From Volcanic Nuisance to Agricultural Treasure
For generations, residents of towns perched on the slopes of Mount Etna have viewed falling volcanic ash as nothing more than a persistent nuisance. This fine particulate matter would blanket fields, clog irrigation systems, and require extensive cleanup efforts that disrupted daily life and agricultural work. But a groundbreaking shift in perspective is now transforming this volcanic byproduct from a problem into a precious resource.
The Sicilian Agricultural Revolution
In the Sicilian town of Giarre, overlooking Europe's highest and most active volcano, tropical and citrus fruit producer Andrea Passanisi has embraced an unconventional approach to fertilization. On his 100-hectare stretch of land, Passanisi now utilizes volcano ash as a primary fertilizer, marking a significant departure from traditional agricultural practices.
"It allows us to use fewer chemicals, which makes fertilizing cheaper and more sustainable, respecting the equilibrium of nature without abusing it," says the 41-year-old farmer, whose family has dealt with ashfall for generations. "It's the future of agriculture."
The scale of ashfall is substantial. During eruptions, towns like Giarre experience an average of 12,000 tonnes of ashfall daily, with winds capable of transporting this material as far as 800 kilometers. In July 2024 alone, Catania—Sicily's second-largest city located at Mount Etna's base—registered 17,000 tonnes of ash daily, requiring nearly ten weeks of collection efforts.
University Research Uncovers Potential
A five-year project by the University of Catania has been instrumental in changing perceptions about volcanic ash. This interdisciplinary research effort, led by environmental engineering professor Paolo Roccaro, emerged as explosive phenomena with heavy ash release intensified after 2011.
"When the explosive phenomena with heavy release of ashes began to intensify after 2011, it led to a need to find a systemic solution to manage it," explains Roccaro.
The comprehensive study defined the chemical characteristics of Etna's ash and proposed numerous potential applications across different sectors:
- Material for road construction
- Wall insulation components
- Water purification agents
- Ink for 3D printers
- Agricultural fertilizer
For farmers like Passanisi and vineyard owner Emilio Sciacca in Linguaglossa, the informal use of ash is already proving remarkably effective. Sciacca, whose vineyard sits 38 kilometers from the volcano, has discovered that leaving ashfall on his land helps drain excess water from the soil while providing valuable fertilization through its composition of iron, aluminium, and silica.
"Etna's ash represents an added value for volcanic soils, a gift for us producers that literally falls from the sky," Sciacca enthuses. "In this unique geological context, we can never ignore the volcanic nature of the soil and its magnificent nuances. We have to learn to embrace them and let them become our strength."
Regulatory Hurdles and Economic Implications
Despite the demonstrated benefits, significant barriers prevent the official commercial use of volcanic ash. European environmental legislation currently requires that all waste from urban areas—including volcanic ash—be managed as municipal waste. Once collected by cleaning workers or private citizens, the ash must receive the European waste code EWC 20 03 03 for street-cleaning residues.
This classification renders the ash as unsorted waste, prohibiting recovery or recycling. Instead, it must undergo special disposal at authorized landfills at substantial cost to municipalities and communities.
"We're talking about €300 per tonne to dispose of it, while our research found that recycling it for commercial use will drop that to €30," Roccaro reveals.
The financial implications are significant. In 2021, dozens of Sicilian towns surrounding Mount Etna faced potential bankruptcy due to escalating ash cleanup costs. The ash recycling project led to the 2024 publication of regional guidelines for those wishing to reuse volcanic ash, but implementation has been slow.
"But more than a year since then, there's still no list of companies registered to collect and refine ashes to reallocate them for production purposes," Roccaro notes. "For now, the goal is to instil the idea that this alternative approach can work, to make its systemic reuse more palatable in the near future."
Icelandic Parallels and Creative Applications
On the other side of Europe, Icelandic farmers have made similar discoveries about volcanic ash's agricultural benefits. Following the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull—which caused widespread international disruptions—farmers initially scrambled to protect their livestock from fluoride poisoning caused by ash inhalation or ingestion.
However, wheat farmer Thórarinn Ólafsson, working in the foothills of Eyjafjöll, observed unexpected long-term benefits. "Usually, wheat crops begin to worsen in their third year, but the ones left untouched during ash removal look like a first-year field," Ólafsson explains. "This upgrade was definitely connected to the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic ash, so I began to use it as a natural fertiliser."
Beyond agriculture, creative minds have found additional applications for volcanic ash. Icelandic ceramist Guðbjörg Káradóttir incorporates volcanic ashes from the island's southern peninsula into her porcelain creations.
"It sure is an interesting upcycling effort, but it's also a proud symbol of our origins," Káradóttir reflects. "It's an element of our cultural heritage that we can try to include in our products instead of letting the wind blow it away."
Grassroots Innovation and Cultural Adaptation
While awaiting official commercialization of ash reuse, ordinary citizens continue to find innovative applications. In Sicily, 42-year-old art curator Nilla Zaira D'Urso has been transforming bags of ash into small souvenirs since 2013, inspired by a Japanese artist who visited her art residency in Riposto—one of the towns most affected by Etna's ashfall.
"We need to make the best of any scrap material instead of seeing everything as a burden," D'Urso asserts. "It's true it can be an insidious guest, but it's better to make the coexistence work, to turn ash into an ally rather than fighting it."
This cultural shift—from viewing volcanic ash as a problem to be managed to recognizing it as a resource to be utilized—represents a significant evolution in how communities interact with their volcanic environments. As research continues and regulatory frameworks adapt, the potential for volcanic ash to contribute to sustainable agriculture and innovative manufacturing appears increasingly promising.
The transformation of volcanic ash from environmental nuisance to agricultural asset demonstrates how scientific research, traditional knowledge, and community adaptation can converge to create sustainable solutions to longstanding challenges. As climate concerns grow and sustainable practices become increasingly urgent, these volcanic regions may offer valuable lessons in resourcefulness and environmental harmony.
