I translated much of the paper, but never found any reference to how much Condisoil was applied per acre. Also, there is no data on the yield improvement. wtf?
Condisoil is spread/sprayed after liquification, so it finely ground.
from the INTRO, two excerpts:
The study covered two 4-month planting cycles of kenaf from Aug 2016 to April 2017 on a four-acre plot about 4km from Lynas LAMP.
(what's kenaf? I never heard of it, but it's used in BMW i3, see at bottom)
Condisoil® was produced through a mixture of WLP, NUF and organic filler. Condisoil® is suitable for soil trimming (improvement) in the agricultural industry because it is rich in nutrients required for plant growth. The Condisoil® composition consists of 10% WLP, 20% NUF and 70% natural organic matter. [first time I've seen that formulation]
CONCLUSIONS: (in its entirety)
A total of four soil samples, 14 water samples and 4 samples of plant kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) were analyzed in this study to assess the radiological impact Condisoil® use as soil improvement in agricultural industry. Soil samples were taken using composite sampling techniques in the study area.
The results of the study found that the concentration of 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K activity in soil samples using Condisoil® was significantly lower than the average concentration of activity reported by UNSCEAR (2000).
The concentration of the natural radionuclide activity determined in this study is also equivalent to the concentration of the natural radionuclide activity reported in the previous study. The results of the analysis also found that there was no natural radionuclide increase in the soil due to the use of Condisoil® during the study period.
The results of analysis on water samples found no natural radionuclide absorption due to the use of Condisoil® into the groundwater throughout the study period. Analysis of river water also found no natural radionuclides (releases) from the use of Condisoil® into the river water.
The determination of 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K activity concentrations in kenaf plants found that the value was equivalent to the concentration of activity in different species as reported in the previous study. In addition, the concentration of 40K activity in the plant samples was higher than the concentration of 40K activity in the soil. This shows that there are other factors such as the use of fertilizers that may cause increased concentration of 40K activity in kenaf plants. Accordingly, further studies have to be carried out to confirm the root cause of 40K.
Radiological hazard index ratings reveal that the radium equality index value of all soil samples is below the value of 370 Bq kg-1, which is the recommended limit value to ensure that the substance is safe for use. Although the use of Condisoil® is found to be unlikely to cause natural radionuclides in the environment, monitoring of the effects of Condisoil® use should be done periodically when it is commercialized. In addition, Condisoil® should also be homogenized before it is used to prevent the occurrence of natural radionuclides in the environment. [this appears to be related to the application method, liquification before spraying]
Accordingly, based on the results of this study, it is concluded that the use of Condisoil® in cultivation of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) does not cause natural radionuclides to increase in the environment and does not cause radiological hazards to humans throughout the study period.
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KENAF FYI: Uses of kenaf fibre include engineered wood, insulation, clothing-grade cloth, soil-less potting mixes, animal bedding, packing material, and material that absorbs oil and liquids. It is also useful as cut bast fibre for blending with resins for plastic composites, as a drilling fluid loss preventative for oil drilling muds, for a seeded hydromulch for erosion control. Kenaf can be made into various types of environmental mats, such as seeded grass mats for instant lawns and moldable mats for manufactured parts and containers. Panasonic has set up a plant in Malaysia to manufacture kenaf fibre boards and export them to Japan.
Additionally, as part of its overall effort to make vehicles more sustainable, Ford and BMW are making the material for the automobile bodies in part from kenaf. The first implementation of kenaf within a Ford vehicle was in the 2013 Ford Escape.[7] The BMW i3 uses kenaf in the black surrounds.[8
(20min delay)