Progress 11/01/11 to 10/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Included are agencies such as the MI USDA NRCS, the MI Department of Environmental Quality, the MI Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the MI Energy Office. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Additional, industries and consultants have also participated in research projects. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate, graduate students, and a post doctorate researcher have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Partner organizations include the USDA NRCS, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Alliance Initiative, Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, private farms, commodity groups, and numerous other business organizations. All participants receive mutual training by their participation as the activities entailed numerous exchanges of knowledge to enable accomplishments of objectives. Further, 1 postdoc, 8 graduate students and approximately 12 undergraduate researchers contributed typically 5 to 20 hours a week to the various projects throughout the year resulting in professional development. Manuscripts, newsletters, and presentations at stakeholder meetings lead to professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination has been achieved through scientific publications, conference presentations, news articles, and presentations at scientific meetings and to stakeholder groups. A database and two decision support models were developed. Additionally, findings from this research have been incorporated into classes that the PI teaches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project had three main objectives: Treatment, Waste to Resources, and System-level Modeling. These main objectives led to the following five activities: 1) Food Processing Wastewater Disposal by Irrigation; 2) Milking Center Wastewater Control; 3) Anaerobic Digestion System Development; 4) Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes; 5) System-Level Modeling. Each is discussed below. Food processing wastewater disposal by irrigation. Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save resources. However, when excessive carbon is land applied, the soil becomes anaerobic and several metals become mobile when reduced. Although aerobic conditions prevent metal mobilization, denitrification is inhibited under this condition. Critical for land application is pretreatment and strategic organic and hydraulic loadings to maximize efficient waste management and minimize environmental impacts. During the entire project, a field study was conducted that included direct soil oxygen and moisture monitoring using remote sensors and site visits to make visual observations. Results show that the control of hydraulic and organic loadings prevent metal mobilization. However, with higher levels of oxygen in the soil, nitrate release may have occurred as denitrification is inhibited. Studies using wastewater pretreatment and cropping strategies are being investigated. The outcome is a change in action and condition in that careful operations and design allow food processors to continue using this land application. Additionally, using onsite application of wastewater, as compared to treatment in a traditional activated sludge process, reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Reductions are achieved by not using energy for wastewater aeration, carbon dioxide uptake by the plants grown when using the wastewater, and reduced production of industrial nutrients. 2. Milking center wastewater control. Milking facility wastewater is difficult to treat efficiently and effectively, especially at small farms. Michigan has only one interim standard that is eligible for USDA EQIP cost share, the Michigan Filter Mound. Another standard is in production, the Vegetated Gravel Contactor. Activities throughout this project period included participating in the team that developed and completed the Michigan Filter Mound standard and finishing the optimization study for the Vegetated Gravel Contactor. Results from this research found excellent treatment. Loadings depended on the amount of manure in the milking facility wastewater. Although there will soon be two standards, alternative technologies are needed to meet diverse industry needs and allow for the potential of treated milking facility wastewater for non-potable water use. Two USDA CIG proposals to demonstrate unique milking facility wastewater technologies and prepare the definitive guide for the selection of the best treatment technology were prepared but neither were funded. The outcome is a change in action and condition with regard to how milking facility wastewater is managed. The impact is the reduction of environmental pollution from small farms. 3. Anaerobic digestion system development. The activity associated with this objective is compiling results from biomass blends. This contributes to the objective of understanding the digestibility of blended feedstock to help realize increased positive byproduct production and stable operations. Results include data on the percentage of methane and carbon dioxide produced and the amount of COD and volatile solids reduced. A draft manuscript is prepared and is under internal review. Blending diverse wastes at the municipal wastewater treatment plant was also explored and a modification of the Anaerobic Digestion Development Iterative Tool (ADDIT), an energy and financial decision support evaluation tool, was produced that accounts for greenhouse gas reductions associated with the diversion of high strength wastewater from the sewer and directly to an anaerobic digester. A draft manuscript on ADDIT is undergoing revisions. Outcomes will result in a change of knowledge, action, and condition. Results will help understand the relationships between feedstocks and aid in determining if consideration for establishing a renewable energy system is warranted for a specific waste blend. Optimized blends will help in the establishment of successful digesters that will enhance environmental protection, nutrient management, and the production of renewable energy at the same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 4. Phosphorus recovery from wastes. To remove and recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron was investigated. The media's surface precipitates phosphorus from onsite generated wastewater in a static column. Such a system requires minimum maintenance, critical for onsite wastewater applications. Activities for this objective entailed testing the media that have been produced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC, (Columbus, OH) and comparing its utility to other methods to remove and recover phosphorus. Performance was evaluated using simulated farm tile drain water and actual wastewater from onsite treatment systems and municipal wastewater treatment plants. In addition to bench-scale and isotherm testing, a field demonstration using a monolith of media wrapped in fiberglass to form a rector was tested. This prototype is envisioned to be representative of an actual production module. These activities help realize the objectives of developing design criteria for a new approach to remove and reuse phosphorus. Results demonstrated that using the media at the lab scale with an EBCT of 1 hour achieved effluent levels consistently below 0.5 mg/L when the initial concentration was just over 1 mg/L. If the wastewater had no pretreatment, with a starting phosphorus levels of about 7 mg/L, a reduction to just under 1 mg/L resulted. During the field test, the level of phosphorus was reduced from approximately 7.2 mg/L to 0.3 mg/L using an EBCT of 1.5 hours. The modeling effort showed that the Langmuir Isotherm provided a very good fit but underestimated the media's capacity. A multiple linear regression model very successfully related the media's capacity to EBCT, breakthrough, and days of operation. Outcomes include change in action and condition. A manuscript is currently being prepared and conference proceedings completed. 5. System-level modeling. Activities relating to this objective entail maintaining and improving the Michigan Waste Biomass Inventory to Support Renewable Energy (Inventory), a GIS based user friendly databases and renewable energy potential estimator. Additionally, ADDIT was significantly updated, as previously discussed and the Combustion Renewable Energy Development Iterative Tool (CREDIT) was developed. This supports the objective of providing objective protocols to encourage the successful implementation of renewable energy projects. Results include the updating of Inventory databases and its movement to a new software platform. ADDIT was updated to incorporate greenhouse gas reduction calculations. CREDIT was developed, calibrated, and verified using literature case studies. An extensive analyses demonstrated the economic potential of co-feeding biomass at exciting coal power plants. Outcomes are realized by a change in action and condition. These tools can be used by utilities and government to increase their renewable energy portfolios and to develop incentive policies. This will result in a change in action by producers of waste biomass that will result in a change of condition in regard to environmental protection and production of renewable energy. Multiple manuscripts have already been submitted or are in preparation and conference proceedings completed.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Safferman, S. I, Smith, J., Dong, Y., Saffron, C. M., Wallace, J. M., Binkley, D., Thomas, M., Miller, S. A., Bissel, E., Booth, J., and Lenz, J. (2016 anticipated). Resource Recovery from Waste: Benefits and Complexity. Journal of Environmental Engineering, invited manuscript in preparation.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Dong, Y., Safferman, S. I., Ostahowski J., Herold, T., and Panter, R. (2016 anticipated). Enzyme Pretreatment of Fats, Oil, and Grease from Restaurant Waste to Prolong Drain Filed Effectiveness. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Campbell, E. L. and Safferman, S. I. (2015). Design Criteria for the Treatment of Milking Facility Wastewater in a Cold Weather Vertical Flow Wetland. Transaction of the ASABE, 58(6), 1509-1519.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Safferman, S. I. and Wallace, J. M. (2015). Cow Manure: Waste or Resource? IEEE Potentials, 34(1), 25-29.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Dong, Y., Safferman, S. I., Tekesin, O., Sengupta, S., Schorr, J. R., and Revur, R. Removal of Nutrients from Agricultural Drainage Water using Nano-Engineered Porous Ceramic Media. 2016 Annual International ASABE Meeting, Orlando, Florida.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Smith, J. S., Safferman, S. I., Costantini, L., and Ikeda, N. Laboratory Investigation of Nutrient Fate during Winter Manure Application. 2016 International ASABE Meeting, Orlando, Florida.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Safferman, S.I., Dong, Y., Thelen, J., Costantini, C., Saber, L.,Schorr, J.R., Sengupta, S., Revur, R. (2015). Phosphorus Removal from Domestic Wastewater Using Engineered Nano-Media. 2015 National Onsite Water Resources Association, Virginia Beach, VA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Wallace, J. and Safferman, S. (2015). Discharge Quality Water from Dairy Manure: a Summary of the McLanahan Nutrient Separation System. Waste 2 Worth 2015 Advancing Sustainability in Animal Agriculture, Seattle, Washington.
|
Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate, graduate students, and a post doctorate researcher have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Partner organizations include the USDA CIG, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Alliance Initiative, Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, private farms, and numerous other business organizations. All participants receive mutual training by their participation as the activities entailed numerous exchanges of knowledge to enable accomplishments of objectives. Further, 2 graduate students and 4 undergraduate researchers contributed typically 5 to 20 hours a week to the various projects throughout the year resulting in professional development. Manuscripts, newsletters, and presentations at stakeholder meetings lead to professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination has been achieved through scientific publications, conference presentations, and news articles and presentations to stakeholder groups. Additionally, findings from this research have been incorporated into classes that the PI teaches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective on Food Processing. A continuation plan to the private industry is funding this research for 3 more years. Included are continued monitoring, examining data from the over 5 years of research to find generic trends that can have broader applicability, developing a cover cropping plan to utilize and store applied nitrogen, and designing improvements to the irrigation equipment to enable more precise and consistent water delivery. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. The Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor design guide and standard will be completed in the near future. Additional funding is being sought through a recently submitted USDA CIG proposal to demonstrate the use of enzyme pretreatment and membrane systems for this waste before it is discharged into a drain field. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. Manuscripts will be submitted on the interpretation of the numerous blended biogas assays, the diversion of waste from the sewer to the digester, the Inventory, and CREDIT. Proposals will be prepared to continue studding blends to try to gain a fundamental understanding of what makes a mixture antagonistic versus synergistic. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. Research on drain tile wastewater was completed under a USDA Phase 1 SBIR (as contractor to the manufacturer of the media) and an application for a Phase 2 project will be prepared. A SBIR Phase 2 application was submitted to the USEPA to continue work on wastewater. Objective on System-Level Modeling. Holistic system modeling is being proposed to examine the entire cycle of converting wastes to resources starting with pre-treatment and complete nutrient separation by air stripping and membranes. A large USDA AFRI proposal was submitted on this topic. Discussions on continuing to enhance and develop new tools with a major MI utility are ongoing.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective on Food Processing. Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, uptake carbon, and save resources. When excessive carbon is land applied, the soil becomes anaerobic and metals become mobile when reduced. For this objective, major activities included the continuation of field studies that includes direct soil oxygen and moisture monitoring using remote sensors and site visits to make visual observations. This resulted in progress towards the objectives of understanding the fundamentals of wastewater soil application and the development of design parameters. Strategic use of soil treatment systems will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional treatment options. Results show that control of hydraulic and organic loading values prevent metal mobilization. However, with higher levels of oxygen in the soil, nitrate release results as denitrification does not occur. Studies using wastewater pretreatment and cropping strategies are being investigated. The outcome is a change in action and condition in that careful operations and design allow food processors to continue using this technology. Additionally, using onsite application of wastewater, as compared to treatment in a traditional activated sludge process, reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Reductions are achieved by not using energy for wastewater aeration, carbon dioxide uptake by the plants grown using the wastewater, and reduced production of industrial nutrients. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. Milking facility wastewater is difficult to treat, especially at small farms. Michigan has only one interim standard that is eligible for USDA EQIP cost share, the Michigan Filter Mound. A wetland was built on a small farm about 7 years ago and is still operating. Optimization was required. Alternative technologies are needed to meet diverse industry needs. Activities entailed completing optimization studies on the wetlands and the preparation of a proposal to the USDA on demonstrating enzymatic and membrane systems. These activities directly map to this objective entailing solving issues associated with milking facility wastewater. Results from the wetland research found excellent treatment. Loadings depended on the amount of manure in the milking facility wastewater. From this effort, the draft design guide, Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor, was developed and the associate standard is in progress. To prepare the before mentioned proposal, a literature research on enzymatic and membrane systems applicability to milking facility wastewater was completed. The outcome is a change in action and condition with regard to how milking facility wastewater is managed. A standard for the Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor is expected in late 2015. The impact is the reduction of environmental pollution from small farms. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. The activity associated with this objective is compiling results from biomass blends. This activity contributes to the objective of understanding the digestibility of blended feedstock to help realize increased positive byproduct production and stable operations. Results include data on the percentage of methane and carbon dioxide produced and the amount of COD and volatile solids reduction. A draft manuscript is prepared and is under internal review. Blending at the municipal wastewater treatment plant was also explored and a modification of the Anaerobic Digestion Development Iterative Tool (ADDIT), an energy and financial decision support evaluation tool, was produced that accounts for greenhouse gas reductions associated with the diversion of high strength wastewater from the sewer and directly to the digester. A draft manuscript is undergoing internal review. Outcomes will result in a change of knowledge, action, and condition. Results will help understand the relationships between feedstocks and aid in determining if consideration for establishing a renewable energy system is warranted for a specific waste blend. Optimized blends will help in the establishment of successful digesters that will enhance environmental protection, nutrient management, and the production of renewable energy at the same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. To remove and recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron was investigated. The media's surface precipitates phosphorus from onsite generated wastewater in a static column. Such a system requires minimum maintenance, critical for onsite wastewater applications. Activities for this objective entailed testing the media that have been produced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC. Performance was evaluated using wastewater from onsite treatment systems and municipal wastewater treatment In addition to bench-scale and isotherm testing, a field demonstration using a monolith of media wrapped in fiberglass to form a rector was tested. This prototype is envisioned to be representative of an actual production module. These activities help realize the objectives of developing design criteria for a new approach to remove and reuse phosphorus. Results demonstrated the need to economically reduce phosphorus levels to substantially below 1 mg/L. Often biological phosphorus and/or chemical removal is used to reach the 1 mg/l but it is difficult to drop to lower levels. Using the media at the lab scale with an EBCT of 1 hour achieved effluent levels consistently below 0.5 mg/L when the initial concentration was just over 1 mg/L. If the wastewater had no pretreatment, with a starting phosphorus levels of about 7 mg/L, a reduction to just under 1 mg/L resulted. During the field test, the phosphorus was reduced from approximately 7.2 mg/L to 0.3 mg/L using an EBCT of 1.5 hours. The modeling effort showed that the Langmuir Isotherm provided a very good fit but underestimated the media's capacity. A multiple linear regression model very successfully related the media's capacity to EBCT, breakthrough, and days of operation. Outcomes include change in action and condition. Removal of phosphorous from wastewater helps prevent eutrophication of surface water and growth of toxic algae. Recovering phosphorus and producing a slow release fertilizer for crop production can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This research proceeded with funding from a Phase 2 NSF grant awarded to MetaMateria Partners, LLC, in partnership with MSU, and a Phase 1 EPA and Phase 1 USDA grants. Objective on System-Level Modeling. Activities relating to this objective entail maintaining and improving the Michigan Waste Biomass Inventory to Support Renewable Energy (Inventory), a GIS based user friendly databases and renewable energy potential estimator. Additionally, the decision support tool Anaerobic Digestion Development Iterative Tool (ADDIT) was significantly updated and the Combustion Renewable Energy Development Iterative Tool (CREDIT) was developed. This supports the objective of providing objective protocols to encourage the successful implementation of renewable energy projects. Results include the updating of Inventory databases and its movement to a new software platform. ADDIT was updated to incorporate greenhouse gas reduction calculations. CREDIT was developed, calibrated, and verified using literature case studies. An extensive analyses demonstrated the economic potential of co-feeding biomass at exciting coal power plants Outcomes are realized by a change in action and condition. The tools can be used by utilities and government to increase their renewable energy portfolios and to develop incentive policies. This will result in a change in action by producers of waste biomass that will result in a change of condition in regard to environmental protection and production of renewable energy.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Julien, R., Safferman, S.I. 2015. Evaluation of Food Processing Wastewater Loading Characteristics on Metal Mobilization within the Soil. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Campbell, E. L. and Safferman, S. I. 2015. Design Criteria for the Treatment of Milking Facility Wastewater in a Cold Weather Vertical Flow Wetland. Transaction of the ASABE.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Safferman, S.I.; Wallace, J.M., 2015. Cow Manure: Waste or Resource? IEEE Potentials 34(1) 25-29.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Wallace, J. and Safferman, S. 201). Discharge Quality Water from Dairy Manure: a Summary of the McLanahan Nutrient Separation System. Waste 2 Worth 2015 Advancing Sustainability in Animal Agriculture, Seattle, Washington, MI.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Safferman, S.I., Dong, Y., Thelen, J., Costantini, C., Saber, L.,Schorr, J.R., Sengupta, S., Revur, R. 2015. Phosphorus Removal from Domestic Wastewater Using Engineered Nano-Media. Presentation and Proceedings at NOWA, Virginia Beach, VA.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Smith, J.S. 2015. Development and Application of a Decision Support Tool for Biomass Co-Firing in Existing Coal Fired Power Plant. MS Thesis, Michigan State University, Biosystems Engineering.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Dong, Y. 2015. Enzyme Pretreatment of Fats, Oil and Grease form Restaurant Waste to Prolong Drain Filed Effectiveness. MS Thesis, Michigan State University, Biosystems Engineering.
|
Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Partner organizations include the USDA CIG, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Alliance Initiative, Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, private farms, and numerous other business organizations. All participants receive mutual training by their participation as the activities entailed numerous exchanges of knowledge to enable accomplishments of objectives. Further, 3 graduate students and9 undergraduate researchers contributed typically 5 to 20 hours a week to the various projects throughout the year resulting in professional development. Manuscripts, newsletters, and presentations at stakeholder meetings lead to professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination has been achieved through scientific publications, conference presentations, and news articles and presentations to stakeholder groups. Additionally, findings from this research have been incorporated into classes that the PI teaches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Objective on Food Processing. A continuation plan to the private industry funding this research for 3 more years of research has been submitted. Included are continued monitoring, examining data from the over 4 years of research to find generic trends that can have broader applicability, developing a cover cropping plan to utilize and store applied nitrogen, and designing improvements to the irrigation equipment to enable more precise and consistent water delivery. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. The Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor design guide and standard will be completed. Additional funding is being sought for the use of an enzyme pretreatment system for this waste before it is discharged into a drain field. This is anticipated to prolong the life of the drain field. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. A manuscript will be published on the interpretation of the numerous blended biogas assays. Proposals will be prepared to continue studding blends to try to gain a fundamental understanding of what makes a mixture antagonistic versus synergistic. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. Research on drain tile wastewater will be initiated under a USDA Phase 1 SBIR (as contractor to the manufacturer of the media). Both wastewater projects (NSF Phase 2 and USEPA Phase 1) will be completed. Results from the USEPA project warrant a Phase 2 application. Objective on System-Level Modeling. A parallel tool to ADDIT is being developed to examine combusting waste biomass to produce energy. Holistic system modeling is being proposed to examine the entire cycle of converting wastes to resources starting with pre-treatment and complete nutrient separation by air stripping and membranes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective on Food Processing. Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, uptake carbon, and save resources. When excessive carbon is land applied, the soil environment becomes anaerobic and metals naturally in soil serve as electron acceptors and become mobile when reduced. Included are manganese, iron, and, ultimately, arsenic. For this objective, major activities included field studies at our test site that included direct soil oxygen and moisture monitoring using remote monitoring techniques and site visits to make visual observations and characterize soil. This resulted in progress in our objectives of understanding the fundamentals of wastewater soil application and the development of design parameters. Strategic use of soil treatment systems will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional treatment options. Results show that careful control of hydraulic and organic loading values helps prevent metal mobilization. However, with higher levels of oxygen in the soil, an unintended consequence is nitrate release because denitrification does not occur under aerobic conditions. Studies using wastewater pretreatment and cropping strategies are being investigated to reduce nitrate release. The outcome is a change in action and condition in that careful operations and design allow food processors to continue using this technology. Additionally, using onsite application of wastewater, as compared to treatment in a traditional activated sludge process, has a compounding reducing impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Reductions are achieved by not using energy for wastewater aeration, carbon dioxide uptake by the plant grown using the wastewater, and reduced production of industrial nutrients by using the wastewater as irrigation water for a crop commodity. Our test site contains 140 acres of productive crop land that is being irrigated with wastewater. The study has satisfied the State environmental protection agency in that environmental protection is being achieved. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. Milking facility wastewater can be difficult to treat, especially at small farms, and can cause substantial environmental harm if not properly managed. Currently, Michigan has only one interim standard that is eligible for USDA EQIP cost share, the Michigan Filter Mound. A full-scale constructed wetland was built on a small farm about 5 years ago and is still operational. Optimization was required. Activities entailed constructing and operating bench-scale vertical flow wetlands. Testing is now complete. These activities directly map to this objective entailing solving issues associated with milking facility wastewater at small to medium sized farms. Results found excellent treatment. Loadings depended on if the milking facility wastewater had a significant amount of manure or not. From this effort a draft design guide, Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor, was developed and is now under review. The associate standard will be prepared as soon as the design guide is completed. The outcome is a change in action and condition with regard to how milking facility wastewater is managed. A standard for the Michigan Vegetated Gravel Contactor is expected in early 2015. The impact is the reduction of environmental pollution from small farms. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. The activity associated with this objective is compiling results from over 350 biomass blends, including various animal manures and food processing wastes. This activity contributes to the objective of understanding the digestibility of blended feedstock to help realize increased positive byproduct production (methane and digestate) and stable operations. Results include data on the percentage of methane and carbon dioxide produced and the amount of COD and volatile solids reduction. Data interpretation is ongoing and criteria on the best combinations of wastes for a successful digester are being established. A manuscript is under preparation. Outcomes will result in a change of knowledge, action, and condition. Results will help understand the relationships between feedstocks and aid in determining if further consideration for establishing a renewable energy system is warranted for a specific waste blend. Optimized blends will help in the establishment of successful digesters that will enhance environmental protection, nutrient management, and the production of renewable energy. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. To remove and potentially recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron is being investigated. The media's surface precipitates phosphorus from onsite generated wastewater in a static column. Such a system requires minimum maintenance, which is critical for onsite wastewater applications. Activities for this objective entail testing media that have been produced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC. Performance was evaluated using wastewater from onsite treatment systems and municipal plants. Bench-scale isotherm testing and model fitting is in progress to more quickly determine the ultimate capacity of the media. Additionally, regeneration of exhausted media has been attempted. These activities directly help realize the objectives of developing design criteria for a new approach to remove and reuse phosphorus from wastewater. Accurate performance and design data is essential for moving new concepts into application. Results from several municipal plant visits demonstrated the need to economically reduce phosphorus levels to substantially below 1 mg/L. Biological and chemical phosphorus removal techniques are generally not able reach level. Using the media with an EBCT of 1 hour achieved effluent levels consistently below 0.5 mg/L. If the wastewater had no pretreatment using a biological or chemical technology, starting phosphorus levels of 8 mg/L were typical and reduced to just under 1 mg/L. Media exhausted during these tests were regenerated. Approximately 40% recovery was realized using a mild caustic. Research indicated that the regeneration method was too short to remove phosphorus that diffused deep within the pores of the media over a long period of time. Outcomes include change in action and condition. Removal of phosphorous from wastewater helps prevent eutrophication of surface water and growth of toxic algae. Recovering phosphorus and producing a slow release fertilizer for crop production, as compared to mining virgin material, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Further, there are few sources of phosphorus in the world. This research proceeded during the reporting period with funding from a Phase 2 NSF grant awarded to MetaMateria Partners, LLC, in partnership with MSU, and a Phase 1 EPA and Phase 1 USDA grants. This project is an excellent example of private industry/university cooperation. Objective on System-Level Modeling. Activities relating to this objective entail maintaining and improving the Michigan Waste Biomass Inventory to Support Renewable Energy, a GIS based user friendly databases and renewable energy potential estimator. Additionally, the decision support tool Anaerobic Digestion Development Iterative Tool (ADDIT) was developed for a large energy utility. This supports the objective of providing objective protocols to encourage the successful implementation of renewable energy projects. Outcomes are realized by a change in action and condition. As an example, the tools were used by a utility put out a call for renewable energy produced from anaerobic digestion for a specified price. The utility received proposals to cover more than the total energy that was requested. This will result in a change in action by producers of waste biomass that will result in a change of condition in regard to environmental protection and production of renewable energy.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Schorr, R.J.; Sengupta, S.; Revur, R.; Helferich, R.L.; Safferman, S. (2014 ). Phosphorous Removal and Recovery using Nano Technology in Aquananotechnology: Global Prospects, Ed. Reisner, D.E.; Pradeep, T. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Larson, R.; Safferman, S. 2014. Land application of runoff from an animal production facility: Laboratory soil column treatment investigation. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. Submitted 2/10/2014
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Binkley, D., Harsh, S., Wolf, Christopher A., Safferman, S., Kirk, D., 2013. Electricity purchase agreements and distributed energy policies for anaerobic digesters. Energy Policy 53(2013):341352.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Wallace, J.M.; Safferman, S.I. (2014). Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors and the Influence of Space Velocity and Biomass Concentration on Methane Production for Liquid Dairy Manure. Biomass and Bioenergy 66(2014)143-150.
|
Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Partner organizations include the USDA CIG, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Association Initiative, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, three private farms, and numerous other business organizations. All participants receive mutual training by their participation as the activities entailed numerous exchanges of knowledge to enable accomplishments of objectives. Further, approximately 4 graduate students and 10 undergraduate researchers contributed typically 5 to 40 hours a week to the various projects throughout the year resulting in professional development. Further, manuscripts, newsletters, and presentations at stakeholder meetings lead to professional development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination has been achieved through scientific publications, conference presentations, and news articles and presentations to stakeholder groups. Additionally, findings from this research have been incorporated into classes that the PI teaches. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Food Processing. Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, uptake carbon, and save resources. When excessive carbon is land applied, the soil environment becomes anaerobic and metals naturally in soil serve as electron acceptors and become mobile when reduced.For this objective, major activities included field studies at our test site that included direct soil oxygen and moisture monitoring using remote monitoring techniques and periodic site visits to make visual observations and characterize soil. This field activity complimented previously completed column experiments. This resulted in progress in meeting our objectives of understanding the fundamental of wastewater soil application and the development of design parameters. Results show that careful control of hydraulic and organic loadingprevent metal mobilization. However, with higher levels of oxygen in the soil,nitrate release because denitrification does not occur under aerobic conditions. Studies using wastewater pretreatment and cropping strategies are being investigated to reduce nitrate release. The outcome is a change in action and condition in that careful operations and design allow food processors to continue using this technology. Additionally, using onsite application of wastewater, as compared to treatment in a traditional activated sludge process,reducesgreenhouse gas emissionsby not using energy for wastewater aeration, carbon dioxide uptake by the plant grown using the wastewater, and reduced production of industrial nutrients by using the wastewater as irrigation water for a crop commodity. Our test site contains 140 acres of productive crop land that is being irrigated with wastewater. The study has satisfied the State environmental protection agency in that environmental protection is being achieved. Milking Center Wastewater. The Michigan bark filter mound research is complete and provided data on the removal of carbon and nutrients and the potential for metal leaching from milking facility wastewater. Activities included working with the MI NRCS and various other collaborators to develop a standard and design manual. A bench-scale vertical flow wetland wasconstructed and is currently undergoing testing. The existing field system hasbeen online for over 4 years. These activitiesmap to this objective entailing solving issues associated with milking facility wastewater at small to medium sized farms by producing standards that enable EQIP cost share. Results from this effort are an interim MI NRCS standard and design manual for the Michigan filter mound. Data is currently being evaluated at the bench-scale for the constructed wetland. Results show excellent removal of carbon and nitrogen when loaded appropriately. A MI NRCS standard is expected to be developed in early 2014 for the wetland. The outcome is a change in action and condition with regard to how milking facility wastewater is managed. The Michigan filter mound has been shown to be effective for traditional pollutant removal and a provisional MI NRCS standard is now available. A standard for the vertical flow wetland is expected in early 2014. The impact is the reduction of environmental pollution from small farms. Previously, no standards were available in MI to allow for EQIP funding for this significant problem. Anaerobic Digestion System Development. The activity associated with this objective is the testing of over 350 biomass blends, includinganimal manures and food processing wastes. This activity contributes to the objective of understanding the digestibility of blended feedstock to help realize increased positive byproduct production (methane) and stable operations. Results include data on the percentage of methane produced and the amount of COD and volatile solids reduction. Future tasks entail interpreting this data and developing “rules of thumb” on the best combinations of wastes. Outcomes will result in a change of knowledge, action, and condition. Results will help understand the fundamental relationships between feedstocks and aid in determining if further consideration for establishing a renewable energy system is warranted for a specific waste blend. Optimized blends will help in the establishment of successful digesters that will enhance environmental protection, nutrient management, and the production of renewable energy. Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. To remove and potentially recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron is being investigated.Activities for this objective entail testing various generations of the mediaproduced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC. Performance was evaluated usingwastewater during a completed long-term laboratory test (approximately 600 days) and another test thathas been ongoing for over 400 days. These tests allow for the determination of the removal mechanism and the development of design criteria. These activities directly help realize the objectives of aiding in commercializing this technology. Accurate performance and design data is essential for moving new concepts into application. Results showed EBCT is the most important controlling factor.The removal mechanism is surface complexation. Hydraulic loading was not found to be a significant factor. In comparing media configuations,granular shows better performance. Media exhausted during these tests will be regenerated and performance evaluated in column studies using actual wastewater. MetaMateria has effectively regenerated the media for up to 6 cycles using synthetic wastewaterin a batch treatment system. Outcomes include change in action and condition. Removal of phosphorous from onsite generated wastewater helps prevent eutrophication of surface water and growth of toxic algae that may be increasing in severity due to global climate change. Preliminary results indicate the phosphorus can be efficiently and effectively recovered as calcium phosphate and used for fertilizer at a fraction of the cost as producing a fertilizer using phosphate rock. Recovering phosphorus and producing a slow release fertilizer for crop production, as compared to mining virgin material, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Further, there are few sources of phosphorus in the worldand GHG emissions associated with mining and transport are reduced. This research resulted in a Phase 2 NSF grant awarded to MetaMateria Partners, LLC, in partnership with MSU, and is an excellent example of private industry/University cooperation. System-Level Modeling. Activities relating to this objective entail the development of databases for large farms, landfills, wastewater treatment plant biosolids, schools, universities, and prisons and their incorporation into the interactive, GIS based user friendly tool. Additionally, decision support tools were developedto guide developers in the determination of the feasibility of renewable energy projects. This supports the objective of providing objective protocols to encourage the successful implementation of renewable energy projects. The result is the Michigan Waste Biomass to Support Renewable Energy Inventory. Included is net energy modeling for 5 conversion technologies (anaerobic digestion, gasification, ethanol, biodiesel, and direct combustion). A qualitative and quantitative decision support tool was developed for a major utility to evaluate potential anaerobic digestion sites and predict the cost to purchase electricity. Outcomes are realized by a change in action and condition. As an example, these tools are being used by a major MI utility to set up a public offering to buy renewable energy and to aid developers in objectively assessing the feasibility of systems. This will result in a change in action by producers of waste biomass that will ultimately result in a change of condition in regard to environmental protection and the production of renewable energy.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
J. Richard Schorr, R.J.; Sengupta, S.; Revur, R.; Helferich, R.L.; Safferman, S. (2014 in press). Phosphorous Removal and Recovery using Nano Technology in Aquananotechnology: Global Prospects, Ed. Reisner, D.E.; Pradeep, T. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Wallace, J., Safferman, S. (2013). Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors and the Influence of Cycle Time and Biomass Concentration on Methane Production for Liquid Dairy Manure. Biomass & Bioenergy. Submitted December 31, 2011.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Wu-Haan, Wei, (2013) Stimulatory Effect of Vermicompost on the Anaerobic Digestion of Cafeteria Food Waste. Ph.D. Dissertation.
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective on Food Processing. Land treatment of food processing wastewater can irrigate a crop, provide nutrients, recharge aquifers, reduce energy use, uptake carbon, and save resources. When excessive carbon is land applied, metals naturally in soil serve as electron acceptors and become mobile. Included are manganese, iron, and, ultimately, arsenic. Column and field studies show that monitoring soil oxygen and moisture content can predict metal mobilization. With such data strategic hydraulic and organic loadings and dosing schedules can be established to maximize application without mobilizing metals. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. Research on the constructed vertical flow wetland to treat milking facility wastewater continues. Current work will identify optimized loadings that will lead to an MI NRCS standard. Research on the MI bark filter mound resulted in the development of a MI NRCS standard that now allows for EQIP cost share. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. The Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADREC) continues to work with producers and consultants to determine the feasibility of manure blended with agriculture residuals to increase biogas yield and maintain stability. An emphasis is on co-feeding to enhance process stability and the production of renewable energy. Including is mixing manure with food processing, food service, and dewatered waste. Additional research focused on the causes of process limitations associated with food service waste. A primary cause is the lack of bioavailable metals. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. To remove and potentially recycle phosphorous, an engineered reactive iron media coated with nano iron (produced by MetaMateria Technologies, LLC) is being investigated under a NSF SBIR. The media's surface precipitates phosphorus from onsite wastewater in a static column and requires minimum maintenance. Performance was evaluated during a long-term laboratory test on actual wastewater effluent. Effluent P levels were maintained below 2 mg/L with an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 6.3 hours for over 350 days. Wastewater effluent with higher pollutant levels was also tested. Biomass growth in the column caused periodic sloughing that increased effluent total P, although soluble levels remained low. EBCT was the most important controlling factor. A new generation of media is being tested, both in granule form and as circular discs. After 3 months, effluent phosphorus level consistently and significantly less than 1 mg/L at an EBCT of 0.5 hours. Media has been effectively regenerated for up to 6 cycles. Objective on System-Level Modeling. The Michigan Biomass Inventory is complete. An enhanced project that developed a protocol to use the inventory in a complete site-specific assessment was recently completed. PARTICIPANTS: Participants: Dr. Steven Safferman was the Principal Investigator for all of the projects. Partner organizations include the USDA CIG, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Association Initiative, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, three private farms, and numerous other business organizations. Collaborator staff members within the Principal Investigator's institution who he funded, in part or fully, included Dana Kirk, Steve Miller, Yan "Susie" Liu, Louis Faivor, and Kristine Van Winkle. A non-funded participant was Luke Reese. Training and professional development participants include several graduate students, including David Wall, Leila Saber Gaughran, Wei "Jade" Wu-Haan, Ryan Julian, Harun Armagan, Shuai Zhang, and Emily Campbell. Approximately undergraduate research assistants contributed typically 5 to 40 hours a week to various projects throughout the year. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Objective on Food Processing. Land treatment of food processing wastewater. Research with a food processor has enabled the continued use of this technology. A remote monitoring system is in use that is checked through a secure website. Quarterly on-site sampling events are examining soil conditions that are well suited for wastewater assimilation. This is enabling a strategy for continued site use. Objective on Milking Center Wastewater Control. The vertical wetland showed excellent removal of nutrients and carbon over a 1 year period at a 40 cow dairy. Current research will allow for a more optimized size and reduced cost so that a MI NRCS standard can be prepared. This work is in coordination with standards being developed in Canada. An interim standard for the MI bark filter mounds is developed and now in use. This now allows for cost share under. Objective on Anaerobic Digestion System Development. ADREC is supporting the development of waste to resource technologies by conducting biogas potential assays. An emphasis is on maximizing energy production and reactor stability by blending wastes, adding enzymes, and investigating novel designs. Success reduces fossil fuel use, reduces GHG emissions, and saves resources. Objective on Phosphorus Recovery from Wastes. Removal of phosphorous from onsite generated wastewater helps prevent eutrophication of surface water and growth of toxic algae. This increases the effectiveness and efficiency of onsite treatment of nutrients, which in itself reduces climate impact, compared to large collection systems reaching into rural communities and centralized treatment plants. Preliminary results indicate the phosphorus can be efficiently and effectively recovered and used for fertilizer and the media reused. By recovering phosphorus and producing a slow release form that can be used for crop production, as compared to mining virgin material, greenhouse gas emissions can be greatly reduced. Further, there are few sources of phosphorus in the world so local production by recovery from wastewater reduces GHG emissions associated with mining and transport so that environmental protection is maximized. This research resulted in a Phase 2 NSF grant awarded to MetaMateria Partners, LLC, and is an excellent example of private industry/University cooperation. Objective on System-Level Modeling. A proposal to overlay energy demand on the inventory maps was submitted to a utility. Results will allow the strategic development of anaerobic digesters to replace traditional coal plants. A MS thesis entailed the development of a system model to couple an anaerobic digester with a greenhouse. Included was a laboratory study on the thermal stability of the anaerobic digestion.
Publications
- Wallace, J., Safferman, S. (2012). Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors and the Influence of Cycle Time and Biomass Concentration on Methane Production for Liquid Dairy Manure. Biomass & Bioenergy. Submitted December 31, 2011.
- Binkley, D., Harsh, S., Wolf, Christopher A., Safferman, S., Kirk, D. (2012). Electricity purchase agreements and distributed energy policies for anaerobic digesters. Energy Policy, Energy Policy, In Press (available on line http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.10.065 ).
- Larson, R.A., Safferman, S.I. (2012). Field Application of Farmstead Runoff to Vegetated Filter Strips: Surface and Subsurface Water Quality Assessment. Journal of Environmental Quality. Journal of Environmental Quality. 42(2) 592-603.
- Rathbun, J.: Safferman, S.I.; Davis, S.S.; Cleary, T.; Foight, K. (2012). Performance Evaluation of the Michigan Filter Mound for Treating Milking Center Wastewater from a Small Dairy. Transactions of the ASABE, 55(3) 995-1002.
- Steven I. Safferman, S.I.; Shirin Saber, L.; Helferich, R.L.; Schorr, J.R.; Sengupta, S., Revur, R. (2012). Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater using Nano Enhanced Iron Media. In Preparation, 2012.
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. The Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADREC) continues to work with producers and consultants to determine the feasibility of manure blended with agriculture residuals to increase biogas yield and maintain stability. Additional research entailed using enzymes to increase hydrolysis, novel reactor designs, and reactor thermal stability. More recently, system modeling on coupling manure digestion with fossil fuel intensive agricultural processing to produce energy and reduce GHGs has been initiated. The Michigan Biomass Inventory is complete. Related projects are planned to identify facilities that potentially benefit from a waste to energy facility so that a cost/benefit analyses can be conducted. Research on the constructed vertical flow wetland to treat milking facility wastewater is complete. Carbon and nutrient removal were excellent. Research on the MI bark filter mound continues with two demonstration sites. Excellent nutrient removal resulted but oxygen levels were found to be limiting preventing the complete destruction of carbon and metals mobilization from the underlying soil. Research to treat runoff using filter strips is complete. Correlations between performance, loading, and soil were found. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Solid/liquid separation to partition phosphorus into the solid's phase and nitrogen into the liquid phase was successfully demonstrated using a complete mixed anaerobic digester coupled with a tubular ultra-filtration membrane. A strong correlation of gas inhibition to cycle time was observed. Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. Co-digestion of manure and high strength waste continues to be studied at the ADREC. A project recently demonstrated that a substantial increase in biogas resulted by mixing manure with 20%, by weight, of food service waste. In a separate project, dewatered food processing waste was successfully reconstituted in manure, resulting in a substantial increase in biogas production. Research continues on preventing metal mobilization from the irrigation of food processing waste. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. The MSU bioretention test facility is now constructed and available for research. Five parallel cells are available for testing. Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research on activated media to remove phosphorous from onsite wastewater continues. The media has exceptional phosphorus removal. For less treated wastewater, biofilm growth on the media and sloughed, causing periodic high total phosphorus levels. Techniques to minimize growth are under investigation. Refinement of the media, modeling approaches, and a field demonstration are planned. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management continues. Each class is developed and available on eXtension for use by other Universities at no cost. Continuing education modules are currently being produced. PARTICIPANTS: Participants: Dr. Steven Safferman was the Principal Investigator for all of the projects. Partner organizations include the USDA Higher Education Challenge Program, USDA CIG, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Association Initiative, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, three private farms, and numerous other business organizations. Collaborator staff members within the Principal Investigator's institution who he funded, in part or fully, included Dana Kirk, Steve Miller, Yan "Susie" Liu, Louis Faivor, and Kristine Van Winkle. A non-funded participant was Luke Reese. Training and professional development participants include several graduate students, including Becky Larson, Jim Wallace, David Wall, Leila Saber Gaughran, Wei "Jade" Wu-Haan, Ryan Julian, and Harun Armagan. Approximately 15 undergraduate research assistants contributed typically 5 to 40 hours a week to various projects throughout the year. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture, environmental protection, and renewable energy. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: A continuation proposal was prepared and submitted in 2011 and this report represents the fifth/last year of this project. The title and several themes have changed in the revised project to reflect progress over the last 5 years and new developments in the industry. The proposal also comprehensively summarizes literate on the topics of this completed project and accomplishments from the research.
Impacts
Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. ADREC is supporting the development of waste to resource technologies by conducting biogas potential assays. An emphasis is on maximizing energy production and reactor stability by blending wastes, adding enzymes, and investigating novel designs. Success reduces fossil fuel use, reduces GHG emissions, and saves resources. System models, proactive site selection, and cost/benefit analyses have been initiated. There are no standards in MI on milking facility wastewater. The research on aerobic units, constructed wetlands, and the MI bark mound are all showing possibilities but each have different issues that require further investigation. Once complete, NRCS standards can be developed and the technologies will become eligible for EQIP cost share. The performance of the vegetated treatment systems showed varying capacities depending on the soil type and depth to groundwater. Metal mobilization is a problem under some circumstances. Final results will enable potential improvements to the exiting standard. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. The anaerobic membrane bioreactor coupled with a tubular ultra-filtration membrane allows for substantial nutrient partitioning and high quality effluent water. An understanding of design, operation, and mechanisms has been gained. Results are a stepping stone to a comprehensive manure management system that will produce high quality water. Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. ADREC anaerobic digestion assays have identified biogas potential and impact of co-digestion numerous blends of manure, food processing waste, food service waste, and amendments, including commercial enzymes. Improved biogas production resulted in some cases and economical potential was demonstrated. An additional blend examined the reconstitution of dewatered food processing waste in manure. This waste substantially increased gas production from the digester. These results directly supported specific applications and research scenarios to sustainably manage food processing waste and decrease transportation costs and tipping fees. Research continues on preventing metal mobilization from the irrigation of food processing waste. Results will provide a scientific basis for hydraulic and organic loadings. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. The MSU bioretention test facility is now constructed and five parallel cells are available for research. Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. The use of a media to remove phosphorus from decentralized wastewater shows potential to transfer of a significant waste to a resource. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management continues. Each class is available on eXtension. The ultimate results are high quality designs of such system so that environmental protection is maximized.
Publications
- -Larson, R.; S.I. Safferman. 2011 Field-scale application of farmstead runoff to agricultural filter strips: surface and subsurface water quality assessment. Journal of Environmental Quality, submitted. -Larson, R.; S. Safferman. 2011 Vegetative filter strips are commonly used for treatment of farmstead runoff. ASABE Annual International Conference, Reno Nevada. -Rathbun, J.; S. Safferman, S.; Davis, S.; Cleary, T.; K. Foight. 2011. Performance evaluation of a filter mound for treating milking center wastewater from a small dairy. Transactions of the ASABE, submitted. -Safferman, S.I.; D.M. Kirk; L.L. Faivor; W. Wu-Haan. 2012. Anaerobic Digestion Processes, Chapter 6 in Bioremediation and Sustainability: Research and Applications Ed. by Mohee, R.; Mudhoo,A. Scrivener Publishing LLC. In press. -Safferman, S.I.; I. Fernandez-Torres; S.M. Pfiffner; R.A. Larson; D.L. Mokma. 2011. Strategy for land application of wastewater using soil environment sensor monitoring and microbial community analyses, Journal of Environmental Engineering, 137 (2) 97-107. -Safferman, S.I.; L. Rozema. 2011. Treatment of milk house wash water on a small dairy. Michigan Dairy Review, in press. -Wall, D.M.; W. Wu-Haan; S.I. Safferman. 2011. Reconstitution of dewatered food processing residuals with manure to increase energy production from anaerobic digestion. Biomass and Bioenergy, submitted. -Wallace, J.M.; S.I. Safferman. 2010. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors and the influence of cycle time and biomass concentration on methane production for liquid dairy manure. Transactions of the ASABE. In preparation.
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective. 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. The ADREC building is complete. Research focuses on blending manure with high energy waste, testing amendments to enhance biogas production and achieve better carbon destruction, and pilot-scale testing. A continuation of the GIS web based Michigan Biomass Inventory has been awarded (http://MiBiomass.rsgis.msu.edu) by the State. This allows for updating the database, making the models available independent of the database, establishing links to a woody biomass database and the blended waste database discussed above, quantifying food processing waste, and mining the tool to enable mapping of the best sites in Michigan to locate waste to conversion technologies. Research to treat runoff using filter strips is complete and manuscripts are currently being developed. Funds from the Animal Agricultural Initiative were successfully leveraged to obtain a USDA CIG program to demonstrate the Michigan Bark Filter Mound as the primary technology with 2 demonstration systems recently completed. Research on using a vertical, constructed wetland to treat milking facility wastewater, funded by MMPA, is complete. Results show excellent treatment and a manuscript is being prepared. ----- Objective. 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Bench-scale membrane anaerobic digester research to separate nutrients to allow for strategic application is complete and a manuscript is being rewritten for resubmission to a peer review journal. ----- Objective. 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. Co-digestion of manure and high strength waste continues to be studied at the ADREC. Included now is food service waste. Multiple presentations have been given to stakeholders and the scientific community. The use of soil sensors to predict when wastewater causes metals to reduce, become mobile, and enter ground water is ongoing. Research in the laboratory continues. A journal article is in press. ----- Objective. 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. A field bioretention basin research facility, as part of a road project at the University, is now complete. Five parallel cells are available for testing. ----- Objective. 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research on novel activated media to remove phosphorous from onsite wastewater continues. The media demonstrates exceptional phosphorus holding capacity and a manuscript is being prepared. This data was used for a NSF SBIR proposal by the media developer that was accepted. MSU is a subcontractor and will continue testing optimized media. ----- Objective. 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management, funded by the USDA Higher Education Program, continues. Each class has been taught twice. Planning for converting the material into continuing education modules is in progress. PARTICIPANTS: Participants: Dr. Steven Safferman was the Principal Investigator for all of the highlighted projects described in the outputs and outcomes except for the USDA CIG (he is a collaborator on that project). Partner organizations who provided financial support include the USDA Higher Education Challenge Program, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Association Initiative, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Clinton County Conservation District, a private foundation, and numerous other business organizations. Partner organizations that were subcontractors to MSU include The Ohio State University and Stephens Consulting, LLC. Partner organizations that are participating but with no financial exchange include Central State University, Purdue University, Michigan USDA NRCS, and Foster Trenching, LLC. Collaborator staff members within the Principal Investigator's institution who he funded, in part or fully, include Dana Kirk, Steve Miller, Yan "Susie" Liu, Louis Faivor, and Kristine Van Winkle. Non funded participants include Luke Reese. Training and professional development participants include several graduate students, including Becky Larson, Jim Wallace, David Wall, Leila Saber Gaughran, Wei "Jade" Wu-Haan, Ryan Julian, and Harun Armagan. Fourteen undergraduate research assistants and one high school student contributed typically 5 to 40 hours a week to various projects throughout the year. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture and environmental protection. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. ADREC continues to attract substantial interest from producers, consultants, and other universities. To date, sponsorship from approximately 20 organizations resulted. Funding is in place to use the MI Biomass Inventory to identify sites with a high potential for a biomass conversion technology. The recent completion of the constructed wetland research to treat milking facility wastewater has great potential to be developed into a MI USDA NRCS Standard so farmers can qualify for EQIP funds. Results will be combined with those collected in a Canadian study to move the process forward. ----- Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Research on the anaerobic membrane bioreactors integrated into a nutrient management plan identifies operating strategies to minimize biogas decreases associated with membrane operations. A manuscript was submitted and is currently undergoing revisions. ----- Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. Laboratory results predicted the initiation of metal leaching from overloading irrigated soil. A manuscript showing the utility of using sensors to predict metal leaching is in press. A field demonstration is in its second year and, combined with an abundance of monitoring data, has revealed many trends that are now being analyzed so that an environmentally protective application strategy can be developed. Results were presented at the Michigan Food Processors Wastewater Summit - approximately 160 participated. ----- Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. The MSU bioretention test facility is now constructed and available for research. ----- Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Laboratory results indicate the nano enhanced iron coated media has a phosphorous holding capacity up to 5 times higher than that found in the literature. A manuscript is in preparation and funding to conduct further research has been obtained. ----- Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. All classes were taught a second time.
Publications
- Rathbun, Joseph, S. Safferman, S. Davis, T. Cleary, K. Foight. 2010. Performance evaluation of a filter mound for treating milking center wastewater from a small dairy. Transactions of the ASABE, in preparation.
- Safferman, S.I., Fernandez-Torres, I, Pfiffner, S.M., Larson, R.A., and Mokma, D.L. 2010. Strategy for Land Application of Wastewater using Soil Environment Sensor Monitoring and Microbial Community Analyses, Journal of Environmental Engineering, In press for publication in February 2010.
- Safferman, S.I. Update on Phosphorus Removal Research. 2010. 59th Michigan Onsite Wastewater Conference & Exhibits Presents. East Lansing, MI.
- Stephens, L.D., Safferman, S.I., Reese, L.E. 2010. Developing and Delivery of Web-Based Education in Decentralized and Cluster Wastewater Treatment. 2010 NOWRA Conference. St. Louis, MO.
- Wallace, J.M. and S.I. Safferman. 2010. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor for the treatment of liquid dairy manure. Transactions ASABE. In preparation.
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective. 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. Focus area is waste to resources using anaerobic digestion. The building for the Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADREC) is under construction. Two students are blending manure with high energy waste. Amendments to produce more biogas and achieve better carbon destruction are being researched. Biogas assays are being conducted for organizations for a fee (4 complete, 3 planned). The data helps industry and allows the development of a database of treatment potential. A GIS web based inventory is developed to estimate waste biomass from farms and several other facilities (http://MiBiomass.rsgis.msu.edu). Net energy is estimated for five conversion technologies. Funding was from the MI Department of Economic Labor and Growth. Runoff treatment using vegetated filter strips continues at the MSU Dairy Farm and a small private dairy, funded by the MI Animal Association Initiative (AAI) and the MI Milk Producers Association (MMPA), respectively. Milking facility wastewater treatment is being demonstrated with a vertical constructed wetland at a small farm (MMPA funded). Bark beds are being demonstrated at two small farms, funding from AAI, USDA CIG, and cost share. An article for publication is in progress. Research on wastewater using onsite treatment units, funded by the MI Department of Environmental Quality, is complete and published in Transactions of ASABE. Further demonstration is warranted. Objective. 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Bench-scale membrane anaerobic digester is operating as part of ADREC with a goal to produce a liquid with low phosphorus levels. Objective. 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. Co-digestion of manure and high strength waste is being studied by the ADREC. Multiple presentations have been given to stakeholders and the scientific community. The use of soil sensors to predict when wastewater causes metals to reduce, become mobile, and enter ground water is ongoing. Research in the laboratory continues. A field demonstration is initiated; funding is from a food processing company. A journal article was submitted and is now being modified for resubmission. Objective. 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. A field bioretention basin research facility was built by the University as part of a road project. Five parallel cells are available for testing. Proposals are being written. Objective. 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research on novel activated media to remove phosphorous from onsite wastewater continues. The media demonstrates exceptional phosphorus holding capacity. The University participated with the manufacturer to prepare a NSF SBIR. Objective. 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management, funded by the USDA Higher Education Program, continues. Each class is developed and has been taught once. All material is being placed on the eXtension website. Planning for the second offerings and the continuing education program is in progress. PARTICIPANTS: Participants: Dr. Steven Safferman was the Principal Investigator for all of the highlighted projects described in the outputs and outcomes except for the USDA CIG (he is a collaborator on that project). Partner organizations who provided financial support include the USDA Higher Education Challenge Program, USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development, Michigan Project GREEEN, Michigan Animal Association Initiative, Sali Group, LLC, Phase 3 Renewables, LLC, EversTech LLC, MetaMateria Partners, Auqa Technologies Natural Treatment Systems, Inc., and Michigan Milk Producers Association, a private foundation, and Water Resource Management, LLC. Partner organizations that were subcontractors to MSU include The Ohio State University and Stephens Consulting, LLC. Partner organizations that are participating but with no financial exchange include Central State University, Purdue, Michigan USDA NRCS, Foster Trenching, LLC, and Clinton County Conservation District. Collaborator staff members within the Principal Investigator's institution who he funded, in part or fully, include Dana Kirk, Steve Miller, Yan "Susie" Liu, Louis Faivor, and Kristine Van Winkle. Non funded participants include Luke Reese. Training and professional development participants include several graduate students, including Becky Larson, Jim Wallace, David Wall, Leila Saber Gaughran, Wei "Jade" Wu-Haan. Undergraduate research assistants that contributed typically 5 to 20 hours a week to various projects included Joe Ahlquist, Drew Coateny, Alyse Egner, Michael Holly, Jason Schneeman, Jason Smith, and Adrienne Varney. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. Included are government agencies that are responsible for promoting agriculture and environmental protection. Industries and consultants are also a major audience as they have benefited from testing services, outreach activities, publications, and joint committee membership. Agricultural producers such as dairy farmers have directly benefited from demonstrations at their farms and collectively benefited by efforts to develop and transfer technologies to protect the environment and convert waste to resources. Undergraduate and graduate students have benefited from participating in the diverse research and outreach activities. They are also benefiting from the innovative and novel curriculum that has been developed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. ADREC continues to attract substantial interest from producers and consultants. Results from a biogas assay conducted for an industry indicated the technology was not effective and prevented a planned design that would not work. A draft plan is in place to use the new MI Biomass Inventory to identify sites with a high potential for a biomass conversion technology. Extension educators plan to provide programming in such areas as such a technology protects the environment and provides renewable energy. The recent initiation of the bark bed demonstrations brings MI one step closer to enabling the development of a MI USDA NRCS Standard so farmers can qualify for EQIP funds. Currently, many improperly discharge such fluids. Results from the vertical constructed wetland demonstration are promising. Combining results being collected from the MI project and that in Canada may expedite the development of a standard. Results from the filter strip have not been predictable and research indicates the need for further understanding of the mechanism. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Research on the anaerobic membrane bioreactors integrated into a nutrient management plan shows excellent potential. Three manuscripts are in progress and a mobile pilot-scale system is in design for demonstration purposes. Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. Laboratory results predicted the initiation of metal leaching from overloading irrigated soil. Work with the MI Department of Environmental Quality and industry has led to the initiation of a field demonstration to determine if the approach will help in preventing future ground water contamination by excessive organic and hydraulic loading. Metal leaching has now been discovered from manure application and in association with an infiltration basin. This technique is a valuable research tool and may become a standard. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. The MSU bioretention test facility is now constructed and available for research. This is believed to be a one-of-a-kind facility as 5 large, parallel cells are available, each with independent sampling. Proposals to use the facility for research on media and plants are being prepared. Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Laboratory results indicate the nano enhanced iron coated media has a phosphorous holding capacity up to 5 times higher than that found in the literature. Recent results indicate the reaction is equilibrium based and empty bed contact time controls the effluent concentration. Based on the price structure, a field demonstration is warranted. Because of the difficulty of removing phosphorus from onsite generated wastewater and other water there is great potential for an economical and efficient alternative. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. All classes were taught in 2009. Assessment will be conducted soon and preparation to offer the classes a second time is ongoing.
Publications
- Safferman, S.I., Fernandez-Torres, I, Pfiffner, S.M., Larson, R.A., and Mokma, D.L. 2009. Strategy for Land Application of Wastewater using Soil Environment Sensor Monitoring and Microbial Community Analyses, Journal of Environmental Engineering, Submitted in February 2009. Safferman, S.I., Faivor, L.L., Wall, D.M. 2009. Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Potential in Support of Renewable Energy Development. Proc. WEFTEC 2009, Orlando Florida.
- Reese, L.E., Safferman, S.I., Loudon, T.L., Stephens, L.D., Northcott, W.J., Miller, S.A., Rausch, J.N., and Zhao, L.Y. 2009. Education Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management (ECOSEAM). Proc. 2009 ASABE Annual Conference, Reno Nevada.
- Jason Schneemann, J., Miller, S, Liu, Y., and Safferman, S. 2009. Waste Biomass Inventory to Support Renewable Energy Development. Proc. 2009 ASABE Annual Conference, Reno Nevada.
- Safferman, S.I. and Reese, L.E. 2009. Education Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management. 2009 NACTA/SERD Annual Conference Program and Abstract Book, Oklahoma State University.
- Larson R.A. and Safferman S.I. 2009. Aerobic Treatment Unit Performance on Milking Parlor Wash Water, Transactions of the ASABE, 52(3): 825-834.
- Davis, S., Cleary, T., Safferman, S., Fritz, G., and Ledebuhr, D. 2009. Milking Center Wastewater Management Bark Filter Mound, Michigan Dairy Review, 14(2): 11-13.
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Obj. 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. Focus areas are anaerobic digestion and treatment of runoff and milking facility water. Digester related projects include the foundation funded MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center. An emphasis is on small to medium sized farms. Additional research entails biogas potential assays. This initiative, funded by the MI Dept. of Labor and Econ. Growth and industry, is described in a MI Dairy Review article (MDR). A protocol is being developed to determine if food processing waste blended with manure before digesting results in byproducts. This project is funded by the MI Dept. of Ag. Runoff is being investigated in the MI Animal Assoc. Initiative project to evaluate the Wastewater Treatment Strip Practice Standard. Three treatment strips are installed at the MSU Dairy. The MI Milk Producers Assoc. funded a project on the filter strip to treat runoff and a wetland to treat milking facility wash water. A MI Dept. of Env. Quality Pollution Prevention funded project examined onsite wastewater aerobic treatment units to treat wash water for non-contact reuse. A summary of the runoff and wash water technologies was given at the 2008 MI Assoc.of Conservation Districts annual meeting and 2 manuscripts were published in the MDR. Obj. 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. A student is finishing research on using a membrane to separate manure solids from liquids after digestion. The phosphorus concentrates in the solids and can be transported to deficient fields. The water can be irrigated near the source. Obj. 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. A strategy to manage irrigated food processing wastewater has been holistically researched. Included are minimization, anaerobic digestion, and irrigation strategies. A project that predicted impacts by monitoring the soil environment using sensors is completed and a publication is in progress. This project was funded by MI Project GREEEN and a USDA Multi-State grant. Results were presented at the 2008 MI Food Processor Annual Meeting. Obj. 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. A manuscript has been published concerning techniques that maximize aquifer recharge while maintaining water quality. Included is a decision support tool that is also on the website of the sponsoring agency (Miami Conservancy District). A new field bioretention basin research facility is designed and being built as part of a road improvement project. Obj. 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research on novel activated media to remove phosphorous from onsite wastewater is ongoing, funded by MetaMateria Partners. The work was presented at the 57th MI On-Site Wastewater Conference. Obj. 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Envir. and Ag. Management, funded with a USDA Higher Edu. Grant, continues. Topics for 4 classes have been peer reviewed. Content development is in progress. All 4 classes will be offered in 2009. A description of the program was published in the MI Insight newsletter. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Steven Safferman was the Principal Investigator for all of the highlighted projects described in the outputs and outcomes. Additional researchers involved with anaerobic digestion are Steve Miller, a Department Special Faculty and Yan "Susie" Liu, a termed assistant professor. Luke Reese, Associate Professor, is a participant on the USDA ECOSEAM project. The Ecosystem Engineering Technologist, Louis Faivor, participated in all projects. Kristine Van Winkle, department technologist, was involved with the membrane digester reactor study. Graduate students and assigned projects include the following -Becky Larson: filter strip and assimilation capacity projects -Isis Fernandez-Torres: waste minimization and assimilation capacity projects -Erin Henderson: onsite wastewater phosphorus and biogas assay projects -Jim Wallace: membrane bioreactor project -David Wall: anaerobic feedstock blending project -Dana Kirk: anaerobic digestion and ADREC Undergraduate assistants that contributed significantly to various projects included Joe Ahlquist, Aubrey Higginbotham, Tyler Wright, Ben Lemley, and Alyse Egner. Many agencies and private organizations funded the research, as listed below. -USDA Higher Education Challenge Program -USDA Multi State -Great Lakes Regional Water Program, USDA CREES -Michigan Department of Agriculture -Michigan Department of Environmental Quality -Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development -Michigan Project GREEEN -Michigan Animal Association Initiative -Sali Group, LLC -Phase 3 Renewables, LLC -MetaMateria Partners -Michigan Milk Producers Association -Stephens Consulting, LLC -University of Minnesota -The Ohio State University -Central State University TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are diverse and comprehensive. The anaerobic digestion and assimilation capacity research was targeted directly to producers as well as extension educators, industry, students, and regulators. Storm water best management research was conducted for a governmental agency and oriented towards engineers and landscapers. Onsite wastewater research was being conducted for the developer and presented to the scientific community. Innovative curriculum, to date, has entailed working with industry and the partnering Universities but will ultimately be targeting students and professionals working at the suburban/rural intersection. Delivery has been in the form of presentations to trade groups, presentations at professional conferences, journal articles, news articles, workshops, and consulting. Student assistants, both graduate and undergraduate, have gained substantial experience and awareness by participating in the various projects. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Involvement in Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops is being deemphasized, with the exception of work on phosphorus. Similarly, for Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. Phosphorus, the role is becoming more supportive to other faculty members. Little additional work on Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies, is anticipated.
Impacts
Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. The establishment of the MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center resulted in substantial interest from producers and the general public. As a result, a better and more realistic understanding of the role of anaerobic digestion is evident. The results to date also enabled the expansion of the research to fund biogas assays and 2 recent projects that will develop a waste biomass mapping resource and energy modeling tool for MI. Impacted runoff and wash water from dairy farms are 2 of the most pressing issues for farms, especially small to mediums sized ones that treat their manure as a solid. Based on the results to date, MSU is working very closely with the MI USDA NRCS to demonstrate promising technologies and in particular, the MI Bark Filter Mound, to produce standards to enable EQIP cost sharing. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Research is ongoing and an impact will be a series of manuscripts that detail the role of anaerobic membrane bioreactors integration in a nutrient management plan, their performance, and design techniques. Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. The determination of a strategic irrigation plan is critical to the industry in MI. A monitoring approach instead a one size fits all prescriptive approach is of much interest to food processors and regulators. Several meetings with high level officials have occurred and research continues to answer the numerous questions. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. Phosphorus control was adopted as a major MSU Water Area of Expertise theme in 2007 (the Principal Investigator is the Campus Co-Chair for this committee). One of the activities was a workshop for all interested on implementing phosphorus control technologies contained in a recently released MI Department of Environmental Quality report. The workshop, with over 100 participants, increased awareness and resulted in the award of a grant to establish workgroups to plan for institution of various practices. Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Preliminary results indicate very high phosphorous removals per unit weight of the media. Removal rates are substantially above values found in the literature for any other media. However, premature breakthrough prevents implementation and required further study. Research is ongoing. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. Classes are anticipated to be offered in 2009. Thereafter impacts are anticipated.
Publications
- Safferman, S. and Triponi, M. (2008). A New Generation of Farm-Based Anaerobic Digesters, Resource Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World, 15(6), 25-26.
- Larson, R. A. and Safferman, S. I. (2008). Storm Water Best Management Practices That Maximize Aquifer Recharge, Journal of Green Building, 3(1): 126-138.
- Safferman, S. I. and Reese, L. (2008). Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management, MI Insight (MOWRA).
- Davis, S., Cleary, T., Rathbun, R., Foster, B., Safferman, S., Bolinger, D., Fritz, G., Ledebuhr, D., and Northcott, W. (2008). Milking Center Wastewater Management - Bark Filter Mounds, MI Dairy Review (in press).
- Safferman, S. and Faivor, L. (2008). Anaerobic Digestion Potential Assay, MI Dairy Review, 13(4): 8-9.
- Larson, B. and Safferman, S. (2008), Potential of Two Aerobic Units to Treat Milking Facility Wash Water, MI Dairy Review, 13(3): 6-9.
- Safferman, S. (2008), Milking Facility Wash Water: Facts and Figures, MI Dairy Review, 13(1): 1-2.
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. An AAI funded project will evaluate the effectiveness of the NRCS Michigan Wastewater Treatment Strip Practice Standard. Research continues over the next 2 years. The strips were part of the MSU Dairy Teaching and Research Center and Animal Air Quality Research Facility, South Campus Farms Field Day, October 13, 2007. A protocol was developed to screen feed stocks for digestion as part of the Michigan GREEEN Project, Alternative for Food Processor's Wastewater. The protocol is available at http://www.egr.msu.edu/~safferma/Research/Greeen/greeenprojecttasks.h tml and was presented to the Michigan Food Processors Association Meeting (June 2007) and at the BioCycle Seventh Annual Conference (October 1, 2007). Related activities included consulting with a State Representative's office (April 17, 2007) and a presentation at a town hall meeting, September 25, 2007. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and
Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. A Ph.D. student is examining digestion followed by membrane separation to remove particulate phosphorus from irrigation water. Biosystems Engineering students examined polishing this water to remove additional phosphorus using activated media. The resulting technical report is "Manure Phosphorus Management Alternative Analysis." Objective 3: Food Processing Wastewater Treatment. The before mentioned Michigan GREEEN project resulted in the following documents, posted on the project's website: Wastewater Characteristics and Quantities Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Processors in Michigan, Categorization of Chemical Additives to Food Processor's Wastewater, Literature Review: Anaerobic Digestion for Fruit and Vegetable Processing Waste, Anaerobic Digestion Feasibility Protocol for Fruit and Vegetable Processing Waste, MSU Abbreviated Anaerobic Digester Protocol, and Capacity of Soils to Assimilate Wastewater from
Food Processing Facilities. The work was presented to the Michigan Food Processors Association Annual Meeting, June 2007. An additional project is examining strategies to optimize spray irrigation by monitoring soil assimilation capacity. Eight instrumented columns are operating. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. A resource on increasing the quality and quantity of water infiltrating into aquifers is complete (http://www.miamiconservancy.org/Water_Data/StormwaterBMPs/home.asp). Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research on activated media to remove phosphorous from onsite wastewater was funded by MetaMateria Partners, Great Lakes Regional Watershed Program, and Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association. Six columns are running using the third generation of the media. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. The Educational Collaborative on Sustainable Environmental and Agricultural Management (ECOSEAM), funded with
an USDA Higher Education Grant, is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional team that will deliver hands-on courses on sustainable engineering at the suburban/rural interface.
PARTICIPANTS: Partner Organizations The Ohio State University Purdue University Central State University Central State University MetaMateria Partners, LLC Great Lakes Regional Watershed Program Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Consolidated Treatment Systems, Inc. Stephens Engineering Consulting Michigan Department of Agricultural Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Michigan USDA NRCS MBI International Training Three MS graduate students and 1 PH.D. student worked specifically on this project. Additionally, 9 undergraduate students participated as research assistants
TARGET AUDIENCES: Target Audiences Food processing plant managers Farmers Peers Undergraduate and graduate students Policy makers
Impacts
Objective 1: Animal Waste Management Strategies for Large and Small Producers. The anaerobic digestion protocol is a resource to educate farmers, food processors, and policy makers about a technology that produces a renewable energy source while controlling pollutants. Of importance is the emphasis on making decisions to proceed with investigating digestion based on scientific data. The outcomes are being realized as evident from the request to present the protocol on four occasions. Objective 2: Biological, Chemical and Physical Treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Control from Crops. Management of manure by liquid/solid separation has the potential to concentrate phosphorus in the solid phase and allow for more responsible land application of the liquid and beneficial reuse of the fibers in the solid phase. A planned outcome is the dissemination of data that allows the objective evaluation of this strategy for site-specific facilities. Objective 3: Food Processing
Wastewater Treatment. Numerous deliverables for the food processor manager concerning the responsible management of their wastewater have been developed and presented to Michigan food processors. The desired long-term outcome is to provide food processors an efficient and effective wastewater treatment strategy that is protective of the environment. Objective 4: Storm Water Best Management Practices. The development of the Storm Water Infiltration Best Management Practices web site, as part of the Miami Conservancy District's site, imparts knowledge to a target audience on alternative designs that are protective of water resources. Objective 5: Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Research is ongoing on a new approach to remove phosphorus from onsite generated wastewater. Few viable alternatives are currently available yet phosphorus discharge limits are starting to be instituted. Objective 6: Innovative Education and Outreach Activities. With the funding of the ECOSEAM
program, multiple courses are being developed across several states. As students are educated in these emerging issues, their designs will be protective of environmental resources at the suburban/rural interface.
Publications
- Fernandez-Torres, I., Safferman, S. I., Miller, S. A. 2007. Water minimization protocol for fruit and vegetable processors. Proc. 2007 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
- Henderson, E. M., Safferman, S. I. 2007. Anaerobic digestion feasibility protocol for fruit and vegetable processors. Proc. 2007 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
- Safferman, S. I. 2007. Chemical phosphorus removal from onsite generated wastewater. Proc. Water Environment Federation Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
- Eschenbach, E. A., Montgomery, J. Johnson, J., Brus, C., Carlson, P.A., Giammar, D., Grauer, B., Hotaling, L., Oguntimein, G., Safferman, S., Seiler, E., and Wentling, T. 2007. Waters Network's potential to transform environmental engineering education. Proc. ASEE Conference, Honolulu, HI.
- Safferman, S. I. Chemical phosphorous removal from onsite generated wastewater, an update. 2007. The Michigan Insight, A Periodic Publication of MOWRA.
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