Shafiqur Rahman

Effect of Liquid Municipal Biosolid Application Method on Tile and Ground Water Quality

This study examined bacteria and nutrient quality in tile drainage and shallow ground water resulting from a fall land application of liquid municipal biosolids (LMB), at field application rates of 93,500 L ha(-1), to silt-clay loam agricultural field plots using two different land application approaches. The land application methods were a one-pass AerWay SSD approach (A), and surface spreading plus subsequent incorporation (SS). For both treatments, it took between 3 and 39 min for LMB to reach tile drains after land application. The A treatment significantly (p < 0.1) reduced application-induced LMB contamination of tile drains relative to the SS treatment, as shown by mass loads of total Kjeldahl N (TKN), NH(4)-N, Total P (TP), PO(4)-P, E. coli., and Clostridium perfringens. E. coli contamination resulting from application occurred to at least 2.0-m depth in ground water, but was more notable in ground water immediately beneath tile depth (1.2 m). Treatment ground water concentrations of selected nutrients and bacteria for the study period ( approximately 46 d) at 1.2-m depth were significantly higher in the treatment plots, relative to control plots. The TKN and TP ground water concentrations at 1.2-m depth were significantly (p < 0.1) higher for the SS treatment, relative to the A treatment, but there were no significant (p > 0.1) treatment differences for the bacteria. For the macroporous field conditions observed, pre-tillage by equipment such as the AerWay SSD, will reduce LMB-induced tile and shallow ground water contamination compared to surface spreading over non-tilled soil, followed by incorporation.

Prospect of anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure: a review

Dairy manure is an abundant waste in dairy farming and poses handling, storage and disposal challenges. With poor management, dairy manure produces odour, ammonia and releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a means to produce renewable energy and to reduce environmental impacts resulting from improper management of dairy manure. Dairy manure AD suffers from low biogas production per unit mass, hence it is costly per unit volume. To improve biogas production per unit volume, anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure is one of the methods used to enhance biogas production. This article reviews various approaches and challenges of co-digestion to enhance biogas production and methane yield that have been used in the last decade. Substrate selection and prediction of biogas production based on chemical oxygen demand are the main areas of focus. Process inhibition by co-substrates is also examined.

Greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle pen surfaces in North Dakota

There is a global interest to quantify and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) (e.g. methane-CH4, nitrous oxide-N2O and carbon dioxide-CO2) emissions in animal feeding operations. The goal of this study was to quantify GHG emissions from the feedlot pen surface under North Dakota climatic conditions. In this study gaseous flux from the pen surfaces was generated using a custom-made wind tunnel at different times of the year (summer, fall, winter and spring). Gaseous fluxes (air samples) were drawn in the Tedlar bags using a vacuum chamber and gas concentrations were measured using a gas chromatograph within 24 h of sampling. The CH4 concentrations and flux rates (FRs) or flux among the months were not significantly different. Overall CH4, CO2 and N2O concentrations over a 7-month period were 2.66, 452 and 0.67 ppm, respectively. Estimated overall CH4, CO and N2O FRs were 1.32, 602 and 0.90 g m−2 d−1, respectively. Estimated emission rates using the wind tunnel were 38 g hd−1 d−1, 17 kg hd−1 d−1 and 26 g hd−1 d−1 for CH4, CO2 and N2O, respectively. The emission factors for GHG estimated in the research for North Dakota climate were the first of its kind, and these emission estimates can be used as a basis for planning and implementing management practices to minimize GHG emissions.

Application of flue gas desulfurization gypsum and its impact on wheat grain and soil chemistry.

The 11 major electricity-generating coal combustion stations in the northern Great Plains have the potential to produce almost 1 million Mg of flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) annually, which is a very attractive fertilizer (Ca and S) and amendment for sodic and acid soils. The potential environmental impacts of applying FGDG to soils in this region have not been fully investigated. The objectives of this research were to determine the influence of FGDG on soil chemical characteristics and to determine the impact that FGDG has on hard red spring wheat ( L.) yields and element analysis of the grain. Flue gas desulfurization gypsum and commercial gypsum were applied at rates of 0, 2.24, 11.2, and 22.4 Mg ha to two soils in southwestern North Dakota in the spring of 2007. Soil and grain chemistries were monitored for two growing seasons. Wheat grain yields and elemental analysis of the grain were generally not affected by the gypsum treatments, indicating that the gypsum products did not negatively affect plant productivity. In addition, soil elemental analysis was similar across the treatments at both sites in both years. The results from this study indicate that its application to soil at rates used for sodic soil remediation (Mg ha) did not negatively affect the chemistries of either the soils or the wheat evaluated in this study compared with a commercial gypsum product or control soils.

Odor, Ammonia, and Hydrogen Sulfide Concentration and Emissions from Two Farrowing-Gestation Swine Operations in North Dakota

Odor and air emissions from swine facilities are a growing public nuisance faced by animal industries across the country. Quantification of odor, ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions from swine facilities is essential to develop and implement odor abatement techniques. In this study, odor, NH3 and H2S emissions were measured bi-weekly/monthly from two sow farms (Farm-A with outdoor lagoon systems; Farm-B deep pit system) in North Dakota. Air samples were collected from exhaust fans using a vacuum chamber and Tedlar bags. Odor detection threshold values were determined using a dynamic dilution olfactometer. Ammonia and H2S concentration were measured using DragerTM chip measurement systems (CMS) and a JeromeTM meter. Air flow rates from exhaust fans were measured using a portable thermo-anemometer and ventilation rate was determined as the summation of air flow rates of all fans.

Runoff Potentiality of a Watershed through SCS and Functional Data Analysis Technique

Runoff potentiality of a watershed was assessed based on identifying curve number (CN), soil conservation service (SCS), and functional data analysis (FDA) techniques. Daily discrete rainfall data were collected from weather stations in the study area and analyzed through lowess method for smoothing curve. As runoff data represents a periodic pattern in each watershed, Fourier series was introduced to fit the smooth curve of eight watersheds. Seven terms of Fourier series were introduced for the watersheds 5 and 8, while 8 terms of Fourier series were used for the rest of the watersheds for the best fit of data. Bootstrapping smooth curve analysis reveals that watersheds 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 are with monthly mean runoffs of 29, 24, 22, 23, 26, and 27u2009mm, respectively, and these watersheds would likely contribute to surface runoff in the study area. The purpose of this study was to transform runoff data into a smooth curve for representing the surface runoff pattern and mean runoff of each watershed through statistical method. This study provides information of runoff potentiality of each watershed and also provides input data for hydrological modeling.

Characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticle (nZnO) alginate beads in reducing gaseous emission from swine manure

ABSTRACT Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and greenhouse gases’ emission from livestock production facilities are of concern to human welfare and the environment. Application of nanoparticles (NPs) has emerged as a potential option for minimizing these gaseous emissions. Application of bare NPs, however, could have an adverse effect on plants, soil, human health, and the environment. To minimize NPs’ exposure to the environment by recovering them, NPs were entrapped in polymeric beads for treating livestock manure. The objectives of the research were to understand the mechanism of gaseous reduction in swine manure treated for 33 days with zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) or nZnO-entrapped alginate (alginate-nZnO) beads by different characterization techniques. Headspace gases from treated manure flasks were collected in 2–6-day intervals during the experimental period and were analyzed for methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and H2S concentrations. The microbial analysis of manure was carried out using bacterial plate counts and Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction methods. Morphology and chemical composition of alginate-nZnO beads were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Alginate-nZnO beads or bare nZnO proved to be an effective NP in reducing H2S (up to 99%), CH4 (49–72%), and CO2 (46–62%) from manure stored under anaerobic conditions and these reductions are likely due to the microbial inhibitory effect from nZnO, as well as chemical conversion. Both SEM-EDS and XPS analysis confirmed the presence of zinc sulfide (ZnS) in the beads, which is likely formed by reacting nZnO with H2S.

Effects of pen bedding and feeding high crude protein diets on manure composition and greenhouse gas emissions from a feedlot pen surface

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from concentrated animal feeding operations vary by stage of production and management practices. The objective of this research was to study the effect of two dietary crude protein levels (12 and 16%) fed to beef steers in pens with or without corn stover bedding. Manure characteristics and GHG emissions were measured from feedlot pen surfaces. Sixteen equal-sized feedlot pens (19u2009×u200923 m) were used. Eight were bedded approximately twice a week with corn stover and the remaining eight feedlot pens were not bedded. Angus steers (n = 138) were blocked by live weights (lighter and heavier) with 7 to 10 animals per pen. The trial was a 2u2009×u20092 factorial design with factors of two protein levels and two bedding types (bedding vs. non bedding), with four replicates. The study was conducted from June through September and consisted of four ˜28-day periods. Manure from each pen was scrapped once every 28 days and composite manure samples from each pen were collected. Air samples from pen surfaces were sampled in Tedlar bags using a Vac-U-Chamber coupled with a portable wind tunnel and analyzed with a greenhouse gas gas chromatograph within 24 hr of sampling. The manure samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia (NH3), total volatile fatty acid (TVFA), total carbon (TC), total phosphorus (TP), and potassium (K). The air samples were analyzed for methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O) concentrations. The concentration of TN was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in manure from pens with cattle fed the high protein diets. The volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids concentrations were similar across both treatments. There were no significant differences in pen surface GHG emissions across manure management and dietary crude protein levels. Implications: Livestock manure produces odor and emits GHGs (CO2, CH4, and N2O) at different stages of production and management practices that have significant environmental concerns. Thus, it is important to measure GHG contributions from different sources and develop appropriate mitigation strategies for minimizing GHG contribution from livestock production facilities. Two dietary protein levels (12 and 16%) fed to beef steers in pens with or without corn stover bedding were studied. The results indicated that dietary protein levels and bedding vs. no bedding had very little effect on GHG emissions and manure composition under open feedlot conditions in North Dakota climatic conditions and management practices.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Housing and Manure Management Systems at Confined Livestock Operations

© 2012 Borhan et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Housing and Manure Management Systems at Confined Livestock Operations

Models for Manure Distribution in Soil Following Liquid Manure Injection

Manure distribution in soil is an important aspect of liquid manure injection as it affects the uniformity of plant nutrient uptake and the environment. In this study, manure distribution in soil was quantified by characterizing the manure-soil mix zone following liquid manure injection. The data on the manure-soil mix zone were taken in a previous field trial of liquid manure injection using two contrasting injection tools (winged and simple tools) at three different volumes of manure per meter of manure band length, namely micro-rates (r 1 = 1.2 x 10 -3 , r 2 = 2.4 x10 -3 , and r 3 = 3.6 x10 -3 m 3 m -1 ). The manure-soil mix zones were characterized using eight attributes, including the zone area (A mix ), perimeter (P), major axis (L), minor axis (T), the ratio of these two axes (y), angle of the major axis, and the shape of the zone in terms of elongation and roundness. The results showed that for both winged and simple tools, the zone was significantly greater at an increased micro-rate of manure application, as indicated by the increased A mix , P, L, and T. As the values of both L and T increased at the same time, their aspect ratio, y, remained unchanged when the micro-rate was increased. Under each tool, the shape of the manure-soil mix zone was not significantly affected by the micro-rate. Models that predict A, L, and T of the manure-soil mix zone for both winged and simple tools were developed using the basic soil parameters and manure application rate as the model inputs. The model was calibrated using two-year field data and validated with one-year field data. Good agreements between the field data and the model results were obtained with relative errors below 15% in most cases.