Descomposición de residuos de corteza en la especie forestal eucalipto (Eucalyptus globulus) y evaluación de nutrientes en el producto final
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PUCE - Ibarra
Abstract
El eucalipto es una de las especies madereras más influyentes dentro de la industria del país, por su rápido crecimiento y varias cosechas; la primero se realiza a los 10 años de edad y los posteriores cortes se realizan cada 5 a 7 años. Existen algunas variedades de eucalipto, siendo la más popular en la sierra ecuatoriana, Eucalyptus globulus Labill, que contiene una gran cantidad de celulosa y su corteza es rica en nutrientes como nitrógeno y fósforo, de importancia para el desarrollo vegetal. Lamentablemente, no toda la rolliza es aprovechada, debido a que la cascara es filamentosa y de dureza inconsistente, haciendo difícil su manejo a nivel industrial, por lo que es desechada en el talado o simplemente acumulada en sitios donde se convierte en un residuo. En esta investigación se buscó mejorar el aprovechamiento de los recursos forestales, donde se evaluó el desempeño de la descomposición de residuos de eucalipto, utilizando un diseño experimental, para definir la viabilidad del sustrato resultante como un mejorador de suelos. En la investigación se empleó la corteza de rollizas de eucalipto acumulados en el la empresa NOVOPAN; con el objetivo de mitigar su acumulación. Se observó el proceso de descomposición, para lo cual se recolectó muestras para análisis fisicoquímico y se estudió microorganismos con posibles beneficios para la biodegradación. Estos fueron aislados y después inoculados en retazos de corteza. La descomposición fue monitoreada por 5 meses. Al final del proceso se evaluó la viabilidad del sustrato dentro del laboratorio. Donde, el principal resultado, fue que la actividad microbiana fue poco significativa al ser comparada con el testigo no inoculado y las características presentes en el sustrato resultante, presentan una liberación de nutrientes lenta, pero su estructura es favorable para el suelo y el desarrollo vegetal. Estos resultados sugieren que los microorganismos presentes en los tratamientos T3 y T4 favorecen la descomposición de la corteza, lo que podría ser útil para mejorar el manejo de residuos en la industria maderera. Esta investigación demuestra que materiales restantes del aprovechamiento forestal son una fuente valiosa de nutrientes, a pesar de su lenta descomposición.
Eucalyptus is one of the most influential wood tree species within the country's industry due to its rapid growth and ability to have multiple yields. The first cut is made at 10 years of age, and subsequent management cuts are made every 5 to 7 years. Among the various eucalyptus varieties, Eucalyptus globulus Labill is the most popular in the Ecuadorian highlands. This variety contains a significant amount of cellulose, and its bark is rich in important nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus for plant growth. Unfortunately, not all the eucalyptus trees are harvested entirely, and the bark is often discarded during harvesting or accumulated in companies and sawmills. The filamentous nature of this tree and its inconsistent hardness makes it challenging to handle at an industrial level. This experiment aimed to improve the utilization of eucalyptus by evaluating the performance of bark decomposition through an experimental design to determine the viability of the resulting substrate as a soil improver. In this study, the bark of eucalyptus logs generated by the company NOVOPAN was used. To mitigate bark accumulation, a controlled decomposition process with microorganisms was implemented. Samples were collected for physicochemical analysis, and microorganisms with beneficial characteristics for the decomposition were extracted. These microorganisms were then isolated and inoculated into dry bark chips. The decomposition process was monitored for five months. At the end of the decomposition process, the viability of the substrate was evaluated through laboratory physicochemical analysis. Where the main finding was that microbial activity was not very significant when compared to the non-inoculated control, and the characteristics present in the resulting substrate exhibit a slow release of nutrients, but their structure is favorable for soil and plant development. These results suggest that the microorganisms present in treatments T3 and T4 promote bark decomposition, which could be useful for improving waste management in the wood industry. This research demonstrates that remaining materials from forestry operations are a valuable source of nutrients, despite their slow decomposition.
Eucalyptus is one of the most influential wood tree species within the country's industry due to its rapid growth and ability to have multiple yields. The first cut is made at 10 years of age, and subsequent management cuts are made every 5 to 7 years. Among the various eucalyptus varieties, Eucalyptus globulus Labill is the most popular in the Ecuadorian highlands. This variety contains a significant amount of cellulose, and its bark is rich in important nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus for plant growth. Unfortunately, not all the eucalyptus trees are harvested entirely, and the bark is often discarded during harvesting or accumulated in companies and sawmills. The filamentous nature of this tree and its inconsistent hardness makes it challenging to handle at an industrial level. This experiment aimed to improve the utilization of eucalyptus by evaluating the performance of bark decomposition through an experimental design to determine the viability of the resulting substrate as a soil improver. In this study, the bark of eucalyptus logs generated by the company NOVOPAN was used. To mitigate bark accumulation, a controlled decomposition process with microorganisms was implemented. Samples were collected for physicochemical analysis, and microorganisms with beneficial characteristics for the decomposition were extracted. These microorganisms were then isolated and inoculated into dry bark chips. The decomposition process was monitored for five months. At the end of the decomposition process, the viability of the substrate was evaluated through laboratory physicochemical analysis. Where the main finding was that microbial activity was not very significant when compared to the non-inoculated control, and the characteristics present in the resulting substrate exhibit a slow release of nutrients, but their structure is favorable for soil and plant development. These results suggest that the microorganisms present in treatments T3 and T4 promote bark decomposition, which could be useful for improving waste management in the wood industry. This research demonstrates that remaining materials from forestry operations are a valuable source of nutrients, despite their slow decomposition.
Description
Keywords
Descomposición controlada, Rollizas, Corteza, Mejorador de suelos