Harnessing sugarcane waste for sustainable farming: Meet Bhavya Mod

Soil CRC PhD student Bhavya Mod advocates that an ideal farming system must be both economically viable and environmentally sound. His PhD research aimed to deliver a sustainable solution for the soil problems faced by Australian sugarcane growers in North Queensland.

“I am passionate about holistic harmony, and it was important to me that my research aimed to achieve this,” Bhavya said.

“The sugarcane industry contributes $2.5 billion to the Australian economy annually, but some aspects of current farming techniques are unsustainable for both the growers and the environment.

“Sugarcane growers are faced with a number of challenges, including depletion of soil carbon, low effectiveness of fertilisers and low levels of silicon in the soil. They are also required to manage a large volume of green waste, which is often burned, generating greenhouse gas emissions.”

To address this, Bhavya’s PhD research set out to use sugarcane green waste as a resource and transform it into a sustainable fertiliser product.

He used sugarcane green leaves to synthesise biochar and silica nanoparticles and combined them into a functional hybrid material for soil application.

“The first component of the hybrid material is a highly functional charcoal. I used waste effluents like phosphoric acid to modify the charcoal, making it porous and enabling its function as a rich source of carbon and a slow-release fertiliser,” he explained.

“The second component, silicon nanoparticles, is a very effective supplement to improve silicon levels in soil and plants. These nanoparticles were synthesised from locally sourced sugarcane waste, making them cost-effective and practical.”

The resulting hybrid material provides an excellent source of carbon and silicon and can be incorporated with fertilisers like urea for effective and systematic delivery to crops.

Bhavya said farmers will be able to customise their desired combinations of fertilisers and pesticides to be loaded on this hybrid material, according to their needs.

“Our material therefore aims not only to improve crop productivity, but do it in a manner which is cost-effective, sustainable and circular.”

Besides improvement in soil fertility, Bhavya anticipates his research will provide farmers with a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilisers.

“It also provides an excellent tool for waste management, and a potential circular model for the sugarcane agro-industrial system.”