Charcoal is made from different lump wood (beech, cherry, ash, maple, poplar,
willow, plum, etc.). It is used daily for home heating and food preparation. As a
product of combustion, a significant amount of ash is produced, which contains
important major nutrients, such as K, Na, Ca, Mg, P and Fe. N-P-K fertilizers are
most often used as fertilizers, but ash can be a very good replacement. Also, due to
the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals, ash is used to regulate the pH of
the soil. Using the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICPOES) nine ash samples were analyzed and the content of major elements was in the
following order: CaO > K2O > MgO > Ptot > Stot > Fe2O3, Al2O3 > Na2O > BaO.
The water-leaching test showed that the concentration of Al, Ba and Fe was below
LOQ. The pH value of the water-extract was high, with an average value of 10.61.
Based on the obtained results for the total content and the water-leaching test of
ash, the ash should be analyzed for leaching of major elements and in an acidic
environment in order to get a more complete picture of the mobility of major
elements.
