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Removal of Water-Extractable Phosphorus from Dairy Manure

Lawson, Kathryn Elizabeth
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0075-7911
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500610175015237

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for life, but excess phosphorus in runoff from manure applied to agricultural fields can lead to negative environmental impacts such as harmful algal blooms. Water-extractable phosphorus (WEP) is correlated with phosphorus runoff from land-applied manure, but can change depending on the water content of a sample. Understanding how total phosphorus (TP) and WEP partition through livestock manure management systems can aid attempts in preventing phosphorus pollution of watersheds by increasing knowledge of how to remove it at its source. A number of dairy farms use solid-liquid separation in order to make the manure easier to handle. This produces a mostly solid material which can be re-used in the dairy barns as bedding for the cows, as well as a mostly liquid material which is applied to the fields. However, little is known about the partitioning of WEP through solid-liquid separation. This study investigated the partitioning of TP and WEP through manure management systems on two dairy farms using screw presses and anaerobic digestion to treat the manure produced by the dairy cows. Samples were taken at various stages throughout the manure management systems, to determine important characteristics at each stage. Manure followed two main paths: direct solid-liquid separation of manure diluted with liquid effluent from the separators, or anaerobic digestion of the diluted manure before solid-liquid separation. On Farm B, the liquid effluent of the separators could only be accessed after the streams mixed together, causing difficulties in analyzing the potential for phosphorus removal in each separator individually. Measurements at all important management points on Farm A were available, however, and analysis of those results shows that phosphorus partitioned into the separated solid effluent stream from the separator at a higher proportion than would be expected if the phosphorus partitioned in the same way as the liquid manure mass. Additionally, the reduced separation efficiencies for WEP in both the manure and anaerobic digestion streams were higher than those for TP, and in the same range or higher than those for total solids content. Although more information is needed to confirm results, this suggests that solid-liquid separation of dairy manure for the production of recycled solids for animal bedding appears to beneficially decrease the partitioning of WEP into the liquid effluent to be applied to the land. The anaerobic digestion processes on both farms also led to significant reductions in WEP. Overall, on both farms investigated, the manure management systems being used decreased the concentration of water-extractable phosphorus in the liquid being applied to the land in relation to the untreated manure, helping decrease phosphorus runoff that negatively impacts watersheds.
Harold Keener (Advisor)
Ajay Shah (Committee Member)
Jay Martin (Committee Member)
100 p.
Agricultural Engineering; Environmental Engineering
Phosphorus, Water-Extractable Phosphorus, Dairy Manure, Solid-Liquid Separation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lawson, K. E. (2017). Removal of Water-Extractable Phosphorus from Dairy Manure [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500610175015237

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lawson, Kathryn. Removal of Water-Extractable Phosphorus from Dairy Manure. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500610175015237.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lawson, Kathryn. "Removal of Water-Extractable Phosphorus from Dairy Manure." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500610175015237

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1500610175015237
516
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.