Mathematical modeling of cations from non-edible food waste for the reclamation of sodic and saline soils

Nutritional disparity is a crucial impediment to agricultural productivity that interferes with soil structural stability and plant growth since more than one-fourth of the total land area is affected, especially by sodicity globally. This study assesses the mathematical models of non-edible food waste, including brinjal waste, potato peel, banana peel, orange peel, eggshell, cow bone, chicken bone, and fish bone. After consumption of the food, the resulting non-edible food waste was cleaned, dried, crushed, and stored separately in aluminum zipper bags. Cation concentrations of the considered waste materials were measured using ion chromatography systems. Then the mathematical models such as Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), Exchangeable Potassium Percentage (EPP), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Potassium Adsorption Ratio (PAR), and Cation Ratio of Soil Structural Stability (CROSS) were assessed considering cation concentrations. The results revealed that Na+ concentrations ranged from 0.17±0.001 mg/kg in orange peel to 5.21±0.005 mg/kg in chicken bone; K+ ranged from 0.28±0.003 mg/kg in eggshell to 56.50±0.216 mg/kg in banana peel; Ca2+ ranged from 0.30±0.004 mg/kg in potato peel to 1.37±0.049 mg/kg in eggshell; and Mg2+ ranged from 0.06±0.004 mg/kg in eggshell to 1.12±0.006 mg/kg in banana peel. The overall concentration sequence was K+>Na+>Ca2+>Mg2+. In addition, animal waste biomass had comparatively high ESP and EPP values for the studied waste biomasses. SAR, PAR, and CROSS models for all studied wastes are suitable for application to sodic and saline soils. In conclusion, non-edible food waste biomass might be a reliable source of cations that is important for soil structural stability and ultimately for plant growth and could be utilized in sodic and saline soils based on the analysis of cationic parameters and mathematical models.