Progress 10/01/04 to 06/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: Results were incorporated into existing undergraduate curricula, workshops for high school science teachers, and as a demonstration tool to elicit interest in science from K-12 students. Events: Project results were presented annually at professional meetings (ASA, SSSA, SWCS, RTWG, AR Water Resources Ct, etc.), field days (RREC, Stuttgart, AR; UAEx field days, etc.), workshops and training sessions (UA Ex, AR Soil & Water Conservation Commission, USDA-NRCS). Service: Information results were provided state/federal agencies via telephone conference calls, email listserves, and personal conversations. Products: PP Presentations, revised curricula, water quality demonstration for use by high school science teachers, interactive water quality demonstration to facilitate high school students interested in science, and a provisional patent for producing a value-added fertilizer from granulated broiler litter. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Broiler litter ash produced from burning litter for energy production was shown to contain approximately 14 percent plant available phosphorus by weight and could serve if supplies were available as a viable row-crop phosphorus fertilizer to crops such as corn, rice, and cotton. Stakeholder acceptable value-added fertilizer was produced from granulated biosolids and broiler litter in combination with selected binding agents. The chemical/physical properties of these materials were shown to be comparable to commercial fertilizers while far exceeding qualities of the parent products. A provisional patent was granted for the granulation process and project staff worked with a student (PhD) team from the Sam Walton College of Business to develop a business plan, which successfully competed at the state, region, and national level. Runoff water quality parameters from these materials, especially when biosolids were used, were shown to be better than or comparable to commonly used urban fertilizers while being considerably better than runoff from commercial fertilizer. Water as a binding agent was comparable to other commercial agents while being much cheaper. Specific formulations of these value-added fertilizers are comparable to urea per kg of nitrogen with nitrogen losses being lower than urea. Acceptance of conservation tillage remains low in Arkansas; however, as environmental concerns increase acceptance to stakeholder will increase because these practices were shown to dramatically improve runoff water quality when compared to sediment and total phosphorus loss conventional tillage.
Publications
- None during the reporting period Feburary 2, 2009 through September 30, 2009
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Value-added fertilizer. Shared findings with stakeholders through presentations and reports at state, regional, and national professional meetings, field days, seminars,and classromms-lectures. Project staff worked with industry (poultry and fertilizer-granulation). PARTICIPANTS: Individuals. T.C. Daniel served as major advisor to the Ph.D student, Mark Reiter, working on the project. Dr. Reiter graduated and continues to cooperate with project staff in further development of the patent. University of Arkansas faculty collaborators included Drs. R. Norman, N. Slaton, F. Edwards and N. McKinney. Industry partners include representatives from the poultry and fertilizer industry with special cooperation from Mars Mineral. Personnel from the city of Fayettevillea and OMI also served as interested clients and cooperators. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Value-added fertilizer. A provisional patent was granted for the process of making a value added fertilizer from broiler litter and municipal biosolids and project staff worked with a student-team from the Sam Walton College of Business to develop a business plan presented at the state, regional, and national level.
Publications
- Sharpley, A.N., S. Herron, C. West, and T.C. Daniel. 2008. Outcomes of phosphorus-based nutrient management in the Eucha-Spavinaw Watershed. In A. Franzlubbers (ed.), Farming with Grass: Sustainable Mixed Agricultural Landscapes in Grassland Environments. Proc. Soil & Water Conserv. Soc. conference (Oct., Oklahoma City, OK).
- Staed, J.B, D.M. Miller, K.R. Brye, T.C. Daniel, C. Rom, and E.E. Gbur. 2008. Land use effects on near-surface soil arsenic in the Ozark Highlands. Soil Sci. In press.
- Harper, T.W., K.R. Brye, T.C. Daniel, N.A. Slaton, and B.E. Haggard. 2008. Land use effects on runoff and water quality on an eastern Arkansas soil under simulated rainfall. J. Sustain. Agric. 32:231-253.
- Daniel, T.C., P.B. DeLaune, A.N. Sharpley, M.S. Reiter, J.B. Staed, B.E. Haggard, and M. Cochran. 2008. Edge of field water quality monitoring from various management practices in Ozark Highlands. Final EPA 319 report to AR Soil & Water Conserv. Commission.
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Project results have been shared with stakeholder through presentations and reports at national, regional, and state meetings and field days. Project staff have also collaborated with industry representives from the poultry and fertilizer(granulation) formulation sector.
PARTICIPANTS: Individuals. T.C. Daniel, principal investigator, served as major advisor to the graduate student working on this project. He provided guidance on fertilizer formulation, nutrient analyses, runoff parameters, and writing of the Ph.D. thesis. Dr. Mark Reiter, Ph.D. graduate student provided leadership in conducting the experiments designed to evaluate the value added fertilizers developed from the granulation processs. Partner organizations. Project staff worked with the poultry and fertilizer industry, especially Mars Minerals who assisted in the formulation and actural production of the granulated fertilizers. Collaborators and contacts. Drs. R. Norman, N. Slaton, and F. Edwards from the University of Arkansas.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audience include stakeholders from the poultry growers, poultry industry, environmental groups, fertilizer formulation industry, and civic organizations.
Impacts
Value Added Fertilizer. The project demonstrated that viable stakeholder acceptable value added fertilizers can be developed from granulated biosolids and broiler litter in combination with selected binding agents. Results showed that 1). the chemical and physical properties of the materials far exceed their natural characteristics and are comparable to commercial fertilizer, 2). runoff water quality from these materials is better than or comparable to commonly used urban fertilizers and considerably lower than commercial fertilizer, 3). water as a binding agent was equal to or better than other binding agents, and 4). depending on formulation, these value added fertilizers are comparable to urea per kg N and losses were less than urea. Conservation Tillage. While acceptance of conservation tillage in the row-crop region of eastern Arkansas is well below the national average, such practices where shown to improve runoff water quality. For example, conservation tillage
practices, when compared to convenitonal, dramatically reduced sediment and total phosphorus load while increasing dissolved or soluble runoff phosphorus.
Publications
- Toor, G.S., B.E. Haggard, M.S. Reiter, T.C. Daniel, and A.M. Donoghue. 2007. Phosphorus solubility in poultry litters and granulates: Influence of litter treatments and extraction ratios. Trans. ASABE 50(2):533-542.
- Sharpley, A. N., S. Herron, and T.C. Daniel. 2007. Overcoming the challenges of phosphorus-based nutrient management in poultry farming. J. Soil Water Conserv. 62(6):375-389.
- Sharpley, A. N., S. Herron, and T. C. Daniel. 2007. Phosphorus-based management challenges and strategies for poultry farming. J. Soil Water Conserv. 62 (6):152-153.
- Harper, T., K. Brye, and T.C. Daniel. 2007. Land use effects on runoff and water quality on an Eastern Arkansas soil under simulated rainfall conditions. J. Sustainable Agriculture. In press.
- Pirani, A.L., K. R. Brye, B.E. Haggard, T. C. Daniel, and J.D. Mattice. 2007. Broiler litter rate effects on nutrient leaching from soil under pasture vegetation in the Ozark Highlands. Soil Science. 172(12:1001-1018.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
Northwest Arkansas, a region of high density CAFOs, produces 1.9 million Mg of broiler litter annually and the region is also experiencing unparalleled population growth and municipal biosolids production. Land applications of this surplus material can cause excessive runoff nutrient concentrations and lead to build up of excessive soil nutrients, especially phosphorus. Transport of these materials is localized and awaits formulation into a value added fertilizer because they are bulky, low in nutrient content, and are not easily handled by traditional large-scale urban or farming operations. Granulation, a process which produces small dense spherical BB-sized particles, has been used successfully for decades in formulating commercial fertilizers. However, granulation of organic materials such as litter is a new approach by the fertilizer industry to address emerging environmental and production needs. During granulation additives can be incorporated to elevate the
nitrogen fertility and different binding agents may allow slow release of nutrients during the growing season and lower nutrient runoff concentrations. The objective of this study was to determine how various binding agents and granulation impact the physical products produced and to evaluate runoff loss compared to commercial fertilizer. Four formulations bound with 3 different binding agents were made and compared to fresh litter, Milorganite, biosolids, urea, and a control on a bermudagrass fairway. Binding agents were water, lignosulphonate, and urea formaldehyde. Formulations were supplemented with urea resulting in 15% nitrogen materials. Overall, granulated products were bulkier than commercial fertilizers, but required much less volume for shipping than fresh litter. Compared to urea and triple super phosphate, granules were equally resistant to crumbling during shipment or application. Materials were surface applied prior to rainfall simulations and runoff samples were
analyzed for total solids, phosphorus, and nitrogen. While data are still being analyzed no differences were evident between the binders; however, the granulated products had higher ammonia loads than fresh litter, biosolids, or milorganite. Urea had the highest percentage of total nitrogen loss; which was double the highest granular treatment. Water provides a suitable binding agent for fortified granule fertilizers in relation to runoff losses.
Impacts
Surplus broiler litter and or biosolids can be converted into a value added fertilizer comperable to commercial fertilizer by the granulation process. Products produced are similar to the phsical properties and ease of handling of commercial fertilizer and far exceed the raw material qualities. The 14% nitrogen grade of these materials is ideal for urban use but the increased cost involved would not be competative with commercial row crop pertilizer with out biosolids tipping fees or litter subsidies.
Publications
- Sharpley, A.N., T.C. Daniel, G. Gibson, L. Bundy, M. Cabrera, J.T. Sims, R. Stevens, J. Lemunyon, P. Kleinman, and R. Parry. 2005. Best management practices to minimizing agricultural phosphorus impacts on water quality. USDA-ARS. ARS-3133. Natl. Technical Information Serv. (NTIS), Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA.
- Scarbrough, D.A., W.K., Coblentz, R.K. Ogden, J.E. Turner, J.B. Humphry, K.P. Coffey, T.C. Daniel, T.J. Sauer, J.A. Jennings, and D.W. Kellogg. 2005. Nitrogen partitioning and estimates of degradable intake protein in wilting orchardgrass and bermudagrass hays damaged by simulated rainfall. Agron. J 98:85-93.
- Wilson, M., M. Daniels, N. Slaton, T. Daniel, and K. VanDevender. 2006. Sampling poultry litter for nutrient content. FSA9519. http://www.arnatural.org/environmental_management/water/nutrient_mgmt .htm
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
Intense rainstorms on tilled land in the Arkansas Delta produces surface runoff high in sediment and phosphorous (P) loads. The initial study determined the effects of no-till (NT) and conventional till (CN) on runoff turbidity, volume, and concentrations of soluble reactive P, total P, and sediment. Runoff volumes were similar, averaging 74.5 L (66% ) and 80.7 L (72% ) for CN and NT, respectively. Sediment and total P concentrations and loads were significantly less with NT compared to CN. Turbidity of the runoff water was also significantly less with NT; however, NT produced significantly greater concentrations of runoff soluble reactive P (0.56 mg L-1) than the tilled (0.02 mg L-1) systems. These results suggest that even though runoff volumes were greater from NT, NT had ten times less erosion and 17 times less turbidity than the CN systems. Native grasslands provide a reference point to compare the effects of conservation tillage (CT) on runoff water quality.
This study was to determine the effects of land-use on soil physical properties and how these changes affect runoff volume, total solid load, turbidity, and runoff concentrations of P. Runoff measurements were conducted on a native prairie (PR), reduced till (RT), and CN systems. The PR system had two times greater aggregate stability (AS) and produced significantly less runoff (66%) than the two cultivated systems (92 and 80% for RT and CN, respectively). While RT produced significantly greater concentrations of soluble reactive P (0.102 mg L-1) than PR (0.003 mg L-1) and CN (0.016 mg L-1), total P concentrations were significantly greater for CN (1.24 mg L-1) than for RT (0.52 mg L-1) and PR (0.18 mg L-1), suggesting that land use and the degree of soil disturbance significantly affect runoff water quantity and quality. Winter grazing of fall seeded wheat by stocker calves could potentially add an additional source of farm income to the Delta growers. Runoff studies were conducted
on wheat fields under NT, light disk (LD) and CN systems because such practices could increase runoff sediment and P loads. Runoff volumes and sediment loads from the CN were two and ten times higher, respectively, than the NT with LD being in between. Runoff soluble reactive P was the highest in the NT and lowest with the CN system while the total P load was the lowest with the NT, suggesting that NT systems are potentially sustainable economically and environmentally.
Impacts
According to state/federal agencies approximately 40% of assessed rivers and streams in the United States are impacted due to agricultural nonpoint source runoff. For waters not meeting water quality standards Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are being developed to establish the maximum amount of a pollutant that can enter a specific water body without violating the water quality standards. Agricultural runoff in the Arkansas delta is high in sediment and turbidity and TMDLs are being developed to address these pollutants. One of the most popular best management practices to address this issue is conservation tillage which uses the previous year crop residue to reduce erosion and protect runoff water quality. Research was initiated to evaluate the effect of conservation tillage on runoff water quality under Arkansas delta field conditions.Conservation tillage, especially notill, dramatically reduce runoff erosion, turbidity, and total phosphorus when compared to
conventional tillage.
Publications
- Krumpelman, B.W, T. C. Daniel, F. G. Edwards, R. W. McNew, and D. M. Miller. 2005. Optimum coagulant and flocculant concentrations for solids and phosphorus removal from pre-screened flushed dairy manure. Trans ASAE, Applied Eng in Agric. 21(1):127-135.
- P.B. DeLaune, B.E. Haggard, T.C. Daniel, I. Chaubey, and M.J. Cochran. 2005. The Eucha/Spavinaw Phosphorus Index: A Court Mandated Index for Litter Management. J. Soil and Water Conserv. In press
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