Bioelectrochemically-assisted ammonia recovery from dairy manure.

The sustainability of direct land application of dairy manure is challenged by significant nutrient losses. Bioelectrochemical systems for ammonia recovery offer a manure management strategy that can recover both ammoniacal and organic nitrogen as a stable ammonia fertilizer. In this research, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) was used to treat two types of dairy manure under a variety of imposed anode compartment conditions.

Soil greenhouse gas flux and nitrogen mineralization following manure application from tannin-fed dairy cows.

Growing concerns about environmental impacts of dairy farms have driven producers to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen (N) losses from soil following land application of dairy manure. Tannin dietary additives have proved to be a successful intervention for mitigating GHG and ammonia (NH ) emissions at the barn scale. However, it is unknown how land application of dairy manure from cows fed tannin diets affects crop-soil nitrogen dynamics and soil GHG flux.

Modeling ammonia emissions from manure in conventional, organic, and grazing dairy systems and practices to mitigate emissions.

Almost 60% of all ammonia (NH) emissions are from livestock manure. Understanding the sources and magnitude of NH emissions from manure systems is critical to implement mitigation strategies. This study models 13 archetypical conventional (5 farms), organic (5 farms), and grazing (3 farms) dairy farms to estimate NH emissions from manure at the barn, storage, and after land application.

Evaluating the Feasibility of a Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Sensor for Manure Nutrient Prediction.

Livestock manure is typically applied to fertilize crops, however the accurate determination of manure nutrient composition through a reliable method is important to optimize manure application rates that maximize crop yields and prevent environmental contamination. Existing laboratory methods can be time consuming, expensive, and generally the results are not provided prior to manure application. In this study, the evaluation of a low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensor designated for manure nutrient prediction was assessed.

Fate and seasonality of antimicrobial resistance genes during full-scale anaerobic digestion of cattle manure across seven livestock production facilities.

Anaerobic digestion has been suggested as an intervention to attenuate antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock manure but supporting data have typically been collected at laboratory scale. Few studies have quantified ARG fate during full-scale digestion of livestock manure. We sampled untreated manure and digestate from seven full-scale mesophilic dairy manure digesters to assess ARG fate through each system.

Coordinated Management of Organic Waste and Derived Products.

We propose a coordination framework for managing urban and rural organic waste in a scalable manner by orchestrating waste exchange, transportation, and transformation into value-added products. The framework is inspired by coordinated management systems that are currently used to operate power grids across the world and that have been instrumental in achieving high levels of efficiency and technological innovation. In the proposed framework, suppliers and consumers of waste and derived products as well as transportation and technology providers bid into a coordination system that is operated by an independent system operator.

Effect of mixing duration on biogas production and methanogen distribution in an anaerobic digester.

Mixing has been shown to have effect on biogas production in anaerobic digestion systems. To further examine this impact, a study was designed to evaluate nearly continuous mixing (mixing for 15 min followed by no mixing for 15 min, CON), intermediate mixing (mixing for 15 min followed by no mixing for 45 min, INT) and no mixing (unmixed, NO) on biogas production in three 208 L pilot-scale tank reactors. The experiments were conducted in triplicates at a controlled temperature of 37 ± 1°C, with a total solids percentage of 5%, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 21 days, and an organic loading rate (OLR) of 2 kg VS m d .

Fate of Manure-Borne Pathogens during Anaerobic Digestion and Solids Separation.

Anaerobic digestion can inactivate zoonotic pathogens present in cattle manure, which reduces transmission of these pathogens from farms to humans through the environment. However, the variability of inactivation across farms and over time is unknown because most studies have examined pathogen inactivation under ideal laboratory conditions or have focused on only one or two full-scale digesters at a time. In contrast, we sampled seven full-scale digesters treating cattle manure in Wisconsin for 9 mo on a biweekly basis ( = 118 pairs of influent and effluent samples) and used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze these samples for 19 different microbial genetic markers.

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment for Spray Irrigation of Dairy Manure Based on an Empirical Fate and Transport Model.

Background: Spray irrigation for land-applying livestock manure is increasing in the United States as farms become larger and economies of scale make manure irrigation affordable. Human health risks from exposure to zoonotic pathogens aerosolized during manure irrigation are not well understood.

Objectives: We aimed to ) estimate human health risks due to aerosolized zoonotic pathogens downwind of spray-irrigated dairy manure; and ) determine which factors (e.

Evaluation of Phosphorus Filter Media for an Inline Subsurface Drainage Treatment System.

Subsurface drainage from agricultural land has been identified as a contributor of both N and P into surface waters, leading to water quality degradation and eutrophication. This study evaluates the ability of P sorption media (PSM; expanded shale, expanded clay, furnace slag, and natural soil) to sorb P in both batch and column tests. Batch sorption tests estimated sorption of 3.

Field application of farmstead runoff to vegetated filter strips: surface and subsurface water quality assessment.

Farmstead runoff poses significant environmental impacts to ground and surface waters. Three vegetated filter strips were assessed for the treatment of dairy farmstead runoff at the soil surface and subsurface at 0.3- or 0.