Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Animal Products: dairy
Practices
- Animal Production: manure management
- Education and Training: extension
Abstract:
Solids and nutrients found in liquid manure pose challenges to manure handling processes and cause environmental concern. Separating solids and nutrients from liquid manure is a critical step in reducing manure handling costs, enabling better use of nutrients and water, controlling odor and gas emissions from manure storage lagoons and manure irrigated lands, and reducing pollution potential to ground and surface waters caused by manure, thus supporting the sustainability of the dairy industry. This project will be the first to evaluate and compare centrifuge and disk filtration separation technologies with a commonly used screen separation method to provide research-based information to help dairy producers make informed decisions. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate, evaluate, and encourage the widespread adoption of the centrifuge and disk filtration solid/nutrient separation technologies, resulting in a more sustainable dairy industry. The approach combines on-farm evaluation, lab tests, cost analysis, and extension activities. The project will demonstrate the centrifuge and disk filtration effects on the capture of solids, nitrogen, and phosphorous and on mitigating ammonia emissions. The cost effectiveness of each technology will be analyzed to provide critical economic information for Idaho and western region dairy producers. The expected outputs and outcomes include: 1) assessment of solids, nitrogen, and phosphorous separation efficiencies; 2) assessment of ammonia emissions from both treated and untreated liquid dairy manure; 3) analysis of costs associated with the demonstrated technologies; 4) field days and producer workshops; 5) development of scholarly publications and educational materials; and 6) increased knowledge, well-informed producers, and increased adoption of the demonstrated technologies.
Project objectives:
(1) Evaluate efficiencies on capturing solids, N and P from liquid dairy manure by three different separation technologies (centrifuge, disk filtration, and inclined screen) under real farm operation conditions. This evaluation and comparison will provide producers research-based data for making informed decisions;
(2) Evaluate NH3 emissions from centrifuge, disk filtration, and inclined screen treated and untreated liquid manure to document their effects on mitigating NH3 emissions;
(3) Analyze costs associated with the demonstrated technologies to provide economic information to help producers make informed decisions;
(4) Develop scholarly publications and educational materials to encourage the widespread adoption of the demonstrated technologies in Idaho and the western states;
(5) Deliver four field days during this project period to demonstrate the manure solid/nutrient centrifuge and disk filtration separation technologies to familiar stakeholders with the demonstrated technologies;
(6) Conduct in-service training for Idaho statewide extension personnel to increase extension manpower;
(7) Hold three producer workshops to communicate the project results with dairy producers, resulting in increased awareness of the demonstrated technologies among farmers.