Abstract
The product from coal-fired power plants is flue gas desulfurization (FGD) waste. FGD has been used in many industries such as wallboard and cement industries. It can be applied in agriculture to make soil higher quality. The application of this waste in agriculture is scarce. The benefit of FGD waste can change the acidic condition in soil and increase the substance for plant growing to enhance soil quality. The degradation of soil is one of the main impacts for agricultural industries. Degraded soil is the soil with a decrease in quality because of excessive land use, overuse of chemical fertilizers, deforestation and clearing the land. In Thailand, degraded soil is a crucial problem especially in the northern areas. The aim of this work is to use the FGD waste from coal-fired power plants to enhance the soil quality in Nan, Thailand and to evaluate the effects of FGD waste mixture ranging from 5-40 % by weight on soil texture, bulk density, pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Based on the results, the higher amount of FGD waste in the mixture, the better quality of soil can be obtained, specifically soil texture and pH. The soil texture can be adjusted from clay to silt loam or loam. The pH increases from 5.664 up to 6.861. The soil bulk density reduces for all ratios of mixing with FGD waste which is conducive to plant growth. This study can be used for soil improvement and enhance the agricultural yields. The potential mixing ratios of 30 % to 40 % of FGD waste are expected to investigate the effects on plant growing and soil improvement in the real field for further study.
