the microelement composition of mountain-meadow soils allow us to determine the main directions of economic activity that will contribute to the preservation of their ecological state. This is, first of all, the rational use of pasture resources of mountain meadows with the introduction of a system of alternating mowing, changing the main pastures with spare ones during the year for their restoration. An important component should be monitoring changes in the trace element composition of mountain meadow soils, which will allow timely response to changes and make adjustments to the structure of the use of these soils.

On the Study of the Humus State of Meadow Brown Soils

The studies carried out and the results obtained on the humus state of meadow brown soils are fully consistent with the literature. The change in the humus content in the soils of the meadow soil formation process depends on the effect of surface and ground moisture on humus formation. Studies have revealed that the humus content in meadow brown soils decreases gradually and relatively evenly with depth. For meadow soils with a meadow process of soil formation, there is a general tendency for a decrease in humus from the upper horizons to the lower ones.

Soil compaction as a factor of soil fertility model correction

In this work we prove that high soil density and the dynamic tension fields cause change in the parameters of other physical fields, affecting soil. Higher soil density lowers MAC for mobile forms of toxic compounds in soils and increases optimums for mobile forms of nutrient elements. Local soil density changes the direction of migrational flows within the soil, it increases energy expenses needed for humus formation and plant development. Topsoil layers press on the underlying layers, which must be accounted for upon forecasting of the dynamics of soil formation processes. The data shows that in the sod-podzolic soils with density of 1.1 and 1.3 gcm-3 the porosity was 53.7 and 47.1%. With low soil density, the amount of mobile zinc and lead was 6.5±1.4 and 8.5±0.9 mgkg-1 under lawns and 25.6±2.5 and 14.6±1.6 mgkg-1 under residential areas. The increasing soil density led to higher energy demand by plants for NPK consumption and root development. Keywords: SOIL DENSITY, DYNAMIC TENSION FIELDS, MAC, SOIL FERTILITY MODELLING