Conversion of spent mushroom substrate into micronutrient fertilizer via biosorption in a pilot plant

Abstract The paper presents a pilot-plant for the biosorption and the technology of the production of micronutrient fertilizer components that are based on spent mushroom substrate with a qualitative and a quantitative description as well as an economic analysis thereof. The biomass was enriched with zinc and manganese ions, which resulted in good biosorption capacities: −15.84 and 11.81 mg/g for Zn(II) and Mn(II), respectively. Material losses were/material loss was relatively low (about 10%). The efficiency of the system was over 100 kg of micronutrient component per day and the price of the new preparation was estimated at $4.76 per kg including labor costs and depreciation of the installation. The pilot-plant for biosorption was shown to be an efficient method for the production of new preparations based on waste biomass and constituting an alternative to conventional micronutrient fertilizers. The economic analysis of the system and the production of new preparations shows that it is also a technology which does not require high investment and operation costs.