The ManureEcoMine pilot installation: advanced integration of technologies for the management of organics and nutrients in livestock waste

Water Sci Technol. 2017 Mar;75(5-6):1281-1293. doi: 10.2166/wst.2016.559.

Abstract

Manure represents an exquisite mining opportunity for nutrient recovery (nitrogen and phosphorus), and for their reuse as renewable fertilisers. The ManureEcoMine proposes an integrated approach of technologies, operated in a pilot-scale installation treating swine manure (83.7%) and Ecofrit® (16.3%), a mix of vegetable residues. Thermophilic anaerobic digestion was performed for 150 days, the final organic loading rate was 4.6 kgCOD m-3 d-1, with a biogas production rate of 1.4 Nm3 m-3 d-1. The digester was coupled to an ammonia side-stream stripping column and a scrubbing unit for free ammonia inhibition reduction in the digester, and nitrogen recovery as ammonium sulphate. The stripped digestate was recirculated daily in the digester for 15 days (68% of the digester volume), increasing the gas production rate by 27%. Following a decanter centrifuge, the digestate liquid fraction was treated with an ultrafiltration membrane. The filtrate was fed into a struvite reactor, with a phosphorus recovery efficiency of 83% (as orthophosphate). Acidification of digestate could increment the soluble orthophosphate concentration up to four times, enhancing phosphorus enrichment in the liquid fraction and its recovery via struvite. A synergistic combination of manure processing steps was demonstrated to be technologically feasible to upgrade livestock waste into refined, concentrated fertilisers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acids / chemistry
  • Ammonia / analysis
  • Ammonium Compounds / analysis
  • Anaerobiosis
  • Animals
  • Centrifugation
  • Chemical Precipitation
  • Livestock*
  • Manure / analysis*
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Nitrogen / analysis
  • Organic Chemicals / analysis*
  • Permeability
  • Phosphorus / analysis
  • Pilot Projects
  • Struvite / chemistry
  • Swine
  • Temperature
  • Ultrafiltration
  • Waste Management / methods*
  • Waste Products / analysis*

Substances

  • Acids
  • Ammonium Compounds
  • Manure
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Organic Chemicals
  • Waste Products
  • Phosphorus
  • Ammonia
  • Struvite
  • Nitrogen