EQ and EQM - Environmental quality (MU Extension)
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Item Application of aboveground manure slurry system as additional storage and solid separator(University of Missouri--Columbia. Extension Division, 2023) Li, Zonggang; Lim, Teng TeehPractical and efficient manure management on animal farms is important to ensure smooth operation, provide valuable nutrients to crop production, and minimize the negative impact on environment. However, manure management can be challenging for farmers due to extreme weather events and increasing size of animal operations. Many animal operations in certain regions are competing for limited crop fields and workable days for land application. Under certain circumstances, some animal farms would need additional manure treatment and transportation, resulting in increased management and costs for manure treatment, storage, and land application. Anaerobic lagoons are commonly used for the storage and treatment of swine manure in the US, especially for older pig farms. This method is suitable for storing low solid manures for farms with liquid manure handling systems, such as a flushing system and a pull-plug system. The anaerobic lagoons allow the manure to be stored and treated in a low-oxygen environment, which promotes the growth of anaerobic bacteria that break down the organic matter in the manure. However, a significant amount of residual solids can accumulate in the lagoon and form sludge over time. If the sludge is not managed properly, it can affect treatment performance of the lagoons due to reduced treatment volume. If the lagoon treatment volume is undersized or the farm has expanded, the sludge can also accumulate faster. The costs associated with desludging, hauling, and land applying the sludge can be significant and burdensome for swine producers with anaerobic lagoons with sludge buildup. Also, anaerobic lagoons are often associated with other challenges, like odor nuisance and significant nitrogen nutrient loss.Item Protecting water quality during lawn establishment and renovation(University of Missouri--Columbia. Extension Division, 2022) Tian, Peng; Chhetri, Manoj; Fresenburg, Brad S.; Corwin, Barbara S.; Broz, Robert R."This publication provides a discussion of cultural practices applicable to the establishment, protection and maintenance of a turfgrass ecosystem."--Page 1.Item Nutrient recovery system for dairy farms : dissolved air flotation and multi-disk press(University of Missouri--Columbia. Extension Division, 2021) Canter, Tim; Lim, Teng Teeh; Zulovich, Joseph"A manure management plan consists of balancing the use and/or reuse of organic material but, more importantly, nutrients - primarily nitrogen and phosphorous - and water. Water and nutrients are intertwined because water is the primary means by which nutrients are conveyed across and away from farms. On-farm nutrient and water management have become increasingly important in recent years. Nutrient losses reduce land productivity and/or increase operational cost for replenishment of lost nutrients. Nutrients in runoff degrade water quality in receiving bodies of water and have resulted in nearly $1 billion in negative economic impact every year just from tourism reductions across the U.S. Studies suggest that agriculture's non-point source contribution to nutrient loads into the nation's lakes, streams and rivers not only represents a large fraction of the overall load but is also one of the most difficult to address ("Agriculture | Chesapeake Bay Program," 2020).Addressing the challenges of decreased water quality resulting from nutrient loads requires a holistic approach that includes manure treatment technology innovation, advances in feed science and nutrition, optimization of soil and crop management, and creation of secondary markets that can drive revenue generation for manure-based, value-added products such as biogas and pelletized fertilizer. While all these aspects must be addressed, the separation and treatment technologies used at the point of generation can have the greatest impact. Individuals and organizations, both public and private, have accepted the challenge to develop innovative ways to address nutrient separation, removal and reuse. One system that has recently gained popularity because of its effectiveness is the combination of dissolved air flotation (DAF) and a multi-disk (MD) press to produce a nutrient-rich cake from a waste stream that has been conditioned by pre-screening coarse material (Figure 1). The DAF/MD combination is a physical/chemical process to separate solids and nutrients, primarily phosphorous and organic nitrogen, from impaired water. The smallest of these systems is capable of processing several hundred thousand gallons of water per day and currently is intended primarily for medium- to large-scale dairies, generally producers with about 250 or more milking cows. One of these smaller systems could cost between $300,000–$400,000 (CapEx) and $30,000–$35,000 per year to operate (OpEx). The output of this size of system would include tea water that is high in ammonia and approximately 1,800 metric tons per year of phosphorous- and nitrogen-rich cake with approximately 25% solids content ("Evaluation of Nutrient Recovery Technologies," n.d.)."--First page.Item Considerations of pull-plug sedimentation basin for dairy manure management(University of Missouri--Columbia. Extension Division, 2020) Canter, Tim; Lim, Teng Teeh; Chockley, Troy"Many small dairy farms have limited practical and easy-to-operate options for manure management. A flush system for manure removal is attractive due to reduced chore time and increased barn cleanliness. However, flush systems require greater attention to onsite water management that result from having to store water with high nutrient and solids concentrations. There are several different types of lagoons commonly employed for agricultural use. Lagoons designed for treatment and solids reduction via digestion can be aerobic or facultative/anaerobic. Anaerobic treatment lagoons can be ideal for many agricultural applications when it comes to water and manure management. The lagoon, typically 8-15 feet deep, provides some digestion of manure solids while serving as a holding basin when land application is not possible due to frozen ground or saturated soils. Storage lagoons are another type that aren't designed for the purpose of solids reduction but, rather, for holding water or a water and solids slurry in order to better manage the on-farm water inventory. A portion of lagoon volume is designated for holding solids, regardless of the purpose or type of the lagoon. Solids removal prior to a lagoon may help increase lagoon capacity and reduce, if not eliminate, the need for costly lagoon dredging."--First page.Item Manure management in hoop structures(University of Missouri--Columbia. Extension Division, 2018) Fulhage, Charles"Hoop structures for raising swine offer an alternative to managing manure in the traditional liquid form (Figures 1 and 2). Some producers are willing to provide the increased labor and management required for a hoop structure so that manure can be handled as a solid. Advantages of handling manure as a solid include the following: bedding availability on the farm, less odor than with liquid manure systems, less risk of runoff or spills than with liquid manure systems. Disadvantages of handling manure as a solid include the following: large amounts of bedding required, labor required to handle bedding and manure, bedding costs, if bedding must be purchased." -- page 1