%0 Journal Article
%T Filter Cake and Vinasse as Fertilizers Contributing to Conservation Agriculture
%A Renato de Mello Prado
%A Gustavo Caione
%A Cid Naudi Silva Campos
%J Applied and Environmental Soil Science
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/581984
%X Utilising organic residues in agriculture contributes to the conservation of natural resources by recycling carbon and mineral elements. Organic residues produced by the sugar and alcohol agroindustries have great potential for use in conservation agriculture. The production of sugar and alcohol generates large quantities of byproducts, such as filter cake and vinasse, which can be used as soil improvers and substitutes for inorganic phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. However, the use of these residues in agriculture requires specific recommendations for each pedoclimatic condition to prevent environmental damage. 1. Introduction Recently, the high cost of fertilizers and concerns about environmental protection have been great incentives to study the recycling of the large quantities of organic residues produced as byproducts of the sugar and alcohol agroindustries in agriculture. The mechanized harvest of sugar cane, which is used widely in countries producing this crop, leaves about 6¨C24£¿t£¿ha£¿1 of residues on the soil surface [1]. The layer of residues protects the soil against erosion, inhibits weed germination, improves water retention, ameliorates physical and biological soil properties, and is a source of plant nutrients. In addition, industrial processing of sugar cane to produce sugar and alcohol also generates residues, such as filter cake and vinasse, which have a great potential for use in agriculture as soil improvers and fertilizers. Commercial uses of industrial residues strengthen the sugar and alcohol agroindustries [2]. Filter cake, a residue from the treatment of sugar cane juice by filtration, is a rich source of phosphorus and organic matter and has a large moisture content. It has been used as a complete or partial substitute for mineral fertilizers in sugar cane cultivation [3, 4], in the cultivation of other crops [5¨C10], in composting [11], in vermicomposting [12], and as a substrate in the production of seedlings [13, 14]. Vinasse is an aqueous effluent of the distillation unit in the sugar-alcohol industry and a problem to the sector due to the large quantities produced and its potential effects as an environmental pollutant. It is largely composed of water, organic matter, and mineral elements. The environmental damage caused by discarding vinasse into the soil or running waters was an incentive to studies aiming to find alternative, economic applications for this residue. Results from such studies indicate that, properly used, vinasse contributes to improvements in soil quality [15¨C25] and agricultural productivity [19,
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2013/581984/