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Opal team member presents at the 7th International Agriculture Congress conference

Ghulam Mustafa, Process Chemist at Opal Paper & Recycling Botany Mill, was recently invited to speak at the 7th International Agriculture Congress conference.

Ghulam wrote and presented a paper titled “Effect of Aerobic Sludge from Opal’s Secondary Water Treatment Plant on Soil Properties”. The paper was Opal’s 4th research paper published and presented by Opal’s technical team.

The paper was a study into the soil property improvements when aerobic sludge (a bi-product stream from Opal’s water treatment plant) is added to farmland as a soil amendment material.

The paper presented a unique and innovative approach and is about the use of aerobic sludge on agricultural land to improve the soil properties such as bulk density, hydraulic conductivity and aggregate stability.

“I am very fortunate that I work for Opal and feel so appreciated and encouraged by my colleagues to complete this research work,” Ghulam said.

“The paper outlined and proved that aerobic sludge, produced from the Mill’s secondary water treatment plant, contains organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and macronutrients.”

Opal’s research showed that aerobic sludge used on crop land improved the soil properties and enhanced soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter. “This presented benefits such as yielding better crops for farmers, which could bring added financial value to their farming operations,” Ghulam said.

“I am thankful to the team at Opal Paper & Recycling Botany Mill for the support to conduct this research. It would not have been possible to publish research papers and represent Opal Paper & Recycling nationally and internationally without their support,” Ghulam said.

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