ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Estimation of Structure and Water and Air
Properties of Grodan Rockwool Waste
after Production Cycle
Monika Jaroszuk-Sierocińska, Anna Słowińska-Jurkiewicz,
Maja Bryk, Beata Kołodziej
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Institute of Soil Science, Environment Engineering and Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin,
Leszczyńskiego 7, 20-069 Lublin, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2014;23(6):2039-2045
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ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the description of the structure and water-air properties of Grodan rockwool
removed from the greenhouse after one production cycle of tomato. After removal from the greenhouse, the
rockwool contained a lot of roots, the result of which was a considerable level of organic matter in the waste
material, at 9.0 g/100 g. The analyses were conducted on rockwool crushed into scraps measuring 5×5,
2.5×2.5, and 1×1 cm. The used rockwool compared to new rockwool displayed a decrease in the container
water capacity at water potential state of -0.98 kPa, and an increase in the field water capacity at water potential
values of -9.81, -15.54, and -30.99 kPa. The highest gravimetric and volumetric water capacity at water
potential of -9.81 kPa was noted for rockwool fragmented in large scraps, and at water potential values of -
15.54 and -30.99 kPa for rockwool crushed into medium scraps. These changes are favorable from the viewpoint
of the possibility of utilizing waste rockwool for soil reclamation.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.