Monopotassium Fertilizers with Glycerin Co-Products and Their Impacts on Crop Productivity and Soil Nutrient Cycling
Project Lead: Zineb Bazza
Project type: Contract
Supervisor: Dr. Sean Smukler
Project Partners: Earth Renu Energy Corp.
Research Overview
Biodiesel production has become an important industry worldwide, and while this industry has changed how we view our automotive fuel, it has also forced us to consider uses for its valuable co-products. There are a number of co-products that are produced during biodiesel processing, and instead of being seen as expensive waste, they are now being investigated for potential utilization value.
Biodiesel co-products, mainly glycerin and free fatty acids, can be used as renewable resources when mixed with monopotassium phosphate (MKP) recovered from production.
The objective of this research is to investigate the potential of bodiesel co-products, mainly glycerin, with phosphate and potassium sources. The project specifically investigates the benefits or consequences of using a biodiesel co-product, glycerin with recovered MKP, on crop production. The goal is to determine if MKP with different levels of glycerin would have the equivalent impact on crop yield as a typical commercial fertilizer, as well as to determine the impact of glycerin on the nitrogen cycle, more specifically on plant available nitrogen.