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Development of a New Manure Amendment for Reducing Ammonia Volatilization and Phosphorus Runoff from Poultry Litter
Author(s) -
Moore Philip A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2015.09.0483
Subject(s) - alum , poultry litter , volatilisation , ammonia volatilization from urea , manure , sulfuric acid , phosphorus , chemistry , litter , bauxite , ammonia , agronomy , zoology , waste management , nutrient , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , biology , engineering
Treating poultry litter with alum is a best management practice that reduces phosphorus (P) runoff and ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions. However, alum prices have increased substantially during the past decade. The goal of this research was to develop inexpensive manure amendments that are as effective as alum in reducing NH 3 volatilization and P runoff. Sixteen amendments were developed using mixtures of alum mud, bauxite ore, sulfuric acid, liquid alum, and water. Alum mud is the residual left over from alum manufacture when produced by reacting bauxite with sulfuric acid. A laboratory NH 3 volatilization study was conducted using 11 treatments: untreated poultry litter, poultry litter treated with liquid or dry alum, or eight new mixtures. All of the litter amendments tested resulted in significantly lower NH 3 volatilization than untreated litter. Dry and liquid alum reduced NH 3 losses by 86 and 75%, respectively. The eight new litter amendments reduced NH 3 losses from 62 to 73% compared with untreated litter, which was not significantly different from liquid alum; the three most effective mixtures were not significantly different from dry alum. Water‐extractable P (WEP) was significantly reduced by all of the amendments, three of which resulted in significantly lower WEP than dry alum. The most promising new amendments were mixtures of alum mud, bauxite, and sulfuric acid. The potential impact of these amendments could be enormous because they could be produced for less than half the price of alum while being as effective in reducing NH 3 emissions and P runoff. Core Ideas Alum additions to poultry litter reduce ammonia emissions and P runoff. The price of alum has increased dramatically, creating a need for cheaper products. New manure amendments were developed using alum mud (a byproduct), bauxite, and sulfuric acid. Three of these new products reduced ammonia volatilization and WEP as well as alum. These new amendments should be more cost‐effective than alum because they are cheaper to produce.