Durban - The secret to good fertiliser could be buried inside your very own locks.
This was one of the findings made by Ntwanano Moirah Malepfane, who graduated cum laude with a Masters degree in Soil Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) after studying the composition and fertiliser value of different human hair types in South Africa.
Malepfane decided on the topic because of the need for alternatives to expensive commercial fertilisers, said the university in a statement.
“She says human hair could act as a potential alternative source of nutrients, and its use could be an effective waste management strategy. She used samples of hair from three race groups: African, Indian and white.”
Malepfane then got to work analysing the hair types for the presence of micronutrients, heavy metals, and various macronutrients, including nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and potassium, and carried out an incubation experiment to determine the release patterns of various elements.
“A pot study was conducted, evaluating the effect of pre-incubation time and hair type on crop yield and nutrient uptake. This revealed that, with a minimum pre-incubation time of 28 days, human hair could swiftly release enough nitrogen for growing spinach.”
She found that the effects of hair type were more evident at shorter pre-incubation times.
“Hair from Africans resulted in greater dry-matter and nitrogen and sulphur uptake than hair from whites ... Hair from Indians and whites exhibited higher nitrogen levels than hair from Africans, with hair from Indians releasing more nitrogen in the incubation study.”
Malepfane said: “This research was inspired by a growing interest in recycling waste keratin materials high in nitrogen and sulphur.”
She found that despite the advantages of this research, funding would be difficult.
“Malepfane also had to combat superstitions, with some people believing that giving away their hair could result in it being used in black magic,” said the statement.
The university said Malepfane enjoyed exploring and understanding the suitability and management of soils in her studies, and plans to continue with a PhD.
Ntwanano Moirah Malepfane received her Masters degree in Soil Science after exploring the ability of human hair to be used as a fertiliser.
The Mercury