SchematicofsolidmanuresystemsSource:PurdueUniversity

SurfaceapplicationofsolidmanureSource:PurdueUniversity

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CommonManureHandlingSystemsSolidLotRunoffLiquidManureLagoons

SolidManure

Swinemanurewashistoricallyhandledasasolid,eitherdepositeddirectlybygrazinganimals,orcollectedinbeddingplacedonsolidshelterfloorstoabsorbtheurine.Pasturedanimalsspreadthemanureoverthelandastheygrazed.Manuredepositedonsolidfloorsistypicallystoredwhereitfalls,withmorebeddingaddedasneededtomaintainadryfloor.Liquiddrainsawayfromthemanuredroppedonanoutsidelotandmustbecollectedinastorage,leavingthesolidmanurebehind.Themanurecompostsinplacesomewhatandisremovedeveryfewmonths.Fertilizervalueisrecoveredbyspreadingoncroplandtocompletethenutrientcycle.Solidmanureisnormallysurfaceapplied,butinsomecasesmaybeincorporatedintothesoilwithafarmtillageoperationshortlyafterspreading.Compostingisanotheroptionforsolidmanuremanagement.

LotRunoff

Ag101

http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/porkmanure.htmlLastupdatedon6/27/2012

OptionsforhandlingmanurefromopenlotSource:PurdueUniversity

Optionsforhandlingmanurefromopenlotholdingpondforrunoff

fromoutsidelotSource:DavisPurdue

Farms

GrowfinishpigsonslottedfloorSource:PurdueUniversity

Manureistypicallyscrapedfromoutsidelotseveryweekortwoandstackeduntilitcanbehauledtocropland.Itisimportanttokeepanoutsidelotrelativelyfreeofmanuretocontrolodorandsothatrainfallrunoffstaysmostlyfreeofmanure.Thisfacilitatesstorageofrelativelycleanrunoffforirrigationontocropland.Itisevenpossibletodivertrunofffromsmalloperationsdirectlytopastureortoavegetatedfilterstripwhereitcaninfiltrate.Itmustbepreventedfromenteringwaterways.Cleanupslopewaterandroofwatershouldbedivertedawayfromtheopenlottominimizetheamountofwastewaterthatmustbehandledasamanure.

LiquidManureMostswinemanureishandledasaliquid.Manuretypicallyfallsthroughaslottedfloor(withthesizeofslotdependingonthesizeandageofanimal)intoeitheragutteroraconcretestoragepit.Storagepitsprovidesfrom312monthsstorageofthemanure.Thispitmayeitherbelocateddirectlyundertheslottedfloorandmaybefrom4'to10'deep.Insomeoperations,themanurefallsintoashallowpitorgutterwhichisperiodicallypumped,flushedordrainedtoalargeoutsidestorage.Theoutsidestoragemayeitherbeconstructedintheearthoracommercialsteelorconcretestoragepurchasedanderectedonsite.Storagesizeisdictatedbyregulatoryagenciesinmost

statesandareusuallysizedlargeenoughtoholdatleastsixmonthsaccumulationinMidwesternstates.Thisavoidstheneedtoapplymanureduringthecropgrowingseasonandwhenweatherconditionsareunsuitablesuchasonfrozengroundorwhenthesoiliswetenoughthatheavyapplicationvehiclescouldcompactanddamagethesoilforcropproduction.

LiquidmanurepitagitationSource:PurdueUniversity

SurfaceappliedliquidmanureSource:PurdueUniversity

Fabricatedsteelmanurestorage

InjectingliquidmanureSource:PurdueUniversity

Liquidmanurefromstorageisnormallyagitatedthoroughlytomakethemanurenutrientcontentbetweenloadsmoreuniformandhauledtothefieldforapplicationinlargetankerwagonsortrucks.Liquidmanureiseitherappliedtothesoilsurfaceorisincorporatedduringorshortlyafterapplicationtocontrollossofvolatileammoniaandreleaseofodors.Incorporationisveryeffectiveatcontrollingrunoffofmanurenutrientsandreducingodorfromlandapplicationifdoneduringorwithinafewhoursafterapplication.Onemethodisasoilinjector,whereliquidmanureisinjecteddirectlyintothesoiltoadepthof6to9asthetankerpassesoverthefield.Thisimmediatecontactbetweenthemanureandsoilishighlyeffectiveatcontrollingodor.

Inremoteareas,liquidmanuremaybepumpedtothelandapplicationsiteandthenirrigatedontocropland.Sprayirrigatingliquidmanureisaveryefficientmethodoflandapplication,intermsofspeedandlabor,butodoremissionscanbesignificanttherefore,itisnotfeasibletousethismethodinpopulatedareas.

TwostagelagoonsystemSource:PurdueUniversity

Gravitydrain,flatbottomgutterSource:PurdueUniversity

Reversehairpin,flatbottomgutterSource:PurdueUniversity

RecirculatinglagoonwatertoflushmanurefromagutterunderaslottedfloorSource:PurdueUniversity

LagoonsLagoonsaredifferentfromliquidmanurestoragebecausetheyareoperatedtoencourageanaerobicdigestionoforganicmaterialwhileitisbeingstored.Thisreducesodorwhenthetreatedmanureislandapplied.Aproperlydesignedandoperatedtreatmentlagoonismuchlargerandmoreexpensivethanaliquidmanurestoragewiththesamestoragetime,andtheorganicsolidsaremuchlessconcentratedintheliquid.

IntheMidwest,anequalpartofrelativelycleandilutionwatermustbeaddedforeachpartmanure.Furthermore,manuremustbeaddedslowlyanduniformlytothelagoon,toavoidanupset(andsubsequentreleaseofodors)tothebiologicaltreatmentsystem.Onecommonmethodofdoingthisistoutilizeshallowpitsorguttersunderslottedfloorsanddrainorflushmanuretothelagoononafrequentbasis,usuallyeverythreedaystothreeweeks.Thisisdonebysimplypullingapluginthebottomofthepit,calledgravitydrain,useofascrapersystemrunningintheunderfloorgutter,throughaprocesscalleda"hairpen"gutterorbyrecirculatingavolumeofrelativelycleaneffluentfromthelagoontoflushmanureoutofthebuildingandintothelagoon.Recirculationinvolveseitheraflushingactionthattakesplaceseveraltimesadayora"pitrecharge"systemthatworksbasicallylikeatoiletthatisflushedeveryfewdays.

Aportionofthelagooncontentsor"minimumdesignvolume"mustbeleftinthelagoonafteritscontentsarepumpedtothelandtoprovidealargenumberofmicrobialorganismstotreatthenewmanureenteringthesystem.Inspiteofproperoperation,thereisanoverturningofthelagooncontentsthatoccursinthefalloftheyearforacoupleofweeks,asambienttemperature

SinglecellwastetreatmentlagoonSource:PurdueUniversity

Irrigationoflagooneffluentontocropland

Source:PurdueUniversity

dropsandcoolsthetoplayerofliquidinthelagoon.Asitsdensityincreases,itoverturnsordropstothebottomofthelagoon,forcingthebottomlayer,containingpartiallydigestedmanuresolids,tothetop.Thisphenomenonresultsinhigherodorlevelsforaweekortwoaroundthelagoon.MultipleLagoonsinseriesnormallyemit

fewerodorsthansinglecelllagoons.

Lagooncontentsarenormallyappliedtocroplandbysprayirrigationsystems.Ifthelagoonisproperlydesignedandoperated,sprayirrigationshouldnotreleasemuchodorbecausemostoftheorganicsolidsshouldhavebeenbiologicallydegraded.Inawelloperatedlagoon,typicaleffluentshouldhaveonlyabout20%asmuchnitrogen(N)andabout30%to40%asmuchphosphorous(P)andpotassium(K)astherawmanure,becauseoftreatmentandsedimentationofsolidstothebottomofthelagoon.NotethatthePandK"lost"actuallyaccumulateinthesludgeandmustbeutilizedproperlywhenremoved.Thesesolids,orsludge,mustberemovedeveryfewyearsandtheoperationshouldplantohandlethemasapartoftheirnutrientmanagementplan.Becausethismaterialismoreconcentrated,itmaybepracticaltohaulthesludgeoffsitetomoredistantcroplandthatcanbetterutilizethenutrientscontainedinthesludge.Becauseofthenuisancepotentialofthispartiallystabilizedmaterial,itshouldbeincorporatedasaliquidmanureifpossible.

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