High-solid anaerobic digestion is an attractive solution to the problem of sewage sludge disposal. One method that can be used to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the generation of methane from anaerobic digestion involves combining an alkaline pretreatment step with the synergistic effects of sewage sludge and cattle manure co-digestion, which improves the activity of ...

As a part of the USEPA's concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) final rule, all CAFOs are required to develop and implement a nutrient management plan (NMP). The USEPA's emphasis on better management of nutrients appropriately targets a critical environmental issue associated with animal production. The concentration of animals in livestock feeding operations, often separate from feed gra...

After proper sanitation treatment, organic wastes such as animal by-products, e.g. catering waste, slaughterhouse waste and manure can be used as fertilisers and soil conditioners and thereby contribute to a sustainable society. However, organic waste may contain pathogenic microorganisms and can thus present a health risk to both humans and animals if not properly treated. In the present thesi...

Among ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Nitrosomonas eutropha-like microbes are distributed in strongly eutrophic environments such as wastewater treatment plants and animal manure. In the present study, we isolated an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium tolerant of high ammonium levels, designated strain KYUHI-S(T), from composted cattle manure. Unlike the other known Nitrosomonas species, this isolate grew...

To determine the fate of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) non-O 157 in composted manure from naturally colonized cattle, fresh manure was obtained from three cows carrying non-O157 STEC strains possessing the stx2 gene. Two composting systems were used: a 0.6m deep cave opened in the soil and an one meter high solid manure heap in a pyramidal architecture. Every day, for the 10 first day...

A field experiment was conducted to investigate effects of four organic manure sources (vermicompost, poultry manure, sheep & goat manure and cattle FYM) on growth and yield attributing characters of garlic in greenhouse condition during extreme winter months (October to May) at Leh-Ladakh, India with three application rates of organic manures viz. 10, 20 and 30 tons ha-1. The results revealed ...

In 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that only 6.4% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originated from agriculture. Of this amount, 53.5% comes from animal agriculture. Agricultural activities are the largest source of N2O emissions in the U.S. accounting for 69% of the total N2O emissions for 2009. In animal agriculture, the greatest contributor to methane emissions ...

Managing fertilizer applications to maintain soil P below environmentally unacceptable levels should consider the contribution of manure and synthetic fertilizer sources to soluble and extractable forms of P. Our objective was to evaluate soil and manure characteristics and application rates on P extractability in recently amended soils. Five soils of the U.S. southern High Plains were amended ...

Land application of manure containing antimicrobials results in the dispersion of the antimicrobials in agro-ecosystems. Dissipation of excreted antimicrobials in seasonally frozen agricultural soils has not been fully characterized under field conditions. This study investigated the field dissipation kinetics of chlortetracycline, sulfamethazine, and tylosin over a 10-mo period after fall appl...