Liquid Manure / Sewage Management
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• Remediation of Liquid Manure / Sewage
• Liquid Manure / Sewage Management Conclusions
   

Remediation of Liquid Manure / Sewage

Liquid manure/sewage holding facilities, i.e. livestock, poultry, municipal sewage lagoons, tanks, and earthen manure storages, suffer from:

1. increased nutrients
2. high turbidity
3. high biological oxygen demand
4. high chemical oxygen demand,
5. high solids content
6. strong odours
7. low to no oxygen status
8. high population numbers of undesirable microorganisms

For 23 years, the Little River Pond Mill^® circulators having been assisting in the improvement of liquid manure/sewage systems globally by enhancing both the biological and natural chemical processes in these aquatic based environments.

The Little River Pond Mill^® circulator (LRPM) floats on the surface of the manure/sewage lagoons/storage containers and addresses many issues of management which include
the reduction of:

1. environmental costs
2. farm input costs
3. social environmental costs;
4. sludge depth
5. water depth
6. water consumption
7. energy consumption
8. nutrient management
9. farm safety
10. problems associated with lagoons/storage container clean out

The final product(s) of the remediation may be used in:

1. fertigation
   • land
   • greenhouse
2. cleaning of barn manure pits
3. released into the environment

One could view the sewage lagoon, with the pond mill in action, i.e. circulating and aerating the manure/sewage, as an activated sewage sludge treatment plant (Atlas and Bartha, 1993, and Brock et al., 1994), a continuous bioreactor, or a liquid composter, with a retention time geared towards the final desired remediated product.

The circulation pattern of the Little River Pond Mill^® circulator ensures that the entire contents of the lagoon/holding facility are circulated to the surface where they come into contact with UV rays and oxygen. Circulating the manure/sewage assists in the creation of crucial bioflocs and biofilms (communities of microorganisms).

Aeration within this environment occurs in two ways, passively and actively. Passive aeration occurs when the liquid moves across the surface and comes into contact with oxygen at the liquid/atmosphere interface. Active aeration occurs with the introduction of oxygen by photosynthetic bacteria, algae, and in some cases, plants.

Some nutrients, i.e. nitrogen and sulfur, are mineralized and thereby turned from an organic to an inorganic form which is readily available for plant use. Some nutrients are contained in microbial bodies and will be available over a slightly longer period of time.

Biotic and abiotic factors work in conjunction with one another to break down or decompose both the organic and synthetic compounds found within the manure/sewage. This process of enhanced biogeochemical cycling promotes the reduction of odorous and nonodorous gases production, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), pollutants, presence of undesirable organisms such as e.coli; and an increase in dissolved oxygen, organism diversity, energy usage efficiency, human and environmental safety, and many other positive factors.

Prior to the introduction of circulation and surface re-aeration, using the Little River Pond Mill^® circulator, primarily anaerobic decomposition took place. Anaerobic decomposition produces potentially toxic and foul-smelling gases - both undesirable and potentially lethal to people, other organisms, and to our atmosphere.

Some of the observed benefits when using a Little River Pond Mill^® circulator include a reduction/elimination of/in:

• noxious odours and potentially harmful gases (including greenhouse and acid rain gases)
• biological (BOD) and chemical (COD) oxygen demands
• suspended solids
• pest/undesirable/harmful organisms (e.coli)
• energy consumption to treat the manure/sewage to reduce odours, solids
• energy consumption and other treatment costs associated with improving worker and human safety
• energy consumption to clean out lagoons and storage containers
• environmental costs
• farm input costs
• social environmental costs
• sludge depth
• water depth
• water consumption
• nutrient management
• safety
  • municipal
  • farm
  • production facility
• lagoon/storage container clean out costs
• carbon equivalent emissions to the atmosphere
  • carbon is stored in microorganism bodies (high population densities)
  • eliminate the conditions which promote the production of methane

Various factors are working together to create the improved ecosystem effects.  These factors include the presence of:

• circulation
• competition for food
• predation
• the introduction of oxygen
• elimination of a desired habitat
• exposure to sunlight (UV rays)
• changes in chemistry (e.g. pH)
• and other factors (known/unknown).

Many benefits have been observed when the fertigation liquid is used in crop production.  These benefits include:

• improved plant health
  • ability to fight infections and insect attack
  • enhanced plant growth and production yields
  • increased root production and growth
• improved soil health
  • enhanced tilth
  • increased healthy soil organism activity and populations
  • decreased compaction in zero-til operations

The Little River Pond Mill^® circulator  is an effective ecosystem enhancement tool that can be used to 'tailor-make' solutions in aquatic environments such as manure/sewage lagoons.  Whether your desire is to reduce or eliminate odours and solids in a manure/sewage lagoon, reduce your farming operations environmental liabilities, promote Kyoto friendly farming practices, improve your town/city's reputation by reducing/eliminating sewage lagoon odours, the Little River Pond Mill^® circulator is an effective tool in aquatic environment management.

Liquid Manure / Sewage Management Conclusions

The circulation action, combined with the passive and active aeration and UV exposure, promoted by the Little River Pond Mill^® circulator, helps to create a more complete decomposition of organic matter, i.e. manure/sewage sludge, and in the process reduces both the odour and solids. This effective aquatic ecosystem and manure/sewage management tool is both efficient and economical in reducing the overall treatment and management costs.

The benefits of the biogeochemical cycling process and the highly efficient circulation created by the Little River Pond Mill^® circulator can be seen in such parameters as:

1. Reduction of potentially toxic and/or harmful odorous and non-odorous gases
   • improve human safety
     • farm
     • worker
   • improve environmental safety
2. Reduction in BOD, COD, SS, turbidity
   • increases the life span of the manure/sewage lagoon/holding facility
   • potentially reduces the cost of any secondary treatment requirements
3. Increase biotic species diversity and population densities
   • improves the treatment process
4. Reduction in the growth of pest/harmful/toxic aquatic species (e.g. e.coli)
   • improve human safety
   • improve environmental safety
   • potentially reduces the cost of any secondary treatment requirements
5. Highly efficient circulation component
   • reduced energy consumption when compared with other circulators and aeration systems
   • reduced requirement for chemicals, when chemicals are required in secondary treatment, due to increased exposure potential
   • reduced secondary treatment costs due to reduced energy requirement and more efficient chemical use
6. Reduction in water consumption by promoting re-use of remediated liquid for cleaning out pits and for fertigating crops and pasture
7. Reduction of legal costs associated with neighbours and communities opposed to high water use, odours,..., associated with intensive livestock production
8. Reduction in equipment and labour costs, i.e. rental, purchase, hiring others for such things as straw covers to temporarily absorb odours, lagoon clean out, or lagoon slurry prior to pumping for irrigation
9. Reduction in energy consumption associated with the spreading of covers, lagoon slurry, and clean out
10. Reduced requirement for new holding facilities due to sludge build-up/increase or extend the effective lifespan of your present facility

The degree of remediation and/or treatment required/desired can be tailored to the final desired product, i.e. fertigation liquid, odour and solids reduction, solids suspension,... through the number of machines used, retention time, ...

The environmentally friendly, biogeochemical cycle remediation facilitator and effective aquatic ecosystem enhancement and manure/sewage management tool, provides many benefits. It provides environmental, economic, and social benefits to the producer, the municipality, the environment, and the community. The Little River Pond Mill^® circulator has been used to reduce environmental, economic, and social costs associated with manure/sewage management, application, and use.