improving water quality by developing alternative markets for poultry litter biochar
DESCRIPTION
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.