Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. Approach (from AD-416): This research will take a synergistic approach towards developing innovative and effective animal manure treatment practices and holistic systems. This research will pursue four complementary bioresource management approaches. First, improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry, and dairy operations will be developed to reduce releases into the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. These technologies include improved solid liquid separation, enhanced biological nitrogen treatment by anaerobic ammonia oxidation, recovery of ammonia from manure using gas permeable membranes, recovery of phosphorus from solid manure, wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands, in- house composting of poultry litter, and their integration into systems of treatment technologies. Second, investigations will be conducted to develop thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. Manure based feedstocks for thermochemical conversion will be evaluated. Improved methods to condition manures for biochar and combustible gas production using pyrolysis will be determined. An efficient carbonization process for production of manure biochars with specific composition and properties for beneficial use will be developed. Third, research will be conducted to develop guidelines to more effectively manage and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure impacted riparian buffer zones and treatment wetlands. Fourth, we will develop beneficial uses for manure byproducts. These include the use of manure biochars as adsorbants for gaseous and aqueous contaminants, as soil amendments to improve physical and chemical properties, and as fertilizer source for crop production. Results from this project will advance the state of the science for more effective animal waste treatment and implementation of environmentally safe alternatives to traditional land application. In cooperation with scientists from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and ARS-Beltsville, tested a pilot system that uses gas-permeable membranes to recover ammonia from poultry houses. Tests were conducted in experimental barns (400 chickens) during two chicken growth cycles. In cooperation with ITACyL, Spain, experiments were conducted to investigate the recovery of ammonia from high-strength swine manure wastewater using gas membranes. The experiments looked at the effect of wastewater strength, process pH and aeration. Experiments were conducted to develop a new method to extract proteins from manure and isolate amino-acids. The method was polished so as to extract 100% of the proteins in manures. A patent disclosure was completed and approved by committee. Conducted experiments to investigate a new process for simultaneous phosphorus and ammonia recovery from manure. A patent application was filed with USPTO. In cooperation with industry, investigated reactivation of anammox bacteria Brocadia caroliniensis NRRL B-50286 after preservation using a commercial lyophilizer to be used in NASA SBIR Phase I project. Laboratory tests were conducted to recover phosphorus from municipal sludge, poultry litter, and swine lagoon sludge using the �quick wash� patented technology developed by ARS-Florence scientists. Test results were provided to licensee of this technology to develop operation of first commercial Quick Wash mobile pilot plant. In cooperation with industry and the USDA-Forest Service, analyses were conducted to determine the potential of using cover crops, wood, and animal manures for farm-scale biofuel production via gasification and syngas fermentation process train. Manure-based biochar can be activated to be used as an absorbent to remove ammonia from both gas-phase and liquid-phase. Experiments were conducted to determine the ammonia sorption capacities of biochar made from wood and chicken litter. Greenhouse tests were conducted using poultry litter to improve the short-term soil organic matter pool and to bind heavy metals in an acidic mine spoils soils. Preliminary results show that the addition of poultry litter assisted in raising soil pH and bolstering the soil organic matter pool. Results on heavy metals concentrations from leaching experiments are still being analyzed. Mixing in poultry litter was shown to be an acceptable management practice in reclaiming mine spoil soils. Studies have been undertaken to test the efficacy of high-temperature carbonization techniques to kill pathogens and eliminate antibiotic resistance genes from agricultural waste streams. Results indicate that this method can rapidly and effectively eliminate pathogens allowing for the safe utilization of these waste streams for secondary purposes. Additionally, this method has the potential to degrade antibiotic resistance genes, preventing them from being introduced back into the environment. A new study is being conducted to determine the baseline levels of antibiotic resistance in agricultural systems. For this study, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus fecalis, and Enterococcus feacium are being isolated and characterized from poultry and swine operations as well as environmental reservoirs in North and South Carolina. Over 60 Escherichia coli, along with a dozen Enterococcus strains, have been isolated. These isolates will be parta of an agricultural database and will be tested against a range of antibiotics to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations. This project has reached its term date and will be continued on a bridging project pending the completion of National Program 212 research review. The five year summary progress report will be completed on the bridging project in Fiscal Year 2016. Accomplishments 01 Enhanced recovery of ammonia from swine manure through gas membranes. Ammonia emissions from animal husbandry operations in the USA were estimated at 2.4 million tons/year in 2010, and the costs of fertilizers have rapidly increased in recent years, especially nitrogen fertilizer such as anhydrous ammonia which is made from natural gas. ARS researchers at Florence, SC have developed a new technology to recover concentrated ammonia from liquid manures. A US patent was awarded in 2015 (US 9,005,333 B1). The new technology uses gas- permeable membranes at low pressure that are submerged in the manure liquid. Low-rate aeration replaces alkali chemicals to raise the pH and enhance nitrogen recovery. The new strategy worked well to recover ammonium from liquid manure. Ammonium concentration in raw swine manure was almost depleted: it declined from 2270 milligram ammonium-N per litre to 20 milligram ammonium-N per litre with an overall capture of 98% of the initial ammonia in the manure. Without chemicals, the operational cost of ammonia recovery was further reduced by 57%. This new system is expected to offer livestock producers a better way to manage ammonia in manure. 02 Swine manure hydrochar as soil amendment. Hydrochar, a carbonaceous solid made from heating wet biomass slurry under pressure (wet pyrolysis), has the potential to provide a nutrient-rich material for use as soil amendment. ARS scientists at Florence, SC and collaborators evaluated the potential of hydrochar made from swine manure as a soil amendment. Soil fertility and water quality characteristics of leachates from swine hydrochar amended soils were compared with other swine manure-based soil amendments such as raw swine manure, compost, and biochar made from dry pyrolysis. All swine manure-based amendments significantly increased soil carbon, cation exchange capacity and available nutrient contents of the soil. However, biochar and compost amended soils leached high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which may cause water pollution. On the other hand, the swine hydrochar amended soil leached lower amounts of these nutrients compared to the other amendments. Although it is still unclear how these nutrients were retained in the soil amended with hydrochar, research results suggest hydrochar application to soil is a potential alternative manure management option to minimize environmental issues from leaching of high nutrient concentrations into water bodies.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

• Karunanithi, R., Szogi, A.A., Bolan, N., Naidu, R., Loganathan, P., Vanotti, M.B., Hunt, P.G., Saint, C.P., Ok, Y., Krishnamoorthy, S. 2015. Phosphorus recovery and reuse from waste streams. Advances in Agronomy. 131:173-250.
• Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B., Hunt, P.G. 2015. Phosphorus recovery from pig manure solids prior to land application. Journal of Environmental Management. 157:1-7.
• Ro, K.S., Novak, J.M., Johnson, M., Szogi, A.A., Libra, J., Spokas, K.A., Bae, S. 2015. Leachate water quality of soils amended with different swine manure-based amendments. Chemosphere. Available:
• Dube, P.J., Pullammanappallil, P. 2015. Economically viable biochemical processes for the advanced rural biorefinery and downstream recovery operations. In: Jose, S., Bhaskar, B. editors. Biomass and Biofuels Advanced Biorefineries for Sustainable Production and Distribution. 1st edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 155-166.
• Berge, N.D., Li, L., Flora, J., Ro, K.S. 2015. Assessing the environmental impact of energy production from hydrochar generated via hydrothermal carbonization waste management. Journal of Waste Management. Available:
• Hunt, P.G., Cantrell, K.B., Bauer, P.J., Miller, J.O. 2013. Phosphorus fertilization of ryegrass with ten precisely prepared manure biochars. Transactions of the ASABE. 56(6):1317-1324.
• Cantrell, K.B., Martin, J.H., Novak, J.M. 2014. Poultry litter and switchgrass blending for biochar production. Transactions of the ASABE. 57(2):543-553.
• Viguria, M., Ro, K.S., Stone, K.C., Johnson, M.H. 2015. Accuracy of vertical radial plume mapping technique in measuring lagoon gas emission. Journal of Air and Waste Management Association. 65(4):395-403. doi: 10. 1080/10962247.20144.996267.
• Garcia-Gonzalez, M.C., Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A. 2015. Recovery of ammonia from swine manure using gas-permeable membranes: Effect of aeration. Journal of Environmental Management. 152:19-26. doi: 10.106/ jenvman.2015.01.013.
• Bascones, M., Vanotti, M.B., Millner, P.D., Szogi, A.A. 2014. Captura de amonio procedente de estiercol mediante membranas permeables de gases (capture of ammonnia from turkey manure using gas-permeable membranes). In: Bernal, M.P., Pascual, J.A., Ros, M., and Clemente, R., editors. From Waste to Worth: Strategies in Management Treatment and Valorization (De Residuo a Recurso: Estrategias de Gesti�n, Tratamiento y Valorizaci�n). REC 2014. Spain: Spanish Composting Network (Red Espa�ola de Compostaje). p. 331-335.
• Vanotti, M.B. 2014. Innovative manure treatments in the USA � state of the art (Tratamientos Innovadores de estiercoles en USA - estado del arte). In: Bernal, M.P., Pascual, J.A., Ros, M., and Clemente, R., editors. From Waste to Worth: Strategies in Management Treatment and Valorization (De Residuo a Recurso: Estrategias de Gesti�n, Tratamiento y Valorizaci�n). REC 2014. Spain: Spanish Composting Network, Red Espa�ola de Compostaje. p. 15-27.
• Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B., Ro, K.S. 2015. Methods for treatment of animal manures to reduce nutrient pollution prior to soil application. Current Pollution Reports. doi: 10.1007/s40726-015-0005-1.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. Approach (from AD-416): This research will take a synergistic approach towards developing innovative and effective animal manure treatment practices and holistic systems. This research will pursue four complementary bioresource management approaches. First, improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry, and dairy operations will be developed to reduce releases into the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. These technologies include improved solid liquid separation, enhanced biological nitrogen treatment by anaerobic ammonia oxidation, recovery of ammonia from manure using gas permeable membranes, recovery of phosphorus from solid manure, wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands, in- house composting of poultry litter, and their integration into systems of treatment technologies. Second, investigations will be conducted to develop thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. Manure based feedstocks for thermochemical conversion will be evaluated. Improved methods to condition manures for biochar and combustible gas production using pyrolysis will be determined. An efficient carbonization process for production of manure biochars with specific composition and properties for beneficial use will be developed. Third, research will be conducted to develop guidelines to more effectively manage and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure impacted riparian buffer zones and treatment wetlands. Fourth, we will develop beneficial uses for manure byproducts. These include the use of manure biochars as adsorbants for gaseous and aqueous contaminants, as soil amendments to improve physical and chemical properties, and as fertilizer source for crop production. Results from this project will advance the state of the science for more effective animal waste treatment and implementation of environmentally safe alternatives to traditional land application. In cooperation with University of Maryland Eastern Shore and ARS- Beltsville scientists, installed and initiated a pilot demonstration of a new system developed by ARS that uses gas-permeable membranes to recover ammonia from poultry houses. The ammonia recovery systems were placed close to the litter inside experimental barns (400 chickens). The system was completed with the ammonia concentrator tanks outside the barns. The project will demonstrate the ammonia recovery and concentration, and the poultry production benefits from cleaner air (Objective 1d). In cooperation with industry, experiments were conducted to develop new methods to extract proteins from manure. Initial tests showed that separated swine solids contain significant amount of proteins (17% on dry basis). The extracted proteins could be used for production of ammonia, biofuels and amino acids. Laboratory experiments were conducted to recover phosphorus from municipal sludge using the �quick wash� patented technology developed by ARS in Florence, South Carolina scientists. Test results were provided to licensees of this technology to design a treatment system module to recover phosphorus from municipal biosolids (Objective 1e). Gas emissions were quantified during in-house composting between flocks (Objective 1g). Duplicate measurements of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions were conducted in two bird houses in Arkansas (one control and the other composting the litter). Microbial population dynamics were analyzed in the nitrification component of a second generation wastewater treatment. Quantitative PCR measured the abundances of both ammonia and nitrite oxidizers, while fragment analysis looked at the shift in population dynamics of ammonia oxidizers throughout a year period of the systems operation. Additional sequencing of the entire bacterial population provided insights of other organisms involved in maintaining a stable microbial population essential for proper functioning of the wastewater treatment system (Objective 1h). Conducted pyrolysis/gasification experiments (Objective 2c). Gases, liquid, and solid byproducts were analyzed from industrial cooperator�s farm-scale co-pyrolysis of animal manures with plastic mulch wastes. A series of animal manure derived biochars were mixed with a soil common to the southeastern coastal plain to evaluate their short-term effects on microbial populations. The study looked at the microbial transcriptional response to determine which biochars had non-deleterious effects on microbial activity. Over the course of the study, soil samples were taken and RNA was extracted. In addition, gas samples were collected to measure carbon dioxide as a measure of microbial activity (Objective 3c). Determined contaminant sorption capacity of biochars and hydrochars (Objective 4a). Atrazine and hormone sorption capacities of swine hydrochar were evaluated in collaboration with University of South Carolina faculty. Accomplishments 01 Efficient treatment of ammonia, odor, pathogens and phosphorus in 3rd generation manure treatment technology. New or expanding swine operations in North Carolina are required to meet one of the strictest environmental standards in the world. These standards include emissions of ammonia and odor; the release of pathogens; and nutrient and heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater. Scientists at ARS in Florence, South Carolina together with industry and university cooperators demonstrated and verified a 3rd generation wastewater treatment system for swine manure (US Pat. 7,674,379) that could meet the environmental standards at reduced cost. Additional goals included replacement of the existing lagoons, and efficient performance when installed in larger swine farms. The technology was demonstrated full- scale on a farrow-to-finish swine farm that produced 30,450 hogs per year and generated 75,000 gallons of manure per day. The technology separated solids in the flushed manure with settling and polymer flocculants; subsequently, the ammonia nitrogen was treated with a new nitrifying bacteria adapted to cold temperatures (US Pat. 8,445,253); and lastly, the soluble phosphorus was recovered and the effluent disinfected. The 3rd generation treatment process met the criteria identified in the referenced performance standards. This treatment process significantly reduces the potential for emissions of odor and ammonia, and the transfer of nutrients and pathogenic bacteria to surface and groundwater in the drainage basin where the animals are grown on animal feeding operations. The treatment process also provides a mechanism and market for the separated solids. 02 Phosphorus (P) recovery from manure solids and municipal biosolids. Over-application of manure or municipal biosolids can result in excess soil leaching or runoff of P which can lead to degradation of ground or surface water. A process called �quick wash� developed by researchers at ARS in Florence, South Carolina, and patented by USDA (U.S. Pat. 8, 673,046) can recover 80% of P from livestock manure solids or municipal biosolids. The quick wash process generates two products: 1) washed solid residue, and 2) concentrated recovered P material. The process selectively removes P from manure solid while leaving the nitrogen in the washed solid residue. The washed solid residue can be safely applied to crop land while the recovered P can be transported off-site in concentrated form to provide a recycled P source for use as crop fertilizer while minimizing P losses into the environment. USDA granted an exclusive license of the invention to a private company (Pinehurst, North Carolina). The quick wash process is commercially available for use in the recovery of P from poultry litter, solid animal manure, and municipal biosolids in the Mid-Atlantic region including the Chesapeake Bay. 03 Improved method for recovery of organic materials from diluted swine manure. Solid-liquid separation of the raw manure increases the capacity of decision making and opportunities for treatment. The high- rate separation up-front using polymer flocculants allows recovery of most of the organics in the manure, which can be used for manufacture of high-quality compost materials and other value-added products. Before this research was done, the use of flocculants and dewatering equipment was not effective in swine operations that use flushing systems and produce much diluted wastewater (<0.5% solids). Scientists at ARS in Florence, South Carolina, in cooperation with industry, conducted on-farm research to determine at full-scale whether rapid settling in a decanting tank can be used to concentrate solids in flushing systems and reduce the manure volume to be treated with flocculants and dewatering presses. This innovation was successful: it increased polymer use efficiency 5.4 times and reduced chemical expenses by 81%. It also reduced the manure volume processed by the separator press by 26,000 gallons per day (95% reduction) which significantly reduced size and cost of the dewatering equipment. This research produced a new technology that will allow the economic use of polymer flocculants and the recovery of organic material in about 40% of swine farms in North Carolina and other livestock farms in the US that use flushing systems. 04 Thermal treatment of animal manure blended with plastic mulch waste. Animal manures converted to biochars via pyrolysis for waste treatment provide a carbon-rich material for use as a soil amendment. However, one of the major obstacles for obtaining manure-based biochar via pyrolysis is the high energy requirement for processing wet animal manure. Researchers at ARS in Florence, South Carolina, showed pyrolysis of swine manure solids blended with more than 10% plastic mulch wastes produced both biochar and combustible gas with heating values much higher than natural gas. Furthermore, common fumigants used with plastic mulch were not detected in the byproducts of the pyrolysis process. The results of this study suggest that the use pyrolysis technology has the potential to manage two prominent agricultural waste streams (plastic mulch film wastes and swine solids) while producing valuable byproducts, biochar and energy.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

• Ro, K.S., Hunt, P.G., Jackson, M.A., Compton, D.L., Yates, S.R., Cantrell, K.B., Chang, S. 2014. Co-pyrolysis of swine manure with agricultural plastic waste: Laboratory-scale study. Journal of Waste Management. 34(8) :1520-1528. DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2014.04.001.
• Andrade, N.A., Centofanti, T., McConnell, L.L., Hapeman, C.J., Torrents, A. , Nguyen, A., Beyer, W.N., Chaney, R.L., Novak, J.M., Anderson, M.O., Cantrell, K.B. 2014. Utilizing thin-film solid-phase extraction to assess the effect of organic carbon amendments on the bioavailability of DDT and dieldrin to earthworms. Environmental Pollution. 185:307-313.
• Ro, K.S., Stone, K.C., Johnson, M.H., Hunt, P.G., Flesch, T., Todd, R.W. 2014. Optimal sensor locations for the backward Lagrangian stochastic technique in measuring lagoon gas emission. Journal of Environmental Quality. DOI: 10.02134/jeq2013.05.0163.
• Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B. 2014. Water quality and nitrogen mass loss from anaerobic lagoon columns receiving pretreated influent. Journal of Environmental Quality. doi:10.2134/jeq 2013.08.0330.
• Berge, N.D., Kamman, C., Ro, K.S., Libra, J. 2013. Environmental applications of hydrothermal carbonization technology: Biochar production, carbon sequestration, and waste conversion. p. 295-340. In: Titirici, M.M. ed., Sustainable Carbon materials from Hydrothermal Processes. Wiley, West Sussex, UK.
• Cao, X., Ro, K.S., Libra, J.A., Kammann, C.I., Lima, I.M., Berge, N., Li, L., Li, Y., Chen, N., Yang, J., Deng, B., Mao, J. 2013. Effects of biomass types and carbonization conditions on the chemical characteristics of hydrochar. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. p. 9401-9411.
• Vanotti, M.B., Hunt, P.G., Rice, M., Kunz, A., Loughrin, J.H. 2013. Evaluation of generation 3 treatment technology for swine waste - A North Carolina's clean water management trust fund project - Technical environmental performance report. Electronic Publication [on line]. Available: 1-50.
• Mourtzinis, S., Cantrell, K.B., Arriaga, F., Balkcom, K.S., Novak, J.M., Frederick, J.R., Karlen, D.L. 2014. Distribution of structural carbohydrates in corn plants across the southeastern USA. BioEnergy Research. 7(2):551-558.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. Approach (from AD-416): This research will take a synergistic approach towards developing innovative and effective animal manure treatment practices and holistic systems. This research will pursue four complementary bioresource management approaches. First, improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry, and dairy operations will be developed to reduce releases into the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. These technologies include improved solid liquid separation, enhanced biological nitrogen treatment by anaerobic ammonia oxidation, recovery of ammonia from manure using gas permeable membranes, recovery of phosphorus from solid manure, wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands, in- house composting of poultry litter, and their integration into systems of treatment technologies. Second, investigations will be conducted to develop thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. Manure based feedstocks for thermochemical conversion will be evaluated. Improved methods to condition manures for biochar and combustible gas production using pyrolysis will be determined. An efficient carbonization process for production of manure biochars with specific composition and properties for beneficial use will be developed. Third, research will be conducted to develop guidelines to more effectively manage and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure impacted riparian buffer zones and treatment wetlands. Fourth, we will develop beneficial uses for manure byproducts. These include the use of manure biochars as adsorbants for gaseous and aqueous contaminants, as soil amendments to improve physical and chemical properties, and as fertilizer source for crop production. Results from this project will advance the state of the science for more effective animal waste treatment and implementation of environmentally safe alternatives to traditional land application. In cooperation with industry and University scientists, evaluated a third- generation full-scale swine manure treatment system (obj. 1a). Phase I (a 1,200-sow Farrow to Feeder operation and a 12,960 Feeder to Finish operation) was completed and a report submitted to NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund. This third-generatioin treatment system incorporated a decanting step that made it more economical and efficient the treatment for swine farms that use flush systems and produce diluted manure. Conducted deammonification experiments that combined anammox and partial nitrification using a single-tank process (obj. 1c). The new process is being tested with swine effluents from anaerobic digesters. It offers three major advantages over previous biological N removal systems: 1) it does not require carbon for N removal, so all the manure carbon can be used to produce bio-energy; 2) it reduces 58% of the aeration needs for N removal; and 3) a single-tank approach reduces equipment costs. Conducted experiments for phosphorus recovery from hen manure solids using the �quick wash� technology developed by ARS-Florence scientists (obj. 1e). Ammonia and greenhouse gases were measured from two bird houses in Arkansas (one control and one in-house litter composting). Research work included measuring gas fluxes and pathogen sampling from litter compost piles (obj. 1g). Conducted pyrolysis of animal manure blended with plastic mulch waste (obj. 2c). Small amounts of swine solids, chicken litter and plastic mulch were pyrolyzed in a batch bench-scale reactor system. Optimal temperatures and reaction time for these feedstocks were measured by thermogravimetric analysis. Also 150 pounds of each swine solids, chicken litter, compost, and the mixtures of manures and used agricultural plastic mulch were pyrolyzed using Aemerge�s 150 lb/hr pyro/gasification system. The measure of denitrification enzyme activity and nitrous oxide emission in riparian buffers contiguous to beef pastures, row crops with poultry applications, and row crops with swine wastewater application continued into the second years sampling (3a). The potential denitrification increased from the field edge to the stream. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured, but they were not exceptionally high. Determined contaminant sorption capacities of biochars and hydrochars (obj. 4a). Ammonia adsorption capacities of activated and non-activated biochars (hard wood and chicken litter) were determined on location. University collaborators determined adsorption isotherms of hydrochar with atrazine (USC) and ammonia (NCA&T). Studies were conducted using designer biochars produced from blends of animal manure and pine chips (obj. 2d). These feedstocks were pelletized prior to pyrolysis to obtain a more cohesive product. Both pelletized and dust-size biochars were mixed into a hard setting soil to determine their effect on improving water infiltration and plant root penetration (obj. 4b). For some biochar treatments, plant growth was reduced because of soil fertility imbalances as a result of high application rates. Biochars applied as dust caused significant increase in water infiltration. Accomplishments 01 Recovered ammonia from poultry litter using flat gas-permeable membranes. This recovery of gaseous ammonia from poultry litter benefit bird health and productivity while reducing environmental concerns of emissions from poultry production. Scientists at ARS- Florence, South Carolina, investigated the potential use of gas- permeable membranes as components of a new process to capture and recover ammonia in poultry houses. This new process (U.S. Patent Application 61314683) includes the passage of gaseous ammonia through a micro-porous hydrophobic membrane, capture with a circulating dilute acid on the other side of the membrane, and production of a concentrated ammonium salt. Bench- and pilot-scale prototype systems using flat expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes and a sulfuric acid solution consistently reduced headspace ammonia gas concentrations from 70 to 97% and allowed recovery of 88 to 100% of the ammonium volatilized from poultry litter. The potential benefits of this technology include cleaner air inside poultry houses, reduced ventilation costs, and a concentrated liquid ammonium salt that can be utilized as a plant nutrient product. 02 Animal manures converted to biochars via pyrolysis for waste treatment provide an alkaline, phosphorus-dense, carbon-based soil amendment. Utilizing plant or wood-based biochars alone may increase soil organic matter and water retention but cannot provide sufficient soil nutrients. However, much of the manure biochar applied to low organic matter, Southeastern Coastal Plain soils can lead to excessive soil phosphorus concentrations as well as significant changes in soil pH. Thus, finding a singular biochar to suit all soil issues is difficult. Scientists at ARS-Florence developed a novel concept that biochars can be designed to fit the needs of soil �increased organic matter, nutrient and water retention. Extensive studies showed that specific feedstocks, their blends and pyrolysis conditions can be manipulated to produce biochar with custom compositional properties. From these results, ARS-Florence scientists developed guidelines to manufacture designer biochars tailored to improve specific soil issues. For manure biochars, it is recommended to blend manures with plant or wood materials, pelletize, and then pyrolyzed at lower temperatures. This creates a biochar suitable for soils with higher levels of nutrients. Utilization of these guidelines should allow farmers and the public to make more effective use of biochar as a soil amendment while, also, improving crop productivity. 03 Microbial community structure across a wastewater-impacted riparian buffer zone in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Riparian buffer zones serve a critical function of recycling nitrogen via denitrification in agricultural systems. Those located next to fields receiving high nitrate-loads are of particular importance because riparian buffers may have a higher propensity for incomplete denitrification leading to nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. In order to better understand denitrification and nitrous oxide emissions in riparian buffers soils receiving high loads of nitrate, ARS scientists in Florence, South Carolina, studied the microbial community composition of these riparian buffer soils. The study characterized the microbial populations found in riparian buffer zone soils and determined if microbial community structure could be linked to the bacterial process of denitrification. A riparian buffer zone located downstream of a pasture irrigated with swine lagoon effluent was examined utilizing DNA sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, and quantitative Real-Time PCR of three denitrification genes. Proteobacteria was identified as the dominant bacterial group, followed by the Acidobacteria. Analysis of quantitative Real-Time PCR results identified spatial relationships between soil series, site location, and gene abundance, which could be used to infer propensity of riparian buffer soils to incomplete denitrification and help their management to minimize off-site impacts of manure applications to crops and pastures.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

• Ro, K.S. 2012. Thermochemical conversion technologies for production of renewable energy and value-added char from animal manures. In: He, Z., editor. Applied Research of Animal Manure: Challenges and Opportunities Beyond the Adverse Environmental Concerns. Hauppauge, NY:Nova Publishers. p. 63-81.
• Novak, J.M., Cantrell, K.B., Watts, D.W., Busscher, W.J., Johnson, M. 2013. Designing relevant biochars as soil amendments using lignocellulosic and manure-based feedstocks. Journal of Soils and Sediments. doi 10.1007/ S11368-013-0680-8.
• Xue, Y., Gao, B., Yao, Y., Inyang, M., Zhang, M., Zimmerman, A.R., Ro, K.S. 2012. Hydrogen peroxide modification enhances the ability of biochar (hydrochar) produced from hydrothermal carbonization of peanut hull to remove aqueous heavy metals: Batch and column tests. Chemical Engineering Journal. 200-202: 673-680.
• Ducey, T.F., Hunt, P.G. 2013. Microbial community analysis of swine wastewater anaerobic lagoons by next-generation DNA sequencing. Anaerobe. 21:50-57.
• Rothrock Jr, M.J., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B. 2013. Recovery of ammonia from poultry litter using flat gas permeable membranes. Journal of Waste Management. 33:1531-1538.
• Ducey, T.F., Johnson, P.R., Shriner, A.D., Matheny, T.A., Hunt, P.G. 2013. Microbial community structure across a wastewater-impacted riparian buffer zone in the southeastern Coastal Plain. The Open Microbiology Journal. 7:99-117.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. Approach (from AD-416): This research will take a synergistic approach towards developing innovative and effective animal manure treatment practices and holistic systems. This research will pursue four complementary bioresource management approaches. First, improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry, and dairy operations will be developed to reduce releases into the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. These technologies include improved solid liquid separation, enhanced biological nitrogen treatment by anaerobic ammonia oxidation, recovery of ammonia from manure using gas permeable membranes, recovery of phosphorus from solid manure, wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands, in- house composting of poultry litter, and their integration into systems of treatment technologies. Second, investigations will be conducted to develop thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. Manure based feedstocks for thermochemical conversion will be evaluated. Improved methods to condition manures for biochar and combustible gas production using pyrolysis will be determined. An efficient carbonization process for production of manure biochars with specific composition and properties for beneficial use will be developed. Third, research will be conducted to develop guidelines to more effectively manage and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure impacted riparian buffer zones and treatment wetlands. Fourth, we will develop beneficial uses for manure byproducts. These include the use of manure biochars as adsorbants for gaseous and aqueous contaminants, as soil amendments to improve physical and chemical properties, and as fertilizer source for crop production. Results from this project will advance the state of the science for more effective animal waste treatment and implementation of environmentally safe alternatives to traditional land application. Laboratory tests were carried out to recover phosphorus from sludge using the quick wash process developed by ARS-Florence scientists (objective 1e) . Results indicate that the quick wash process can selectively extract more than 80% of the phosphorus content from sludge. The process can produce biosolids low in phosphorus while it recovers the extracted phosphorus as a concentrated calcium phosphate salt. Conducted study on microbial community composition in four anaerobic lagoons using next generation DNA sequencing through deep 16S rDNA analysis of water columns (objective 1f). Preliminary results revealed distinct microbial communities for each lagoon that remained consistent throughout the depth of each water column. Three of the four lagoons were dominated by anaerobic bacteria, mostly Peptostreptococcus, Clostridium, and sulfur reducing bacteria. One lagoon had a large number of aerobic Mycobacteria indicating slightly oxidative conditions of the water column. Completed study to identify microbial markers in the water column of a swine lagoon fed with treated water from a second generation wastewater treatment system. The study included two adjacent lagoons, one fed with treated aerated water and the other one maintained anaerobic. Monthly samples were collected, and DNA extracted for downstream molecular analysis to identify organisms contained within each lagoon. This study assesses whether liquid from reclaimed lagoons can be safely used for irrigation free of pathogens (objective 1h). Completed study on effects of blending and pelletizing poultry litter with plant material feedstocks on biochar production by pyrolysis and chemical characteristics (objective 2a). Biochars were analyzed for their structural qualities, individual pellet strength, energy content and chemical composition. Results from this study show marked improvements on the energetic and chemical composition of biochars from poultry litter blended with switchgrass or pine chips. Field sampling was performed in transects across edge of the field and riparian buffer manure-impacted soils on five farm sites in North and South Carolina. This study is assessing nitrous oxide emissions and denitrification enzyme activity to provide guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from manure-influenced Coastal Plain soils (objective 3a). A laboratory microcosm experiment was conducted using manure-based designed biochars to test the effect of feedstock blend and particle size on both water storage and phosphorus movement through well- and poorly- drained sandy Coastal Plain soils (objective 4b). Poultry litter and swine solids were blended with plant materials, pelleted, and pyrolyzed to generate biochar. Data revealed that after three leaching events over 90 days, feedstock blend and biochar particle size of designed biochars can control the availability of phosphorus. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to test agronomic value of manure biochar (objective 4c). Two trials were completed using biochars made from manures that were added as phosphorus fertilizer sources to pots planted to cotton and soybean. The biochars performed as well as chemical fertilizer. Accomplishments 01 Measuring gas emissions from animal waste treatment lagoons is both important and an exceptional challenge. The lagoons are typically locat in non-ideal locations that usually interfere with ideal airflow; i.e., trees and crops. ARS-Florence scientists documented an improved measurement method, the inverse-dispersion technique for measuring gas emissions from treatment lagoons. The verification used a floating gas emission source positioned on a lagoon surface to deliver known emission rates of methane gas. Although the tested lagoon setting did not strictl meet the ideal assumptions of the technique, the results showed an overa accuracy level of 88%. This finding is particularly encouraging for researchers and regulatory agencies studying agricultural gas emissions. Accordingly, the inverse-dispersion technique presents a simple and economical measurement tool for gas emissions from complex lagoon scenarios. 02 Biochars produced from plant residues and poultry litter as effective bioenergy sources. Plant and manure feedstocks can be made into energy dense char products by undergoing thermochemical conversion via pyrolysi Effective conversion of plant and manure feedstocks into char is depende on ash content and their composition of elements such as chlorine, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfur, which in excessive amounts can dramatically reduce char conversion efficiency and foul pyrolysis equipment. Scientists at ARS-Florence characterized the elemental composition in several plant (bagasse, peanut hulls, pecan shells, pine chips, switchgrass) and manure (poultry litter) feedstocks and their biochar counterparts to determine how individual elements may influence pyrolysis conversion efficiency. Plant-based chars had better thermal energy contents and lower ash contents than poultry litter implying efficient thermal conversion. Instead, poultry litter char had medium heating values and substantial amounts of chlorine and sulfur, which cou promote equipment corrosion during thermal energy processing. This study indicates that energy conversion of poultry litter and the integrity of thermal processing equipment can be greatly improved by blending it with plant residue feedstocks. 03 Use of hydrothermal carbonization products as sorbent of environmental contaminants. Hydrothermal carbonization is an aqueous thermal process that converts organic wastes into a product called hydrochar. ARS-Floren scientists working with university collaborators discovered that the hydrochar made from chicken litter and swine manure showed excellent sorption capacity of environmental contaminants such as endocrine disrupting chemicals, herbicides, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This hi sorption capacity toward these compounds was attributed to the hydrochar diverse surface chemistry as evidenced by advanced solid carbon nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. In addition, it was found that hydrochar surface chemistry can be easily modified with activating compounds to produce more stable hydrochar products. For example, hydrochar activated with citric acid resulted in a more stable hydrochar in soil environment These findings suggest that hydrochar can be used as an effective environmental sorbent for various contaminants. 04 Encapsulation of anammox bacteria in polymer pellets for enhanced bio- treatment of ammonia contained in swine wastewater. The use of the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) as a new pathway to biologically remove ammonia significantly reduces over 50 percent of aeration needs a cost of treatment. However, due to the low growth rate of anammox bacter one of the main challenges for effective implementation of the anammox process is to develop methods that increase the bacterial cells� retenti inside the reactors. In this research we immobilized anammox bacteria NR B-50286 (Brocadia caroliniensis) by encapsulation in polymer gel pellets of polyvinyl alcohol using a freezing method (cryogels). The pellets wer added to stirred reaction tanks to remove ammonia from wastewater. They were successfully tested achieving more than 93 percent ammonia removal efficiency. The pellets removed the nitrogen pollutants at a rate of 3 grams per kilogram of pellet per day. They could be used in the treatmen tanks at a proportion of 20 to 30 percent (w/v) to more effectively trea swine wastewater using the anammox process. 05 Partial nitrification of swine wastewater. In this research we evaluate a more economical biological nitrogen removal process based on partial nitrification-anammox (anaerobic ammonia oxidation). This approach requires about half the aeration required by nitrification-denitrificati which significantly lowers operational costs of treatment. Novel strain or mixtures of microorganisms discovered and patented by USDA-ARS were used in the research: A high performance nitrifying sludge mix, and a novel anammox isolate Brocadia caroliniensis. Using sequential batch reactors (SBR) at bench scale, the research optimized the partial nitrification step and provided a balanced intermediate effluent for anammox using swine wastewater containing more than 1000 parts per milli of ammonia nitrogen. A balanced intermediate effluent was successfully produced. Further, the intermediate effluent was effectively tested with anammox in a second SBR reactor. The results obtained provided key information on the production of partially nitrified effluent suitable f the anammox process. This information is needed for scaling-up the proce to develop a more economical biological nitrogen removal system for livestock producers.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

• Cantrell, K.B., Martin, J.H. 2012. Stochastic state-space temperature regulation of biochar production Part I: Theoretical development. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 92:481-489.
• Cantrell, K.B., Martin, J.H. 2012. Stochastic state-space temperature regulation of biochar production Part II: Application to manure processing via pyrolysis. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 92:490-495.
• Cantrell, K.B., Hunt, P.G., Uchimiya, S.M., Novak, J.M., Ro, K.S. 2012. Impact of pyrolysis temperature and manure source on physicochemical characteristics of biochar. Bioresource Technology. 107:419-428.
• Hunt, P.G., Matheny, T.A., Vanotti, M.B., Stone, K.C., Szogi, A.A. 2012. Denitrification enzyme activity in swine wastewater effluent of a nitrification/denitrification treatment system. Transactions of the ASABE. 55(1):159-165.
• Szogi, A.A., Bauer, P.J., Vanotti, M.B. 2012. Vertical distribution of phosphorus in a sandy soil fertilized with recovered manure phosphates. Journal of Soils and Sediments. 12:334-340.
• Sun, K., Gao, B., Ro, K.S., Novak, J.M., Wang, Z., Herbert, S., Xing, B. 2012. Assessment of herbicide sorption by biochars and organic matter associated with soil and sediment. Environmental Pollution. 163:167-173.
• Magri, A., Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A. 2012. Anammox sludge immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cryogel carriers. Bioresource Technology. 114:231- 240.
• Ro, K.S., Johnson, M.H., Stone, K.C., Hunt, P.G., Flesch, T., Todd, R.W. 2013. Measuring gas emissions from animal waste lagoons with an inverse- dispersion technique. Atmospheric Environment. 66:101-106.
• Novak, J.M., Szogi, A.A., Watts, D.W. 2008. Copper and zinc accumulation in sandy soils and constructed wetlands receiving pig manure effluent applications. In: Schlegel, P., Durosoy, S. and Jongbloed, A.W., editors. Trace Elements in Animal Production Systems. The Netherlands:Wageningen Academic Publishers. p. 45-54.
• Viancelli, A., Kunz, A., Esteves, P.A., Bauermann, F.V., Furukawa, K., Fujii, T., Antonio, R.V., Vanotti, M.B. 2011. Bacterial biodiversity from an anaerobic up flow bioreactor with ANAMMOX activity inoculated with swine sludge. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology - BABT. 54:1035- 1041.
• Berge, N.D., Ro, K.S., Mao, J., Flora, J.V., Chappell, M.A., Bae, S. 2011. Hydrothermal carbonization of municipal waste streams. Environmental Science and Technology. 45:5696-5703.
• Cantrell, K.B., Ro, K.S., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B., Smith, M.C., Hunt, P. G. 2012. Green farming systems for the Southeast USA using manure-to- energy conversion platforms. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. DOI:10.1063/1.3663846.
• Fernandes, G.W., Kunz, A., Steinmetz, R.L., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B., Flores, E.M., Dressler, V.L. 2012. Chemical phosphorus removal: A clean strategy for piggery wastewater management in Brazil. Environmental Technology. 33(14):1677-1683.
• Magri, A., Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A., Cantrell, K.B. 2012. Partial nitritation of swine wastewater in view of its coupling with the anammox process. Journal of Environmental Quality. 41(6):1989-2000.
• Novak, J.M., Cantrell, K.B., Watts, D.W. 2012. Compositional and thermal evaluation of lignocellulosic and poultry litter chars via high and low temperature pyrolysis. BioEnergy Research.(6) 114-130.
• Ro, K.S., Johnson, M.H., Hunt, P.G., Flesch, T.K. 2011. Measuring trace gas emission from multi-distributed sources using vertical radial plume mapping (VRPM) and backward Lagrangian stochastic (bLS) techniques. Atmosphere. 2:553-566.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) 1. Develop improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry and dairy operations to reduce releases to the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. 2. Develop renewable energy via thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. 3. Develop guidelines to minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure-impacted riparian buffers and treatment wetlands. 4. Develop beneficial uses of manure treatment technology byproducts. Approach (from AD-416) This research will take a synergistic approach towards developing innovative and effective animal manure treatment practices and holistic systems. This research will pursue four complementary bioresource management approaches. First, improved treatment technologies to better manage manure from swine, poultry, and dairy operations will be developed to reduce releases into the environment of odors, pathogens, ammonia, and greenhouse gases as well as to maximize nutrient recovery. These technologies include improved solid liquid separation, enhanced biological nitrogen treatment by anaerobic ammonia oxidation, recovery of ammonia from manure using gas permeable membranes, recovery of phosphorus from solid manure, wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands, in- house composting of poultry litter, and their integration into systems of treatment technologies. Second, investigations will be conducted to develop thermochemical technologies and practices for improved conversion of manure into heat, power, biofuels, and biochars. Manure based feedstocks for thermochemical conversion will be evaluated. Improved methods to condition manures for biochar and combustible gas production using pyrolysis will be determined. An efficient carbonization process for production of manure biochars with specific composition and properties for beneficial use will be developed. Third, research will be conducted to develop guidelines to more effectively manage and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from poultry and swine manure impacted riparian buffer zones and treatment wetlands. Fourth, we will develop beneficial uses for manure byproducts. These include the use of manure biochars as adsorbants for gaseous and aqueous contaminants, as soil amendments to improve physical and chemical properties, and as fertilizer source for crop production. Results from this project will advance the state of the science for more effective animal waste treatment and implementation of environmentally safe alternatives to traditional land application. Filed a patent application (U.S. Patent Application 61314683, 3/15/2011) on a system and method for passive capture of gaseous ammonia in enclosures such as poultry barns. The invention includes the passage of gaseous ammonia through microporous gas-permeable membranes and its capture in a circulating acidic solution with simultaneous production of a concentrated non-volatile ammonium salt. The final products are cleaner air inside the barns with benefit for animal health and reduced environmental emissions, and concentrated liquid nitrogen that can be re- used in agriculture. Conducted experiments for phosphorus recovery from swine manure solids using the �quick wash� technology developed by ARS Florence, South Carolina, scientists. Conducted a study on the temporal effects of microbial populations in an aerobic swine wastewater treatment system. Samples taken over a thirteen month period from each point in the wastewater treatment system were used to collect microbial community DNA. The DNA results revealed levels of organisms specific to the biological processes of nitritation (oxidation of ammonia to nitrite) and nitratation (oxidation of nitrite to nitrate). Conducted study on riparian buffer soils from selected sites in the Mid- Atlantic and southeastern Coastal Plain areas to evaluate microbial communities responsible for biological nitrogen transformations (nitrification-denitrification). Microbial DNA was extracted from soil samples and assayed to determine the abundance of genes involved in soil nitrification and denitrification cycles. ARS scientists at New Orleans, Louisiana, and Florence, South Carolina, conducted collaborative investigations to determine the effectiveness of manure biochars as binders of heavy metals in soils. High temperature biochars made from feedlot manure, turkey, and poultry litter exhibited the greatest heavy metal soil retention. These results suggest their utilization for sequestering heavy metal, thereby reducing contaminant movement in soils and improve water quality. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to test plant response to biochar fertilized soils. A trial was completed using high and low biochars made from five manures (dairy, swine, poultry, beef, and turkey) that were added as phosphorus sources to pots planted to ryegrass. Accomplishments 01 Biochars made from manures and crop residues improve soil carbon sequestration, water storage, fertility, and remove harmful chemicals. Investigators at the ARS Florence location produced biochars, a charcoal like product, during carbonization of manure and plant waste materials using both thermal and hydrothermal processing. Both of these processes were optimized to produce biochars with diverse chemical and physical properties. Laboratory research showed that biochars made from nut shell were effective at increasing soil carbon sequestration while biochar mad from grasses increased soil water storage. Manure biochars contained plentiful plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, b were blended with other plant-based biochars to produce a more nutrient balanced fertilizer-like product. Location scientists also discovered th hydrochar, the biochar made from hydrothermally processing poultry litte can be used as an environmental adsorbent for effectively removing harmf chemicals such as endocrine disrupting chemicals and estrogens. Producti of these biochars and their blends leads to an alternative use of agricultural byproducts that can increase soil carbon sequestration and water storage, provide essential plant nutrients and reduce levels of contaminants in soils. 02 Systems and methods for reducing ammonia emissions from liquid effluents and for recovering ammonia. ARS researchers at Florence, South Carolina, invented (U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/164,363 � Filed June 20, 2011) a new system and methods for the removal, recovery and use of ammonia from ammonia containing liquid effluents such as animal and municipal wastewater. The invention allows for both the passage of ammon through microporous hydrophobic gas-permeable membranes and its capture a circulated stripping solution with concomitant production of a concentrated non-volatile ammonium salt. The potential benefits are reduced ammonia emissions from liquid manure, cleaner air inside the bar with benefits to animal health, and recovery of ammonia as a concentrate liquid nitrogen reusable as a plant fertilizer. 03 Novel anammox bacteria for wastewater treatment. Investigators at ARS Florence, South Carolina, discovered a novel anammox bacteria having Accession Deposit Number NRRL B-50286, and the characteristics of oxidizing ammonia and releasing di-nitrogen under anaerobic conditions. The novel bacterial strain Candidatus Brocadia caroliniensis of this invention (U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/013,874 � Filed January 26, 2011) may be used for the treatment of wastewater having undesirable levels of ammonia, including agricultural, industrial, or municipal wastewaters. Compared to conventional biological nitrogen removal method this anammox microbial method reduces 60% of the energy for aeration and does not require external carbon addition. In addition, by-products do n include greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide). This leads to a significant decrease in operational costs and provides environmental credit benefit for the users of this new technology. 04 State-of-the-art control system ensures biochar reproducibility. Enginee at ARS-Florence designed and tested a novel control system for consisten batch production of biochar, a charcoal-like byproduct of carbonization manure and plant waste materials. This automated control scheme precisel tuned the production process to a desired temperature. Using the highly accurate controls, swine-based biochars produced in both high and low temperature regimes were rich in stable carbon structures with predictab repeatable design characteristics.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

• Hunt, P.G., Matheny, T.A., Ro, K.S., Vanotti, M.B., Ducey, T.F. 2010. Denitrification in anaerobic lagoons used to treat swine wastewater. Journal of Environmental Quality. 39:1821-1828.
• Ro, K.S., Cantrell, K.B., Hunt, P.G. 2010. High-temperature pyrolysis of blended animal manures for producing renewable energy and value-added biochar. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 49:10125-10131.
• Rothrock Jr, M.J., Cook, K.L., Warren, J.G., Eiteman, M.A., Sistani, K.R. 2010. Microbial mineralization of organic nitrogen forms in poultry litters. Journal of Environmental Quality. 39:1848-1857.
• Rothrock Jr, M.J., Szogi, A.A., Vanotti, M.B. 2010. Recovery of ammonia from poultry litter using gas-permeable membranes. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 53(4):1267-1275.
• Rothrock Jr, M.J., Vanotti, M.B., Szogi, A.A., Gonzalez, M.G., Fujii, T. 2011. Long-term preservation of Anammox bacteria. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 92:147-157.
• Cao, X., Ro, K.S., Chappell, M., Li, Y., Mao, J. 2011. Chemical structures of swine-manure chars produced under different carbonization conditions investigated by advanced solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Energy and Fuels. 25:388-397.
• Sun, K., Ro, K.S., Guo, M., Novak, J.M., Mashayekhi, H., Xing, B. 2011. Sorption of bisphenol A, 17a-ethinyl estradiol and phenanthrene on thermally and hydrothermally produced biochars. Bioresource Technology. 102:5757-5763.
• Szogi, A.A., Bauer, P.J., Vanotti, M.B. 2009. Agronomic effectiveness of phosphorus materials recovered from manure. Bulgarian Journal of Ecological Science. 8(4):9-12.
• Cantrell, K.B., Bauer, P.J., Ro, K.S. 2010. Utilization of summer legumes as bioenergy feedstocks. Biomass and Bioenergy. 34:1961-1967.