ARS | Publication request: Manure treatment for green farming systems of the southeastern USA

Submitted to: Recycling of Agricultural Municipal and Industrial Residues
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: June 4, 2010
Publication Date: September 13, 2010
Citation: Hunt, P.G., Cantrell, K.B., Ro, K.S., Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A., Novak, J.M., Bauer, P.J. 2010. Manure treatment for green farming systems of the southeastern USA. In: Proceedings of the 14th Ramiran International Conference, September 12-15, 2010, Lisboa, Portugal. 4 p. 2010 CDROM.

Technical Abstract: Although most of the farms of the southeastern USA are relatively small, they often have profit centers of livestock or high value crops. This livestock production is vital to the regional economy. It is common for more that 50% of the agricultural cash receipts for states of this region to come from livestock. For the emerging green farming systems, the livestock manures are critical components of a more profitable and green farming system. For this superior possibility to be realized, the desired farming-system management of livestock waste must be made environmentally benign and sustainable. This can be done with existing and emerging technologies that 1) extract and recycle excess nutrients, 2) destroy pathogenic microbes and pharmaceutically active compounds, 3) produce bioenergy, and 4) create carbon and other natural resources credits. Many of the bioenergy conversion technologies will be compact and thermochemical. The transformed manure will be pathogen and pharmaceutically active compound free. The thermochemical technologies can convert blends of wood, grass, and livestock manure feedstocks into energy. They will also produce a range of products including biochar that can be used to build soil quality and create carbon credits. The patented Pyrogen™ pyrolysis technology has shown great potential for producing these products. The wood feedstocks produce biochars that are high in carbon for building soils and create carbon credits. The manure feedstocks produce nutrient-dense soil amendments suitable for supplying crop nutrients. While advance in technology, policy, and businesses models will be required, there is significant opportunity for advancement into such green farming systems.