Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 12300

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kyoung S. Ro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

USDA ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water & Plant Research Center, 2611 W. Lucas St., Florence, SC 29501, USA
Interests: fugitive gas emission from agricultural sites; livestock waste to value-added products using thermochemical technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ariel A. Szogi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2611 West Lucas Street, Florence, SC 29501, USA
Interests: nutrient recovery from animal agriculture and their use in crop production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Matias Vanotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

USDA ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water & Plant Research Center, 2611 W. Lucas St., Florence, SC 29501, USA
Interests: waste management; nutrient recovery and wastewater purification

Prof. Dr. Airton Kunz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Embrapa Suinos e Aves, Rodovia 153, Km 110, Concordia, SC 89715-899, Brazil
Interests: animal waste treatment; biogas generation processes; nutrient removal or recovery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Most livestock production systems are complex systems that integrate both plant and animal production to harvest animal protein effectively, including the use of livestock manure as a source of nutrients for crops. However, the recent increasing demand for animal protein for human consumption has resulted in livestock production intensification through confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These CAFOs are the fastest growing form of industrial animal production due to its high efficiency in producing meat. However, manure management for CAFOs becomes a significant environmental issue because of the generation of high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in manure and the difficulty of applying manure to crop land far away from the CAFOs due to high transportation costs. The excessive application of nutrients to crop and pasture lands near CAFOs can contribute to water quality impairment via soil runoff and leaching. In addition, the overapplication of animal manure can spread pathogens, release hormones and other pharmaceutically active compounds, and emit ammonia, greenhouse gases, and odorous compounds. For this Special Issue, we seek innovative technologies for manure management that maximize the recycling of nutrients, convert livestock waste into valuable byproducts for reuse or bioenergy, and reduce the environmental footprint of livestock production while promoting sustainable environments. Potential topics covered in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

Development of manure and livestock waste processing, treatment, and value-added technologies to reduce pollutant emission and promote circular economies of manure byproducts and sustainable food systems;
Production of energy and valorization of manure byproducts using thermal- and/or bio-based technologies;
Innovative applications of manure-derived products for improving soil, water, and air quality;
Manure treatment systems that yield additional benefits such as odor and pathogen reduction, GHG reduction, and generation of water for on-farm reuse and provide ecosystem benefits such as the protection and restoration of water quality and the generation of water quality credits.

Dr. Kyoung S. Ro
Dr. Ariel A. Szogi
Dr. Matias Vanotti
Prof. Dr. Airton Kunz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

manure management
sustainable animal meat production
livestock waste treatment
value-added products from manure and livestock waste
improving soil, water, and air quality
water reuse
circular economy

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 3355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Potential for Rainwater Harvesting Use in a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Region in the South of Brazil

by Caroline Gabriela Hoss, Jorge Manuel Rodrigues Tavares, Ailton João Gonçalves Moreira, Paulo Belli Filho and Alexandre Matthiensen

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12523; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912523 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1078

Abstract

Sustainability in intensive animal production is directly linked to water management. The increasing pressure on water resources and the occurrence of increasingly frequent and severe droughts makes it harder to meet the demand for animal husbandry in rural properties and highlights the importance of rational water use and the search for alternative sources of water supply. In the midwest region of Santa Catarina state, south of Brazil, the use of cisterns to store rainwater collected from the roofs of houses that confine animals is an alternative already widely used and encouraged to minimize water scarcity. Studies that deal with the potential for rainwater use in livestock production are still scarce; however, available information provides a concrete basis for further technical and economic feasibility studies. The present study aimed to evaluate, based on local precipitation and available harvesting areas, the potential of the use of rainwater to supply the water demand (r, %) and the water-saving potential (R, m³/year) in swine and poultry Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Jacutinga river basin and contiguous sub-basin municipalities, a region with great national importance in this activity. As a result, potential r values of 100% to supply water demand in the poultry sector and between 32.7% and 68.3% in the different production stages of the swine sector were obtained. The potential R value in the study area represented 5.2 million m³ per year. Such results reveal the high potential of rainwater harvesting systems not only for minimizing impacts of drought periods but also as an abundant source of water for supplying the husbandry water demand of rural farms, ensuring water security, and serving as a tool for managing local water resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2625 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Population Dynamics of Methanogenic Archea in Co-Digestion Systems Operating Different Industrial Residues for Biogas Production

by Isabela Gomes Barreto da Motta, Larice Aparecida Rezende Santana, Hyago Passe Pereira, Vanessa Romário de Paula, Marta Fonseca Martins, Jailton da Costa Carneiro and Marcelo Henrique Otenio

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141811536 - 14 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1729

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the population dynamics of methanogenic archaea in co-digestion systems operated under different concentrations of industrial waste such as ricotta whey and brewery waste sludge in association with bovine manure. It was believed that the association of these residues from the food industry combined with bovine manure can contribute to improve the production of biogas. To identify the archaea, DNA extractions and the sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene were performed from 38 samples of influents and effluents. The results indicated that Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina were predominant in the co-digestion of ricotta cheese whey and that Methanosaeta, Methanocorpusculum, and Methanobrevibacter prevailed in the co-digestion of residual brewery sludge. The three ricotta cheese whey biodigesters demonstrated efficiency in methane production; in contrast, residual sludge of brewery biodigesters only showed efficiency in the system operated with 20% co-substrate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 1665 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrogen Recovery from Different Livestock Slurries with an Innovative Stripping Process

by Ali Heidarzadeh Vazifehkhoran, Alberto Finzi, Francesca Perazzolo, Elisabetta Riva, Omar Ferrari and Giorgio Provolo

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7709; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14137709 - 24 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1425

Abstract

Ammonia (NH₃) emissions deriving from the management of livestock manure have a significant environmental impact, and therefore it is important to reduce them. Among the available options, the process of NH₃ stripping is promising to remove NH₃ from manures and digestates recovering it as a mineral fertilizer (e.g., ammonium sulfate) that is more widely adoptable on farms. The traditional stripping process takes place in batches; however, in this study, a continuous process was evaluated using a lab scale plant in which four reactors were used in series with different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12 or 20 days. The NH₃ recovery of each reactor was studied for the liquid fraction of pig slurry, dairy cattle slurry and digestate, applying simple headspace aeration. For 20 days of HRT, totals of 92%, 83% and 67% of NH₃ were stripped from the digestate, pig slurry and dairy cattle slurry, respectively. For 12 days of HRT, total NH₃ recoveries were 83%, 60% and 41% for the digestate, pig slurry and dairy cattle slurry, respectively. The inlet NH₃ concentration and inlet total alkalinity had a positive and negative effect, respectively, on the specific NH₃ removal rate for each reactor. Stripping NH₃ on farm scale can abate NH₃ emissions in response to the environmental concerns of European policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 27624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Using Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) as a Surface Amendment in Beef Cattle Feedlots on Ammonia and Sulfide Emissions

by Mindy J. Spiehs and Bryan Woodbury

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 1984; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14041984 - 10 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

The objective of this study was to measure NH₃ from feedlot surface material (FSM) containing aluminum sulfate (alum). A 33-day lab-scale study was conducted using pans containing FSM and either 0, 2.5, 5, or 10% alum. The pH of the FSM was significantly lower (p < 0.01) when treated with 2.5, 5, and 10% alum as opposed to the 0% alum treatment. No NH₃ volatilization occurred below a pH of 6.5. A second study determined that small, weekly doses of 5% alum did not lower NH₃ emissions further than a single dose of 5% alum. Two studies on the feedlot surface demonstrated a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in pH in the areas of the pens where alum was added compared to those that did not receive alum. Ammonia concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) for the areas that received alum compared to those that did not receive alum for 7 days when 5% alum was applied and 14 days when 10% alum was applied. In all the studies, sulfide emissions increased when alum was added to the FSM. We concluded 10% alum may reduce NH₃ emissions from beef feedlots temporarily, but higher sulfide emissions offset this benefit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 1958 KiB

Open AccessReview

Second-Generation Phosphorus: Recovery from Wastes towards the Sustainability of Production Chains

by Camila Ester Hollas, Alice Chiapetti Bolsan, Bruno Venturin, Gabriela Bonassa, Deisi Cristina Tápparo, Daniela Cândido, Fabiane Goldschmidt Antes, Matias B. Vanotti, Ariel A. Szögi and Airton Kunz

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5919; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13115919 - 24 May 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4638

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is essential for life and has a fundamental role in industry and the world food production system. The present work describes different technologies adopted for what is called the second-generation P recovery framework, that encompass the P obtained from residues and wastes. The second-generation P has a high potential to substitute the first-generation P comprising that originally mined from rock phosphates for agricultural production. Several physical, chemical, and biological processes are available for use in second-generation P recovery. They include both concentrating and recovery technologies: (1) chemical extraction using magnesium and calcium precipitating compounds yielding struvite, newberyite and calcium phosphates; (2) thermal treatments like combustion, hydrothermal carbonization, and pyrolysis; (3) nanofiltration and ion exchange methods; (4) electrochemical processes; and (5) biological processes such as composting, algae uptake, and phosphate accumulating microorganisms (PAOs). However, the best technology to use depends on the characteristic of the waste, the purpose of the process, the cost, and the availability of land. The exhaustion of deposits (economic problem) and the accumulation of P (environmental problem) are the main drivers to incentivize the P’s recovery from various wastes. Besides promoting the resource’s safety, the recovery of P introduces the residues as raw materials, closing the productive systems loop and reducing their environmental damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Livestock Manure and Waste Treatment/Management Systems and Sustainable Environmental Utilization of Manure Resources)

► Show Figures