Managing psychrophilic anaerobic digestion for minimal N losses from swine manure

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A feasible anaerobic treatment system for livestock manures means major benefits for farm operators to reduce manure handling costs, and for the world faced with serious climatic changes resulting from atmospheric pollution. Conventional anaerobic systems are expensive and not user friendly for livestock operators. GTI has introduced a stable and marketable air tight cover for manure storage facilities, and this concept of in storage psychrophilic anaerobic digestion (ISPAD) was observed to be promising by Dr. Barrington of McGill University. Because ISPAD operates differently compared to conventional anaerobic systems with a constant manure inflow and outflow its performance needs evaluation in terms of biogas production and management practices. Also, ISPAD can potentially limit organic N breakdown but produce as much biogas production as conventional anaerobic systems. Thus, the GTI air tight cover has a major world market advantages to curtail ammonia emissions into the atmosphere, as livestock production is responsible for 65 to 75% of all emissions. The method requires both laboratory and field tests. The laboratory tests will measure kinetic parameters associated with ISPAD and produce an adapted model calibrated and validated with further laboratory bioreactor work and the acquired field data. This model will predict best management practices for optimal biogas production and minimal organic N degradation. In the field, two sites with dual manure operations will be used; on each site, one tank will be covered while the other will serve as control. Mass balances on C, N, P and K will be conducted to measure the performance of the system in terms of biogas production and organic N degradation. Manure odour emission after storage will be evaluated. For ISPAD, the project will: produce a model predicting organic N degradation, a research subject area of limited attention, and biogas production; indicate best management practices, and; provide livestock enterprises with the information required to establish whether or not ISPAD can be beneficial for their operation.