improving water quality by developing alternative markets for poultry litter biochar

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http://www.extension.org/67649 Manure from confined animal operations is an environmental liability because of the potential for water and air pollution. The poultry industry in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is under increased regulatory scrutiny due to nitrogen and phosphorous inputs into the Bay. Although poultry litter (PL) is valued as a fertilizer, the cost of shipping the bulky material out of the watershed is prohibitive. One potential solution is to turn the excess litter into energy through pyrolysis. If a market can be developed for poultry litter biochar, more N and P could be removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

TRANSCRIPT

Reducing the Impacts of Poultry Litter on Water Quality by

Developing Alternative Markets for Poultry Litter Biochar

Louis M. McDonaldAndy Burgess, Jeff Skousen, James

Anderson, Joshua Cook

West Virginia University

The Chesapeake Bay

• Environmental Liability

Poultry Litter

• Economic Asset• Ecological Asset

Poultry Litter

BiocharMine land reclamation

Programmatic Goals

Eutrophication

400-500 mt litter/year700,000 birds/year

3.6 mt biochar/year

Pyrolysis Unit = 10.9 mt/day

5 million BTUs

Task Objectives

1. Chemical & Physical Characterization• Nutrient and salt concentration• Particle size distribution• Batch consistency

2. Biological Response• Germination and growth

3. Field Trial• Miscanthus and switchgrass

• Rapid decrease in EC• pH was constant ~6.9

Salt Concentrations

0 200 400 600 8000.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

KPower (K)

Cumulative Leachate Volume (mL)

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n [

mg

(L

.gP

BC

)-1

] K was the predominant salt

Nutrient Concentrations

DOC losses were larger than DIC losses

Dissolved Carbon

<230 >230 >60 >10 >50

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

M-TypeW-Type

Sieve Size

Perc

ent M

ass

α <0.0001; R2 = 0.96

*

*

Sieve Size Distribution

<230 >230 >60 >10 >50

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

M-TypeW-Type

Sieve Size

Conc

entr

ation

(ppm

)

α <0.0001; R2 = 0.90

**

*

Potassium by Sieve Size

<230 >230 >60 >10 >50

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

M-Type

W-Type

Sieve Size

Conc

entr

ation

(ppm

)

α <0.0001; R2 = 0.97

**

Calcium by Sieve Size

Soil Fertilizer Unt bio lo Unt bio hi 24 lo 24 hi 48 lo 48 hi60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

a aa

b

a

ab

a

a

Treatment

% G

erm

inat

edLettuce Germination

soil fert unt lo 24 lo 48 lo88

90

92

94

96

98

100

Treatment

Perc

ent

Ger

min

ated

aa

aaa

Lettuce Germination

Soil 48 trt 24 trt unt0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90 A

B

B

B

Treatment

Perc

ent o

f Wor

ms

Trt4 Trt 1

Trt 3 Trt 2

48 hr Topsoil

Biochar24 hr

Worm Experiments

Greenhouse Production

0 2 4 6 8 100

4

8

12

16

20

Commercial

Biochar

Time (weeks)

Num

ber

of L

eave

s

Control

Greenhouse Production

Surface Mine Reclamation

Surface Mine Reclamation

Surface Mine Reclamation

Whatever his accomplishments, this sophistication, his artistic pretension, man owes his very existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil – and the fact that it rains.

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