Poultry litter ash is already valuable, as a fertilizer. If it can be used also as a mean to capture CO2 and then using as fertilizer, it will have double value. My question is, is this line of thought sounds feasible to pursue? I have read papers regarding using ash to capture CO2 and since I am currently working with poultry litter I was interested to explore it. However I am still in undergrad and I definitely lack the ability to prioritize and decide whether this research I mentioned will be impactful.
The Carbonation is a technique that can be used as a carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for CO2 sequestration. Na-silicates have been indicated as a good sorbent at ambient temperature, their potential as high temperature CO2 sorbent has not yet been examined. The utilization of fly ash as a solid sorbent material for CO2 capture via surface adsorption and carbonation reaction evaluated as an economically feasible CO2 reduction technique. The results show that fly ash from a coal fired power plant can capture CO2 up to 304.7 μmol/g fly ash, consisting of 2.9 and 301.8 μmol/g fly ash via adsorption and carbonation, respectively. The CO2 adsorption conditions (temperature, pressure, and moisture) can affect CO2 capture performance of fly ash. These ashes were exposed to accelerated carbonation conditions at a relative humidity of 40% and 100%, in order to investigate the effects of humidity on the carbonation kinetics of the bottom ash not only lime but other calcium-bearing phases (gehlenite, wollastonite, and brownmillerite) in CFBC bottom ash participated in the mineral carbonation reaction. In particular, these phases underwent hydration in a wet carbonation environment, whereby the carbon dioxide uptake and capacity of CFBC bottom ash are significantly enhanced.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291421729_CO2_capture_using_fly_ash_from_coal_fired_power_plant_and_applications_of_CO2-captured_fly_ash_as_a_mineral_admixture_for_concrete
The modern battery production of chickens uses heavy metals in the medicines and the litter may have issues related to copper for instance in high quantities. The release of heavy metals into the environment generally takes an acid environment. If the materials are to be repatriated into soils it would be important to study the ability to maintain conditions so they would not re release into the environment and assure the conditions are met. Litter ash and biochars can be useful especially in acid infertile soils studies would still be needed to identify their potential and the particulars of their usage. The other important consideration is the economics of the usage.
