Optimization of biogas production from cattle manure by pre-treatment with ultrasound and co-digestion with crude glycerin

Biogas production by co-digestion of cattle manure with crude glycerin obtained from biodiesel production was studied after pre-treatment of the cattle manure or mixtures of cattle manure with different amounts of added glycerin with ultrasound. Batch experiments with 1750 mL of medium containing 1760 g of screened cattle manure or mixtures of cattle manure (screened or ground) and 70-140 mL or crude glycerin were incubated under mesophilic and thermophilic condition in stirred tank reactors. Under mesophilic conditions, the addition of 4% glycerin to screened manure increased biogas production by up to 400%. Application of sonication (20 kHz, 0.1 kW, and 4 min) to a mixture of manure + 4% glycerin increased production of biogas by up to 800% compared to untreated manure. The best results were obtained under thermophilic conditions using sonicated mixtures of ground cattle manure with 6% added glycerin (348 L methane/kg COD removed were obtained).     

New insights into the structure and dynamics of actinomycetal community during manure composting

Despite advancing knowledge about the functional role of actinomycetes in degrading lignocellulosic materials, definitive knowledge concerning the diversity and dynamics of the actinomycetal community in composting is still lacking. In this study, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and clone library construction were applied to investigate actinomycetal diversity and dynamics in a pilot-scale composting. Quantitative real-time PCR data revealed that actinomycetes accounted for 18–86 % of bacteria and that the fraction peaked during the maturing phase, indicating that Actinobacteria were critical to the compost ecosystem. Qualitatively, actinomycetal communities displayed distinct temporal variations during composting. Fourteen distinct genera of actinomycetes and an unknown group were observed in manure composts. Redundancy analysis indicated that temperature exerted an influence over the actinomycetal communities. Specifically, pathogenic Corynebacterium species dominated in the initial phase, whereas the genera Saccharomonospora and Thermobifida were abundant in the thermophilic phase. In maturing composts, mesophilic Micrococcineae members were most prevalent. The dominant thermophiles along with Micrococcineae may jointly facilitate the degradation of lignocellulosic materials during composting. Together, our research revealed a more detailed ecological and potential functional role for actinomycetes in the compost ecology.     

Actinomycetes and Fungi in Surface Waters and in Potable Water

In Finnish lakes and rivers used as water supplies, mesophilic fungi and actinomycetes were common, whereas thermophilic fungi and actinomycetes were present only in low concentrations. Fungi and actinomycetes were more abundant in eutrophic and mesotrophic lakes than in oligotrophic lakes. River water contained more thermophilic actinomycetes and fungi and mesophilic actinomycetes than did lake water. Runoff from soil seemed to be an important factor contributing to the incidence of these microbes in water. Chemical coagulation removed actinomycetes and fungi efficiently, but sand filtration allowed their passage. Disinfection could not prevent actinomycetes and fungi from reaching the distribution system. During infiltration in the production of recharged groundwater, mesophilic actinomycetes could even multiply appreciably.     

陕西省有机肥料施用状况分析评价

根据陕西省土壤肥料工作站14年农户肥料施用调查结果,对陕西有机肥施用的历史和现状进行了剖析,有机肥在农田总养分(N+P2O5+K2O)投入中的比重逐年减少,2000年只占46．9％。比1986年下降了近23个百分点,在农田钾素主要依靠有机肥供应的情况下,有机肥投入的减少造成土壤基础肥力逐年下降,有些地区出现钾素营养不足现象,在投肥总量上尽管粮食作物依然为主体,但单位面积投肥量果树、蔬菜则高于粮食作物,特别是从20世纪90年代中期开始一些地区在苹果上的投肥量明显增加,占投肥总量的50％左右。此外,分析了有机肥投入减少的原因,并提出商品有机肥将是今后提高有机肥投入的有效途径。     

Correction to: Escherichia coli persistence kinetics in dairy manure at moderate,mesophilic, and thermophilic temperatures under aerobic and anaerobic environments

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Escherichia coli persistence kinetics in dairy manure at moderate, mesophilic, and thermophilic temperatures.     

Digestion of cattle manure: thermogravimetric kinetic analysis for the evaluation of organic matter conversion

Anaerobic digestion of cattle manure was studied under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions with the purpose of evaluating the effect of temperature on the quality of the final digestate. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetic analysis was applied for assessing organic matter conversion of biological stabilization. The mathematical approximation proves to be a useful tool for evaluating the differences attained during biological degradation. The anaerobic digestion of the organic substrate resulted in a reduction of the activation energy value obtained from the different applied kinetic models. Results obtained from thermal kinetic analysis were in accordance with those from the monitoring of the anaerobic digestion process. The higher values of methane yield reported for the mesophilic digestion in comparison to that of the thermophilic indicated a greater capability of the former process in the utilization of substrate and thus a higher conversion of organic matter which can be quantified by the activation energy value.     

Digestion of cattle manure under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions: characterization of organic matter applying thermal analysis and <Superscript>1</Superscript>H NMR

Digestion of cattle manure collected from a livestock farm together with bedding material (straw) has been studied under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions in batch reactors. The digestion was carried out for a prolonged period with the aim of evaluating the changes undergone by the organic matter. The mesophilic digestion carried out revealed a greater capacity to produce gas and transform organic matter, while a higher conversion rate, but a lower gas yield, was obtained under thermophilic conditions. Degradation of the organic matter was evaluated by means of thermal analysis and ¹H NMR. Stabilisation through anaerobic digestion (either mesophilic or thermophilic) resulted in an increase in the quality of the organic matter, as characterised by an enrichment in thermostable compounds, and an accumulation of long chain aliphatic materials. The experiments performed demonstrated the transformation of organic matter into complex materials under anaerobic conditions with an accumulation of aliphatic components under both types of conditions tested. Degradation through mesophilic digestion, in comparison to the thermophilic process, resulted in a greater destruction of straw particles.     

Characterization of dairy cattle manure/wallboard paper compost mixture

The aim of this research was to evaluate the use of manufacturing wallboard paper scraps as an alternative bulking agent for dairy cattle manure composting. The characteristics of the composting process were studied based on the changes in physico-chemical parameters and final compost quality. Composting of dairy cattle manure with wallboard paper was performed in a 481-L cylindrical reactor with vacuum-type aeration. Rapid degradation of organic matter was observed during the thermophilic stage of composting due to high microbial activity. High temperature and alkaline pH conditions promoted intense ammonia emission during the early stage of composting. The number of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms were found to be affected by changes in temperature at different composting stages. The total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) concentrations of the mixture did not change significantly after 28days of composting. However, the presence of gypsum in the paper scraps increased the calcium content of the final compost. The wallboard paper had no phyto-inhibitory effects as shown by high germination index of final compost (GI=99%).     

Microbial prevalence in domestic humidifiers.

The prevalence of viable thermophilic bacteria and actinomycetes and mesophilic fungi was examined in 145 samples from 110 domestic humidifiers. A total of 72 and 43% of furnace and console humidifier samples, respectively, contained viable thermophilic bacteria, whereas 60 and 72% of these samples produced mesophilic fungal growth. Thermophilic actinomycetes were recovered from seven humidifier samples. Efforts to detect thermophilic actinomycete antigens in 15 humidifier fluid samples were not successful. Antifoulants added to humidifier fluid reservoirs had no apparent effect on microbial frequency. Airborne microbial recoveries did not reflect patterns of humidifier contamination with respect to either kinds or numbers of microorganisms in 20 homes in which volumetric air samples were obtained during humidifier operation.     

Influence of temperature on the performance of anaerobic fixed-film reactors utilizing screened dairy manure

Thermophilic (55°C) and mesophilic (35°C and 22°C) anaerobic digestions in laboratory scale (4 litre) fixed-film reactors fed with screened dairy manure were successfully operated over a range of hydraulic retention times, from 1 to 20 days. Maximum methane production rates of 1·82, 1·68 and 1·28 litres CH₄ litre⁻¹ day⁻¹ occurred at 1, 1·5 and 1 days HRT for the respective 55°C, 35°C and 22°C reactors. Both thermophilic and mesophilic digestions achieved maximum biodegradation efficiency at 10 days HRT. The thermophilic fixed-film reactor performed better than completely-mixed reactors in terms of methane production at HRTs shorter than 2 days. From the results, mesophilic fixed-film reactor operated at 35°C provided optimum methane production and net energy output between 1 and 5 days HRT.     

Bacterial community analysis of swine manure treated with autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion

Due to the enviornmental problems associated with disposal of livestock sludge, many stabilization studies emphasizing on the sludge volume reduction were performed. However, little is known about the microbial risk present in sludge and its stabilized products. This study microbiologically explored the effects of anaerobic lagoon fermentation (ALF) and autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) on pathogen-related risk of raw swine manure by using culture-independent 16S rDNA cloning and sequencing methods. In raw swine manure, clones closely related to pathogens such as Dialister pneumosintes, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Succinivibrioan dextrinosolvens, and Schineria sp. were detected. Meanwhile, in the mesophilic ALF-treated swine manure, bacterial community clones closely related to pathogens such as Schineria sp. and Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens were still detected. Interestingly, the ATAD treatment resulted in no detection of clones closely related to pathogens in the stabilized thermophilic bacterial community, with the predominance of novel Clostridia class populations. These findings support the superiority of ATAD in selectively reducing potential human and animal pathogens compared to ALF, which is a typical manure stabilization method used in livestock farms.     

微生物菌剂对猪粪堆肥中细菌群落结构的影响

以猪粪和小麦秸秆做堆肥试验,处理组添加外源微生物菌剂,利用常规方法对堆肥样品进行理化性状测定,采用高通量测序技术分析堆肥过程中细菌群落特征。理化性状测定结果表明: 添加外源菌剂可延长堆肥高温时间,降低堆肥发酵末期的pH,增加全氮含量,加快C/N的下降。主成分分析表明: 外源菌剂影响堆肥样品细菌群落的稳定性。门分类水平上,厚壁菌门、变形菌门和绿弯菌门的相对丰度在处理组中较高;纲分类水平上,梭状芽孢杆菌纲、α-变形菌纲和γ-变形菌纲在处理组的升温期和高温期相对丰度增加;科分类水平上,小单孢菌科和梭状芽孢杆菌纲的消化链球菌科、梭菌科以及盐厌氧菌科的相对丰度在处理组的升温期和高温期均呈上升趋势。Pearson相关性分析表明,盐胞菌属与外源菌剂呈显著正相关,而氨苄芽孢杆菌属与外源菌剂呈显著负相关。研究表明,猪粪堆肥中添加外源菌剂可使堆肥的理化性质和细菌群落结构均发生显著变化。     

Change in Microbial Numbers during Thermophilic Composting of Sewage Sludge with Reference to CO(2) Evolution Rate

Dewatered sewage sludge was composted in a laboratory-scale autothermal reactor in which a constant temperature of 60 degrees C was kept as long as possible by regulating the air feed rate. The change in CO(2) evolution rate was measured continuously from the start up through the cessation of compositing. The succession of mesophilic bacteria, thermophilic bacteria, and thermophilic actinomycetes was also observed during the composting. Specific CO(2) evolution rates of thermophilic bacteria and actinomycetes in the constant-temperature region of 60 degrees C were assessed quantitatively. It was found that the CO(2) evolution rate was attributed to thermophilic bacteria at the initial stage of 60 degrees C and to thermophilic actinomycetes at the later stage of 60 degrees C.     

Co-composting solid swine manure with pine sawdust as organic substrate

The main objectives of this work were to investigate the evolution of the principal physicochemical properties, i.e., bulk temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content, total organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus, in co-composting pine sawdust with increasing percentages of fresh solid swine manure, and thus to evaluate the most desirable manure proportion for producing organic substrates in consideration of the quality of the resulted compost. The composting was in four identical 100.5l lab vessels, using 5% each tea leaves and herb residues as conditioners. The swine manure was added in the trials at 20%, 30%, 40%, respectively, and was substituted in the control with 30% lake sludge corrected by 0.5% urea. The initial humidity of each treatment was 60+/-2%. While being aerated actively at approximately 0.3m(3)/min at intervals of 10 min/h, the mixture was composted for 29 days. The results indicated that N and P decomposition primarily occurred in the mesophilic phase, while organic carbon decomposed in the thermophilic phase and 30% swine manure with initial C/N ratio of about 40 was more desirable for composting organic substrates.     

Change in Microbial Numbers during Thermophilic Composting of Sewage Sludge with Reference to CO2 Evolution Rate

Dewatered sewage sludge was composted in a laboratory-scale autothermal reactor in which a constant temperature of 60°C was kept as long as possible by regulating the air feed rate. The change in CO₂ evolution rate was measured continuously from the start up through the cessation of compositing. The succession of mesophilic bacteria, thermophilic bacteria, and thermophilic actinomycetes was also observed during the composting. Specific CO₂ evolution rates of thermophilic bacteria and actinomycetes in the constant-temperature region of 60°C were assessed quantitatively. It was found that the CO₂ evolution rate was attributed to thermophilic bacteria at the initial stage of 60°C and to thermophilic actinomycetes at the later stage of 60°C.     

Thermotolerant and thermophilic actinomycetes from soils of Mongolia desert steppe zone

In the actinomycete complexes of Mongolian desert soils, thermotolerant and thermophilic actinomycetes were found in high abundance, exceeding that of the mesophilic forms. Among the thermotolerant members of the order Actinomycetales, Streptomyces, Micromonospora, Actinomadura, and Streptosporangium species were most widespread in desert soils. Experiments with soil microcosms demonstrated that thermophilic actinomycetes in desert soils grew, developed, and formed mycelia of the length comparable to that of the mesophilic forms of actinomycetes. Molecular biological investigation of the samples of desert steppe soils by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed members of the phylum Actinobacteria. FISH analysis revealed that the biomass of the metabolically active mycelial actinobacteria in the prokaryotic community of Mongolian desert soils exceeded that of the unicellular Actinobacteria.     

Changes in microbial biomass indices after 10 years of farmyard manure and vegetal fertilizer application to a sandy soil under organic management

The main objective of the second Darmstadt trial was to investigate the effects of vegetal fertilizers on soil properties and crop yield in comparison with farmyard manure. The experiment consisted of seven treatments: (i) inorganic fertilizers, (ii) vegetal organic fertilizers, (iii) vegetal organic fertilizers equivalent to biodynamic preparations, (iv) cattle farmyard manure, (v) cattle farmyard manure with addition of biodynamic preparations, (vi) high level of cattle farmyard manure, and (vii) high level of cattle farmyard manure with biodynamic preparations. The soil properties analyzed were pH, soil organic C, N, P, and S, soil microbial biomass C, N, and P, basal respiration and fungal ergosterol. The application of vegetal fertilizers had slightly negative effects on soil organic C, no effects on crop yield (potato, winter rye) and microbial biomass, but positive effects on ergosterol in comparison with farmyard manure. The increase in ergosterol was caused by straw return in the vegetal, but also in the inorganic fertilizer treatments. The biodynamic preparations did not affect the contents of soil organic C and total N. The low effectiveness of vegetal fertiliser in maintaining soil organic C levels is of particular importance for organic cropping systems and should be examined further under different site conditions.     

Persistence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and other zoonotic pathogens during simulated composting, manure packing, and liquid storage of dairy manure

Livestock manures contain numerous microorganisms which can infect humans and/or animals, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis). The effects of commonly used manure treatments on the persistence of these pathogens have rarely been compared. The objective of this study was to compare the persistence of artificially inoculated M. paratuberculosis, as well as other naturally occurring pathogens, during the treatment of dairy manure under conditions that simulate three commonly used manure management methods: thermophilic composting at 55 degrees C, manure packing at 25 degrees C (or low-temperature composting), and liquid lagoon storage. Straw and sawdust amendments used for composting and packing were also compared. Manure was obtained from a large Ohio free-stall dairy herd and was inoculated with M. paratuberculosis at 10(6) CFU/g in the final mixes. For compost and pack treatments, this manure was amended with sawdust or straw to provide an optimal moisture content (60%) for composting for 56 days. To simulate liquid storage, water was added to the manure (to simulate liquid flushing and storage) and the slurry was placed in triplicate covered 4-liter Erlenmeyer flasks, incubated under ambient conditions for 175 days. The treatments were sampled on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 for the detection of pathogens. The persistence of M. paratuberculosis was also assessed by a PCR hybridization assay. After 56 days of composting, from 45 to 60% of the carbon in the compost treatments was converted to CO2, while no significant change in carbon content was observed in the liquid slurry. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria were all detected in the manure and all of the treatments on day 0. After 3 days of composting at 55 degrees C, none of these organisms were detectable. In liquid manure and pack treatments, some of these microorganisms were detectable up to 28 days. M. paratuberculosis was detected by standard culture only on day 0 in all the treatments, but was undetectable in any treatment at 3 and 7 days. On days 14, 28, and 56, M. paratuberculosis was detected in the liquid storage treatment but remained undetectable in the compost and pack treatments. However, M. paratuberculosis DNA was detectable through day 56 in all treatments and up to day 175 in liquid storage treatments. Taken together, the results indicate that high-temperature composting is more effective than pack storage or liquid storage of manure in reducing these pathogens in dairy manure. Therefore, thermophilic composting is recommended for treatment of manures destined for pathogen-sensitive environments such as those for vegetable production, residential gardening, or application to rapidly draining fields.     

Effect of rainfall pattern on nitrogen mineralization and leaching in a green manure experiment in South Rwanda

The effects of green manures, sorghum residues and farmyard manure on N dynamics and crop yields were studied during three dry and wet seasons on a Typic Sombriudox in South Rwanda. In addition, a resin core study was conducted within a 4-year green manure field experiment to follow the seasonal pattern of N mineralization and leaching after application of residues from Tephrosia vogelii, Sorghum bicolor, a mixture of both materials, and farmyard manure.During the dry season, topsoil (0–20 cm) mineral N remained constant. At the beginning of the wet season, the rainfall pattern determined N availability. With low rainfall intensities a mineralization flush occurred, doubling topsoil mineral N concentrations within 5 days after wetting. In contrast, under heavy rains at the onset of the rainy season, topsoil mineral N decreased by 50–70% within the first two weeks.The application of organic fertilizers has a strong influence on N availability, but the effects can be negated by heavy rainfall. Incorporation of leaves from Tephrosia vogelii (2.7 t dm ha^-1) and farmyard manure (7 t dm ha^-1) doubled the mineralization flush after the first rains. During the rest of the wet season, N release by the green manure was small, whereas the farmyard manure was found to mobilize N after a period of N immobilization. Incorporation of sorghum residues had only a small effect, while mixing the straw with green and farmyard manure immobilized N temporarily.Nitrogen leaching, measured by exchange resins at a depth of 20 cm, was increased up to 50% by the incorporation of green and farmyard manure. This points to rapid N translocation of easily mineralizable N. The additional incorporation of sorghum residues reduced N leaching of both materials significantly. Since rainfall is often unpredictable, the synchronization of N released from crop residues with crop N demand may require additional management practices.