Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University
2
Nano technology Advanced Materials Cen. Lab, Agric. Res. Center, Egypt
Abstract
The main aim of this work is to study the effect of using different materials (sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, vermiculite and activated carbon) on the physicomechanical properties of cultivating pots. Water absorption, density, elastic modulus were studied. Also, theoretical analytical models are employed to predict these properties. The results indicate that the water absorption was 10.73, 8.74, 18.23, 15.56 and 12.98 % for fillers made from sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, activated carbon and vermiculite, respectively. The highest values of the theoretical and actual density (5.15 and 5.05 g cm-3) were found with fillers made from sugarcane bagasse, while the lowest values of the theoretical and actual density (1.74 and 1.72 g cm-3) were found with fillers made from compost. The tensile strength for sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, activated carbon, and vermiculite were 6.84, 11.02, 4.00, 10.97 and 13.24 MPa, respectively. The elastic modulus for these materials were measured at 4.85, 10.66, 0.11, 8.37 and 15.00 MPa for sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, activated carbon, and vermiculite, respectively. The highest values of theoretical elastic modulus for sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, activated carbon and vermiculite (2.67, 5.94, 4.08, 4.94 and 2.31MPa) were found with Guth model. While, the lowest values of theoretical elastic modulus for sugarcane bagasse, compost, peat moss, activated carbon and vermiculite (0.06, 0.15, 0.10, 0.12 and 0.25 MPa) were found with Bowyer-Bader model. The germination ratio ranged from 80 to 100% for different pots made from different raw materials.
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