Using food processing plant waste on fields (1990)

Abstract

Food processors, such as dairy processing plants, are pretreating processing wastes to reduce waste loads discharged to municipal treatment plants. Many of these food processors have installed waste treatment facilities. These facilities may generate sludges that can benefit farmers when used as a liming material or as a nutrient additive to fields. Sludge or biomass from treatment at dairy plants contains microbial matter, water and some minerals. The microbial matter contains nitrogen and phosphorus, which are usable plant nutrients that can benefit agriculture instead of just being landfill waste. This guide, based on MU research, provides information on using the waste or lime stabilized biomass (LSB) from food processing plants for liming fields.