In the town of Giarre, perched on the slopes of Mount Etna, farmer Andrea Passanisi grows tropical and citrus crops on 100 hectares and uses an unusual fertilizer: volcanic ash. Like hundreds of families in the region, his family has suffered from constant ashfall for generations. But in recent years, the amount has become so significant that a new approach was needed, write The Guardian.
Andrea Passanisi in his field in Giarre near Mount Etna. His family has suffered from volcanic ash fallout for generations. Photo: Stefania D'Ignoti
During each eruption, cities like Giarre receive an average of 12 tons of ash per day, which can be carried by the wind up to 800 km. In July 2024, Catania — Sicily’s second-largest city at the foot of the volcano — recorded up to 17 tons of ash per day, and its cleanup took almost 10 weeks.
From threat to resource
For a long time, farmers considered ash dangerous to crops: it polluted irrigation water, required additional costs for field cleaning and special equipment.
However, a five-year study by the University of Catania showed that ash can become a resource for various industries - from agriculture to construction and water purification.
Avocado plantations in Andrea Passanisi's fields in Jarre at the foot of the volcano. Photo courtesy of Andrea Passanisi
"This allows for the use of fewer chemicals, makes fertilizer cheaper and more sustainable, while preserving the natural balance. This is the future of agricultural production," says Passanisi.
Professor of environmental engineering Paolo Roccaro, in turn, notes that after 2011, the intensity of eruptions with massive ash emissions increased, which forced the search for a systemic solution. Scientists have determined the chemical composition of Etna's ash and proposed its use as a material for road construction, thermal insulation of walls, water purification and even the production of ink for 3D printers.
Added value for soil
For Sicilian winegrowers, ash has already become an ally. Emilio Sciacca, a vineyard owner in the town of Linguaglossa, 38 kilometers from the volcano, does not remove the ash from his fields. He says it helps drain excess moisture from the soil and naturally fertilizes it thanks to its iron, aluminum and silica content.
Emilio Sciacca's vineyard in Linguaglossa, 38 km from the volcano, fertilized by volcanic ash. Photo courtesy of Emilio Sciacca
“Etna ash is an added value for volcanic soils, a gift for us producers that literally falls from the sky,” says Sciacca.
However, the official commercial use of ash is still limited. European environmental legislation classifies volcanic ash collected in cities as municipal waste (EWC code 20 03 03), making it impossible to recycle it. Its disposal costs around €300 per tonne, while reuse could reduce the cost to €30.
A column of ash rises from a volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier in Iceland during the 2010 eruption. Farmers found that fields where the ash was not removed yielded better crops. Photo: Brynjar Gauti / AP
In 2024, the regional government of Sicily issued recommendations for the reuse of volcanic ash, but so far there are no registered companies engaged in its systematic processing.
Iceland Experience
Farmers in Iceland have had a similar experience after the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (Eyjafjallajökull) in 2010. Although the ash caused widespread disruption to air travel and threatened livestock with fluoride poisoning, farmers later noticed improved wheat yields in fields where the ash was not removed.
Guðbjörg Karadóðtir is an Icelandic artist who uses volcanic ash in ceramics in her studio in Reykjavík. Photo courtesy of Guðbjörg Karadóðtir
"Usually the wheat harvest deteriorates by the third year, but the fields where the ash was left looked like the first season," says farmer Thorarinn Olafsson.
Icelandic ceramist Guðbjörg Karadóður also uses volcanic ash in her porcelain, transforming a natural material into a part of cultural heritage.
The art of coexistence
In Sicily, while the official implementation of ash recycling is still in the works, locals are finding ways to use it themselves. For example, art project curator Nilla Zaira D'Urso has been creating souvenirs from ashes since 2013.
Porcelain bowl created by Gudbjorg Karadouttir using volcanic ash. Photo courtesy of Gudbjorg Karadouttir
"We must learn to see opportunities even in waste. Yes, ash can be an annoying guest, but it is better to make it an ally than to constantly fight it," she says.
The Sicilian experience proves that what was considered a natural disaster for decades can become part of sustainable development - you just need to change the optics.
Main photo – Giuseppe Distefano / AFP / Getty
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