Assessment of Organic and Natural Magnesium Mineral Fertilizers Granulation and Determination of Produced Pellet Properties

Abstract

Research was carried out in Aleksandras Stulginskis University with the natural magnesium mineral fertilizer – magnesium silicate Serpentine rocks, which were grounded and granulated with impact granulation technology, organic cattle manure compost fertilizer, which was granulated by the granulator with a horizontal granulator matrix (diameter of pellets 6 mm), and the mixture of Serpentine and manure pellets (mixture ratio 1:1, diameter of pellets 6 mm). There were investigated and estimated the biometric and physical-mechanical properties of produced fertilizer granules – pellet granulometric composition and biometric indicators, moisture content, density and pellet strength (resistance to impact forces). Research results showed that pellet moisture content was sufficient low and varied from 4.7 % to 14.7 %, and produced pellet density was so big and reached more than 1000 kg m-3 DM (dry matter). Results on resistance to deformation of investigated mineral magnesium and organic fertilizers indicate that the highest resistance is the granules made of Serpentine and manure pellets mixture, they decompose to 550.5 N force, granules of manure pellets (without Serpentine) disintegrate to about two times smaller force – 271.4 N. The research results show that fertilizer granules made of organic manure and mixture with magnesium silicate Serpentine are of high quality, these granules are sufficient resistant to compression on a static force, these granules are convenient for storage, transportation and mechanical spreading in the field.