• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1077-1085
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• 2016

The present study was investigated the effect of recycled coir organic substrates on the growth of different vegetable crops. The recycled coir had better physical and chemical properties than the new coir. The growth of tomato plant was better on the coir substrate that had been used for 2 years than that on the new coir substrate. The average number of tomato fruits was 108 on the new coir substrate, while it was 179 and 165 on the coir substrate used for 1 and 2 years, respectively. The growth of cherry tomato plant was also better on the coir substrate used for 2 years than that on the new coir substrate. The average number of cherry tomato fruits was 43 on the new coir substrate, while it was 206 and 164 on the coir substrate used for 1 and 2 years, respectively. The growth of brussel sprout was better on the coir substrate used for 3 years than that on the new coir substrate and the average number of brussel sprout leaves was 26.8 on the new coir substrate, while it was 34.3 on the coir substrate used for 3 years. The growth of Korean cabbage improved on the coir substrate used for 1 years compared to the new coir substrate and the number of leaves was 15.1 on the new coir substrate, while it was 24.3 on the coir substrate used for 1 year. Thus, used coir can be recycled to improve vegetable yields compared to using new coirs.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.937-946
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• 2018

This study investigated the applicability of horticultural media with recycled coir substrates the growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. Pekinensis) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) crop. The six different types of coir based substrates were A, Coir 45: Perlite 35: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), B, Coir 55: Perlite 25: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), C, Coir 65: Perlite 15: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), D, Coir 75: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 12: Zeolite 8 (%), E, Coir 85: Perlite 5: Vermiculite 5: Zeolite 5 (%) and F, nursery media (control). The pH and Electric conductivity of the horticultural nursery media were 6.06-7.00 and $0.45-1.10dS/m^{-1}$, respectively. The nursery media containing coir substrates had higher level of Total N, Ca, K, Mg and P than those without coir. Additionally, it was observed that the growth of Chinese cabbage was the best on D (containing 75% coir) while that of lettuce was the best on E (containing 85% coir). In general, when substrates containg a higher percentage of coir were used, the growth of Chinese cabbage and lettuce was ideal. Additionally, the P, Ca, and Mg content in both plants was not significantly altered by the amount of coir present in the media. However, with an increase in the amount of coir substrate, the chlorophyll, N, and K content was increased. After harvesting, there was no significant difference in the chemical properties of the horticultural nursery media of both plants. Thus, it can be suggested that, coir substrate after a single use could be recycled as horticulture nursery media.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.523-528
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• 2000

Plug seedlings of Petunia hybrida 'Madness Rose' and Viola tricolor 'Magestic GT' were cultured in media containing various volume ratios of recycled plug medium, recycled coir, perlite, granular rockwool, and vermiculite for 36 and 43 days after sowing, respectively. Recycled plug medium and recycled coir were steam pasteurized for 30 minutes at $120^{\circ}C$ and 1.5 atmosphere. An unused commercial plug medium (Tosilee, pH 5.10, EC $0.12mS{\cdot}cm^{-1}$ at 1:5 dilution, v/v, Shinan Grow Co.) was used as the control. The pH of different media before and after growing seedlings was similar. Medium EC was high when recycled plug medium was included. Recycled coir (75%)＋vermiculite (25%) mixture also had high medium EC. However, medium EC was low when granular rockwool or perlite was included. Height, root formation, shoot dry weight and leaf count (ea) of petunia, and height, total fresh and dry weights, and shoot fresh and root dry weights of pansy were the highest in recycled coir (75%)＋perlite (25%) mixture. Recycled coir was better than recycled plug medium in physicochemical properties, and also in resultant plant growth. It is recommended to include perlite or granular rockwool when plug media including recycled horticultural media are prepared.

• Journal of Korea Society of Waste Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2017

The current study was performed to investigate the effect of recycling coir substrates on the growth, fruit yield, and quality of strawberry plants. Analysis of physical properties revealed that the pH of a fresh coir substrate was 5.04 while those of substrates reused for one and two years were 5.20 and 5.33, respectively. The electrical conductivity (EC) of a new substrate was as high as $4.58dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. This can cause salt stress after transplanting. The EC tended to decrease as the substrate was recycled, and the EC of a two-year recycled substrate was $1.48dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$. The fresh substrate had lower nitrogen and calcium concentrations, but higher phosphate, potassium, and sodium concentrations than the recycled coir substrate. The coir substrates recycled for one or two years maintained better chemical properties for plant growth than the fresh substrate. Strawberry growth varied depending on the number of years that the coir substrate was recycled. In general, strawberries grown in substrates that had been reused for two years did better than those grown in substrates that had been reused once or were fresh. Ninety days after transplanting, a plant grown in a substrate that had been reused for two years contained 25 leaves, which was 3.6 more than with a fresh substrate. In addition, the plants grown in a substrate that had been reused for two years exhibited larger leaf areas than those grown in other substrates. Coir substrates that had been reused for one year increased the number and area of leaves, but not as much as the substrate that had been reused for two years. One- and two-year reused coir substrates increased the weight of strawberries produced relative to the unused substrate, but the difference was not statistically significant. The plants grown in two-year reused substrates were longer and wider, as well. Also, the number of fruits per plant was higher when substrates were reused. Specifically, the number of fruits per plant was 28.7 with a two-year reused substrate, but only 22.2 with a fresh substrate. The fruit color indices (as represented by their Hunter L, a, b values) were not considerably affected by recycling of the coir substrate. The Hunter L value, which indicates the brightness of the fruit, did not change significantly when the substrate was recycled. Neither Hunter a (red) nor b (yellow) values were changed by recycling. In addition, there were no significant changes in the hardnesses, acidities, or soluble solid-acid ratios of fruits grown in recycled substrates. Thus, it is thought that recycling the coir substrate does not affect measures of fruit quality such as color, hardness, and sugar content. Overall, reuse of coir substrates from hydroponic culture as high-bed strawberry growth substrates would solve the problems of new substrate costs and the disposal of substrates that had been used once.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1221-1231
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• 2015

The present study was conducted to find a way to recycle the coir substrate by investigating changes in its physical and chemical properties based on the number of use year. Specific gravity of unused coir substrate was $0.212g/cm^3$, while it was higher for the substrate used for 2 years. Porosity was different depending on the number of use year. The porosity of unused substrate was 51.9%, but it increased to 68.6% after used for 2 years. In general, physical and chemical properties were better in the coir substrate used for 2 years than in unused one. The number of leaves, leaf area, flesh weight and dry weight of oriental cabbage and lettuce were higher in coir substrate used for 2 years than those in unused one. Whereas, no significant difference was observed between the substrates used for one year and 2 years, indicating that the one time-used wast substrate could be recycled for cultivating vegetables. Growth of the vegetables was improved when organic fertilizer composed of complex organics with different mixing ratios was provided to the coir substrate, compared to untreated plot. The optimum mixing ratio of the wast substrate and complex organics was 2:8(v/v) for fertilization using wast coir substrate. Therefore, coir substrate generally wasted after being used for one time was reuseable by supplying organic fertilizer.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.115-127
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• 2014

Addition of fibers in cement or cement concrete may be of current interest, but this is not a new idea or concept. Fibers of any material and shape play an important role in improving the strength and deformation characteristics of the cement matrix in which they are incorporated. The new concept and technology reveal that the engineering advantages of adding fibers in concrete may improve the fracture toughness, fatigue resistance, impact resistance, flexural strength, compressive strength, thermal crack resistance, rebound loss, and so on. The magnitude of the improvement depends upon both the amount and the type of fibers used. In this paper, locally available waste fibers such as coir fibers, sisal fibers and polypropylene fibers have incorporated in concrete with varying percentages and l/d ratio and their effect on compressive, split, flexural, bond and impact resistance have been reported.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2000

This study was conducted in an effort to meet the need for domestic production of hydroponic media and for medium development using recycled hydroponic rockwool slabs. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the growth of plug seedlings of petunia 'Romeo' in various mixtures including particles of used rockwool slabs (rockwool particles) and wood chips. In the first experiment, seedlings were grown in plugs filled with mixtures of steam- sterilized rockwool particles and chestnut wood chips, which had been weathered for six months and screened through either 2.8 mm or 5.6 mm sieve, at the mixing ratio of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, or 0:100 (v/v). In the second experiment, seedlings were grown in plugs filled with twenty different mixtures of steam-sterilized particles of used hydroponic rockwool slabs with 4 mm chestnut or pine wood chips, coir, peatmoss, or perlite. In the first experiment seedling growth was not affected by particle size of chestnut wood chips, was superior in the control (commercial plug medium) and in 100% rockwool particles, but was suppressed as mixing ratio of chestnut wood chips increased. In the second experiment, leaf length, and shoot fresh and dry weights were the greatest in rockwool particles+peatmoss+coir treatment, followed by rockwool particles+peatmoss treatment. Leaf length was suppressed as ratio of wood chips increased, especially of chestnut wood chips. Root development was the greatest in rockwool particles+peatmoss+perlite treatment, followed by the control, and rockwool particles+peatmoss+coir treatment. The growth was suppressed as the mixing ratio of rockwool particles, peatmoss, or coir decreased.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 2017

This experiment was carried out to analyze the effects of substrate reuse on the growth and yield of summer paprika in cyclic hydroponics. The test group was divided into a new coco slab, one year reused coco slab two year reused coco slab based on 30% nutrient solution reuse, and was performed from April 18 to November 31, 2016 for 30 weeks. As a result, plant height of early growth was that the 2 year reused slab was longer than the new slab but the final growth period was 56.58 cm shorter. First group flower position was that reused slab was shorter by 2.92 cm than the new slab and the second group flower position was 0.31 cm long. The relative internode length of early growth, when the reused slab was used, the imbalance in the late growth stage was increased compared with the use of the new slab. The number of growth nodes in the 1 and 2 year reused slab was the smallest with 27.4 nodes. However, the number of harvested nodes did not show the difference in the test group, and the ratio of harvested that the 2 year reused slab was the highest at 26.8%. The ratio of unmarketable fruit tended to increase as the growth progressed. Fresh weight was 227.7g for new slab, 219.2g for 2 year reused slab and 21.2g for 1 year reused slab. The dry weight of the new slab increased with the reuse of the slab. It was 17.13g for new slab, 18.26g for 1 year reused, and 19.28g for 2 year reused. The average water content of the entire growth period was smaller as the slab was reused, and the 1 year reused slab was about 20g less than the 2 year reused slab. This trend was steadily occurring throughout the entire growing season. Especially, the reused slab for 1 year was less than 60g after 3 groups compared to other test groups. In conclusion, If will control seriously occurrence of unmarketable fruits by weakening after medium growth in summer-cultivated paprika in EC-based recycling hydroponic cultivation with reused cocopeat substrate, It is not what I have to worry that decrease of the yield and deterioration of the quality due to the change of physical and chemical properties of the slab and the pathogenic bacteria infection.