Calcination of Straw
Calcination of Straw
a method of treating straw with lime to increase its digestibility and nutritional value. The rigidity of straw, which makes it difficult to eat and digest, results from the fact that as the plant grows and develops the cellular tissue becomes impregnated with lignin, a substance that makes the straw strong and gives it woody properties. Calcination of straw is based on the ability of alkalis to break the bond between lignin and the cellular tissue. Straw that has been treated with a lime solution is fed to cattle and sheep together with silage and in concentrates.