Effect of using ash from waste incineration plants for bio-fertilizer production

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of using incinerator ash from the waste to energy plant in Luang Prabang Province as a raw material in the production of Bio-fertilizer, and to analyze the chemical composition of the fertilizer at varying ash incorporation ratios, ranging from 0-30%. Each Bio-fertilizer formulation consisted of: cow manure, rice husk charcoal, sawdust, and effective microorganism (EM) extract. The experiment employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 8 treatments and 3 replications. The Bio-fertilizer production method involved mixing the raw materials according to the designated ratios, followed by a total fermentation period of 45 days under plastic sheeting. After fermentation, the fertilizers were analyzed for chemical components that serve as plant nutrients, namely: pH, Organic Matter (OM), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P2O5), and Potassium (K2O). The chemical analysis results showed that the treatments incorporating incinerator ash resulted in statistically significant differences in the chemical composition of the plant nutrients, at a level of p<0.05. Specifically, Treatment T3 performed best among the experimental groups, leading to an increase in Organic Matter (OM) from 3.50 to 4.37%. This level is significantly high when compared to the established standard for fertilizer (≥3%). Additionally, it resulted in a 0.5 time increase in P2O5 compared to the formulation without ash. Furthermore, increasing the amount of ash led to a sequential increase in the K2O value, indicating that ash significantly influences the K2O content, particularly in Treatment T8.