THE INFLUENCE OF BINDERS ON THE PROPERTIES OF DOLOMITE PELLETS FOR CALCIFICATION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS
The research relates to determining the dependence of the strength and hardness, as well as the pH factor and solubility in water, of pellets made based on dolomite powder on the type and concentration of the binder. During the research, the technological parameters of the pelletizing device (speed and inclination of the disk, dosing speed of powder and binder suspension, and mixing time) were kept constant. Variations were made in the concentration of starch and molasses binder at values of 1.0, 2.5, and 4.0% and the control sample of 2.0 %. The purpose of pellets made of dolomite powder is to correct the pH factor of agricultural soil. The obtained results indicate that the production of pellets for the stated purpose requires an optimal choice of binder and its concentration due to the influence on the qualitative indicators of the pellet itself from dolomite powder. The research results are a partial extract of the Study: “Investigation of the optimal technology for the production of dolomite pellets from the “Očura” deposit for agriculture, Phase I”. Keywords: pellet, agriculture, binder concentration, strength, hardness, pH of pellets.