Recovery of carbonized soils with a chemical catalyst: In vitro studies for developing applications

Abstract

Forest fires and burn offs generate high soil temperatures, mineralizing organic matter and trapping it in the form of charcoal. A system that can catalyze its liberation in the absence of bacteria is a technological innovation that accelerates the recovery of these soils. We evaluated the parameters of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus in ashes from wood, charcoal, and burned earth. We observe that using the TCAS-CATA catalyst in a 1% V/V solution generated a threefold increase in the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) parameters in the solutions. Using this solution on land with low fertility increased values for organic soil richness, as evaluated by NPK rising by over three times the basal rate. These data indicate that using this TCAS-CATA helps recover nutrients from carbonized material, improves soil, and aids it in recovery in less time.