Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #109564
Title: A CARBONATE AND ALKALI TREATMENT THAT ELIMINATES ESCHERICHIA COLI FROM DAIRY CATTLE MANURE

Author
item DIEZ-GONZALEZ, FRANCISCO - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item JARVIS, GRAEME - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item ADAMOVICH, DAVID - CORNELL UNIVERSITY
item Russell, James

Submitted to: Joint Abstracts of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/24/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Escherichia coli persists in stored dairy cattle manure for long periods of time, and it is a potential source of water contamination. Most strains of E. coli are harmless, but some cattle harbor pathogenic strains (e.g. O157:H7) without showing signs of infection. Viable E. coli counts in fresh manure (n = 25) and in farm storage tanks (n = 5) ranged from 105 to 108 per g. When fresh cattle feces were mixed equal parts (1 to 1) with urine, the E. coli counts declined, and after 10 days, the viable E. coli count was < 10 cells per g manure. If feces and urine were mixed in a 2.2 to 1, a ratio typical of dairy cattle, the E. coli count did not decrease. The antibacterial activity of urine could not be explained by urea, alkaline pH, or ammonia, but the fecal urease produced CO2 that was trapped as carbonate by the alkaline pH. When urine pH was decreased to from 8.5 to 6.0, CO2 was dissipated, and antimicrobial effect was lost, even if the pH was re-adjusted to 8.5. E. coli K-12 and O157:H7 cultures that were treate with Na2CO3 (100 mM, pH 8.5, 24 h) did not persist, and dairy cattle manure (feces to urine ratio of 2.2 to 1) that was supplemented by Na2CO3 addition (8 g/kg, 5 days) had E. coli counts < 10 cells per g. If the manure pH declined, the carbonate treatment was not always effective, but pH declines could be prevented by NaOH. When NaOH was included (2 g/kg), Na2CO3 additions could be decreased (4 g/kg), and treatment time was still only 5 days. Water dilution (3-fold) did not diminish the effectiveness of the carbonate/alkali treatment, and viability was still < 10 cells per g. Based on a manure output of 14,000 kg per cow per year, the treatment cost could be < $10 per year per dairy cow.