Excellence in Research: System Oriented Research and Environmental Impact of Poultry Litter Conversion Process into Biochar

家禽废物（称为垃圾）的过度土地应用与富营养化，病原体污染，鱼类死亡以及对人类和动物健康的其他负面影响有关。Delmarva半岛家禽产量的增加强调了对家禽粪便更有效、更具成本效益和可持续处理技术的需求。家禽废弃物的热解有望产生营养丰富的生物炭，同时杀死任何可能引发负面环境健康影响的微生物。来自热解的生物炭的产率、质量和结构取决于物理化学性质（例如，水分含量，粒度）和变化的热解条件（例如，温度、加热速率、停留时间、压力、催化剂）。本研究将开发一种创新的评价方法，用于研究家禽废弃物性质和热解条件对生物炭性质和产率的影响。 研究人员将测量生物物理系统的反应和应用准备好的基于家禽粪便的生物炭的影响。他们将进行生命周期评估（LCA），对从家禽粪便中生产生物炭及其核心应用进行技术经济分析。该项目将有助于开发生物质燃料理化性质的综合评估方法（例如，家禽粪便）以及生物炭对土壤性质和植物生长的益处。此外，改进的生命周期分析（LCA）将有助于有效地评估将家禽废弃物转化为家禽废弃物生物炭的热解过程的环境，经济和社会属性。该项目将促进摩根州立大学工业与系统工程，土木与环境工程和化学系之间的跨学科合作，使每个部门都可以利用进行家禽垃圾热解技术的新研究应用所需的最先进的仪器。该项目将向少数民族学生介绍新的工具，仪器，方法和过程，以促进多样化和跨学科的合作。该项目还将建立一个新的系统过程，以了解生物炭的生产，应用和效益。这项研究将有助于区域家禽养殖户（即，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Excessive land application of poultry waste (called litter) has been linked to eutrophication, pathogen contamination, fish death, and other negative effects on human and animal health. Increases in poultry production in the Delmarva Peninsula underscore the need for more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable disposal technologies for poultry litter. Pyrolysis of poultry litter has promise to produce nutrient-rich biochar while killing off any microorganisms that would otherwise trigger negative environmental health effects. Production yield, quality, and structure of biochar from pyrolysis depend on physicochemical properties (e.g., moisture content, particle size) and varying pyrolysis conditions (e.g., temperature, heating rate, residence time, pressure, catalyst). This study will develop an innovative evaluation method for studying the effects of poultry litter properties and pyrolysis conditions on biochar properties and yield. Researchers will measure biophysical system responses and impact of applying prepared poultry litter-based biochar. They will perform a life-cycle assessment (LCA) with techno-economic analysis of biochar production from poultry litter and its core applications.The project will contribute to the development of a comprehensive evaluation method for the physicochemical properties of biomass fuels (e.g., poultry litter) and benefits of biochar on soil properties and plant growth. In addition, an improved life cycle analysis (LCA) will help to effectively evaluate the environmental, economic, and social attributes of the pyrolysis process for converting poultry litter waste into poultry litter biochar. This project will facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between Morgan State University's Departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Chemistry so that each department can utilize state-of-the-art instrumentation needed for undertaking novel research applications of poultry litter pyrolysis technology. The project will introduce new tools, instrumentation, methods, and processes to minority students to facilitate diverse and interdisciplinary collaborations. The project will also build a new systematic process for understanding the production, applications, and benefits of biochar. This study will assist regional poultry farmers (i.e., about 2,000 farms in Maryland) in selecting cost-effective bedding materials and optimizing pyrolysis conditions for converting poultry litter into high-quality poultry litter biochar.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.