Tag: struvite

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Agronomic Response to Struvite as an Alternative Fertilizer-phosphorus Source

Purpose

As a primarily mined material, the global reserve of phosphorus (P) is finite and running out. Consequently, inorganic, commercial fertilizers are becoming more expensive. Chemical engineering techniques have been developed and are being actively researched to recover P from wastewater sources in the form of struvite (MgNH4PO4 · 6H2O). Many wastewaters contain elements such as P and nitrogen (N) in various forms that could be recovered and beneficially recycled as fertilizer nutrients. Recovering nutrients, such as P, from wastewaters and/or treating wastewaters to the point they could be safely recycled back into the environment could have a tremendously positive impact on any agricultural activity as well as receiving waters.

Arkansas has a documented significant geographic nutrient imbalance, where the row-crop-dominated region of eastern Arkansas has a severe nutrient deficiency, particularly for P, which routinely requires commercial P applications to supply crop needs for optimum production. Thus, eastern Arkansas is an ideal setting for testing the effectiveness of recovered nutrients from wastewaters as fertilizer sources, especially P, for various row crops, namely rice, corn, and soybeans. A sustainable, wastewater-recovered source of P, in the form of the mineral struvite, would be a critical advancement in the long-term viability of P availability, P-source options, and use as a fertilizer in P-deficient soils used for crop production.

What Did We Do?

Figure 1. Image of the moist-soil, plant-less laboratory incubations with various soil and fertilizer-P treatment combinations.

Various studies were conducted to evaluate the behavior of struvite in different soils and crop response to struvite as compared to other commonly used, commercially available fertilizer-P sources [i.e., monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), triple superphosphate (TSP), and rock phosphate (RP)]. Two struvite materials were tested, a chemically precipitated struvite (CPST) created from real wastewater treatment plant effluent and an electrochemically precipitated struvite (ECST) created in the laboratory with an innovative electrochemical approach.

Figure 2. Image of the column-leaching experimental set-up with various soil and fertilizer-P treatment combinations.

In the laboratory, a series of plant-less soil incubation experiments were conducted in several different agricultural soils to evaluate the behavior of struvite and the other fertilizer-P sources as they solubilize. Soil pH, water-soluble and plant-available P, magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), nitrate and ammonium concentrations were measured over a 4- to 9-month period in moist/aerobic and saturated/flooded/anaerobic soil conditions (Figure 1). A column study was also conducted to evaluate the effects of fertilizer-P source, including ECST and CPST, on P-leaching characteristics over time in multiple soils (Figure 2).

Figure 3. Image of the rainfall-runoff experimental set-up.

Additionally, a rainfall-runoff simulation experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of water source (i.e., rainfall, groundwater, and struvite-removed wastewater) and fertilizer-P source on runoff water quality parameters (i.e., pH, electrical conductivity, and P, N, Mg, Ca, and Fe concentrations) in various soils (Figure 3).

Figure 4. Image of rice growing in the greenhouse in response to various fertilizer-P sources with chambers in the tubs to measure greenhouse gas emissions.

In the greenhouse, several potted-plant studies were conducted for 60-90 days evaluating above- and below-ground plant response to ECST, CPST, MAP, DAP, TSP, RP, and unamended controls in rice, corn, soybeans, and wheat. Studies were also conducted to evaluate the effects of fertilizer-P source (i.e., ECST, CPST, DAP, TSP, and an unamended control) on greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., CO2, CH4, and N2O) from flood- and simulated-furrow-irrigated rice (Figure 4).

In the field, two-year studies have been conducted in soil having low soil-test-P to evaluate the effects of fertilizer-P source (i.e., ECST, CPST, MAP, DAP, TSP, RP, and an unamended control) on above- and below-ground dry matter and tissue P, N, and Mg concentrations, aboveground tissue P, N, and Mg accumulations, and yields in rice, corn, and soybeans, as well as soil P concentrations in corn and soybeans (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Image of a field study with soybean and corn grown in response to various fertilizer-P sources.

What Have We Learned?

For the moist-soil incubations, averaged across fertilizer sources, differences in water-soluble soil P concentration [from their initial concentrations] differed among soils over time and, averaged across soils, among fertilizer sources over time. In addition, averaged across time, Mehlich-3-extractable soil P concentration differences from their initial concentrations differed among fertilizer sources within soils. For the flooded-soil incubations, averaged across fertilizer sources, the change in soil pH from the initial differed among soils over time. In addition, averaged across soils, the change in water-soluble soil P concentration from the initial differed among fertilizer sources over time. Results from the plant-less soil incubation experiments show that many elemental soil concentrations, namely P, and soil pH differed among soil-fertilizer-P-source combinations over time. However, in general, the two struvite materials (ECST and CPST) behaved similarly to one another and behaved similarly to at least one other commonly used, commercially available fertilizer-P source without any large, unexpected outcomes across several different agricultural soils with varying soil textures. Struvite appears to relatively similar soil behavior as other commercially available fertilizer-P sources.

For the greenhouse study, no differences were identified in soybean plant properties. However, corn plant properties and corn and soybean elemental tissue concentrations differed (P < 0.05) among fertilizer amendments. Total corn dry matter from ECST did not differ from that from RP and TSP and was 1.2 times greater than that from CPST Belowground corn dry matter from ECST was 1.9 times greater than that from CPST, TSP, DAP, and the unamended control treatments Corn cob-plus-husk dry matter from CPST and ECST were similar. Corn belowground tissue P concentration from CPST did not differ from that from DAP, TSP, and MAP and was 1.4 times larger than that from ECST. Corn cob-plus-husk tissue P concentration from ECST was similar to that from MAP and DAP and was 1.2 times larger than that from CG. Corn stem-plus-leaves tissue P concentration from ECST differed from that from all other treatments and was 1.8 times greater than that from the unamended control. Struvite appears to be a viable, alternative fertilizer-P source.

For the 2019 rice field study, neither above- or belowground P, Mg, and N tissue concentrations differed among fertilizer sources. For the 2019 corn field study, neither above- or below-ground P, Mg, and N tissue concentrations differed among fertilizer sources. For the 2019 soybean field study, neither aboveground Mg or N nor belowground P, Mg, and N tissue concentrations differed among fertilizer sources. However, aboveground tissue P concentration was greater from ECST than from RP and the unamended control.  For the 2020 rice field study, aboveground dry matter and aboveground dry matter P, N, Mg concentrations did not differ among fertilizer sources. However, rice grain yield from ECST was similar to that from CPST, but both were lower than from TSP. Aboveground Mg uptake from ECST was greater than that from CPST. For the 2020 corn field study, total aboveground, cob/husk, and stalk/leaves dry matter, aboveground P, N, and Mg concentrations and uptake, and belowground P and N concentrations did not differ among fertilizer sources. However, corn yield was larger from ECST than from all other fertilizer treatments, which did not differ among themselves. Belowground Mg concentration was numerically largest from ECST among all fertilizer-P treatments and was significantly greater than that from MAP, DAP, and TSP. For the 2020 soybean field study, neither aboveground dry matter nor yield differed among fertilizer sources. Similar to greenhouse results, struvite appears to be a viable, alternative fertilizer-P source for multiple agronomic crops, including rice, corn, and soybean.

Results from a greenhouse trial in 2021 showed that, across 13 sample dates over a nearly 4-month period evaluating the effects of fertilizer-P source on greenhouse gas fluxes and emissions from flood-irrigated rice, CO2 fluxes were unaffected by fertilizer-P source, but differed over time, while both CH4 and N2O fluxes differed among fertilizer-P treatments over time. Furthermore, results showed generally lower CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes from ECST than from the other fertilizer-P sources and numerically lower CO2 and N2O season-long emissions from ECST than from the other fertilizer-P sources, while CH4 emissions from ECST were numerically lower than from CPST in flood-irrigated rice. Electrochemically precipitated struvite may have potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from flood-irrigated rice.

Future Plans

Future plans include additional laboratory rainfall-runoff simulation experiments, greenhouse potted-plant trials, and field studies to evaluate the effects of real-wastewater-derived struvite compared to other commonly used, commercially available fertilizer-P sources on soil and plant response as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

Authors

Presenting author

Lauren F. Greenlee, Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Corresponding author

Kristofor R. Brye, University Professor, University of Arkansas

Corresponding author email address

kbrye@uark.edu

Additional authors

Lauren F. Greenlee, Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Niyi Omidire, Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Arkansas

Tatum Simms, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Diego Della Lunga, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Ryder Anderson, former Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Shane Ylagan, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Machaela Morrison, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Chandler Arel, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arkansas

Additional Information

Anderson, R., K.R. Brye, L. Greenlee, and E. Gbur. 2020. Chemically precipitated struvite dissolution dynamics over time in various soil textures. Agricultural Sciences 11:567-591.

Ylagan, S.R., K.R. Brye, and L. Greenlee. 2020. Corn and soybean response to wastewater-recovered and other common phosphorus fertilizers. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment 3:e20086.

Anderson, R., K.R. Brye, L. Greenlee, T.L. Roberts, and E. Gbur. 2021. Wastewater-recovered struvite effects on total extractable phosphorus compared with other phosphorus sources. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment 4:e20154.

Anderson, R., K.R. Brye, L. Kekedy-Nagy, L. Greenlee, E. Gbur, and T.L. Roberts. 2021. Total extractable phosphorus in flooded soil as affected by struvite and other fertilizer-P sources. Soil Science Society of America Journal 85:1157–1173.

Anderson, R., K.R. Brye, L. Kekedy-Nagy, L. Greenlee, E. Gbur, and T.L. Roberts. 2021. Electrochemically precipitated struvite effects on extractable nutrients compared to other fertilizer-P sources. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment 4:e20183.

Omidire, N.S., K.R. Brye, T.L. Roberts, L. Kekedy-Nagy, L. Greenlee, E.E. Gbur, and L.A. Mozzoni. 2021. Evaluation of electrochemically precipitated struvite as a fertilizer-phosphorus source in flood-irrigated rice. Agronomy Journal 114:739–755. DOI: 10.1002/agj2.20917

Brye, K.R., and L.F. Greenlee. 2022. What is struvite and how is it used? Blog post for Soil Science Society of America’s “Soils Matter” blog (https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/).

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from the USDA NIFA AFRI Water for Food Production Systems program, grant #2018-68011-28691 and funding from the National Science Foundation, grant #1739473.

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2022. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Oregon, OH. April 18-22, 2022. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Exploring the Effect of a Peptide Additive on Struvite Formation and Morphology: a High-Throughput Method

Purpose

Precipitation of struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O), a slow-release fertilizer, provides a means of recycling phosphorus from wastewater streams. In this work, a method for high-throughput struvite precipitation is developed to investigate the effects of a peptide additive.

What Did We Do?

The reactions occurred in small volumes (300 μL or less of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate solutions) in a 96-well plate for 45 minutes. The formation of struvite was monitored by fitting absorbance at 600 nm over time to a first-order model with induction time. The impact of struvite seed dosing was also investigated, highlighting the importance of optimization when peptide is present. The composition of the precipitate was confirmed through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, while morphology and crystal size were analyzed through optical microscopy. Finally, the utility of the high-throughput platform was demonstrated with a 25 full factorial design to capture the effects and interactions of: magnesium dose, mixing time, seed dose, pH, and temperature.

What Have We Learned?

The addition of peptide induced significant changes to the yield parameter and formation constant in the model. Crystals grown in the presence of peptide were morphologically different, having a higher aspect ratio than crystals grown in the absence of peptide. Controlling the shape of the crystal may impact the dissolution properties of struvite.

Future Plans

We anticipate that the general technique investigated can be applied to more complex water matrices (e.g. wastewater), with purity investigated spectroscopically or through other high-throughput assays. Future work will focus on identifying the mechanism by which the peptide acts. The use of a sequence-defined peptide paves the way for further developments in favorably modifying struvite formation and growth. With the effects of shADP5 documented, other similar peptides can be explored via either computational simulations or experimentation to modulate the quality and yield of struvite – potentially increasing its value as a fertilizer. Further computational studies also need to be explored to elucidate the exact mechanism by which shADP5 modulates the thermodynamics of struvite crystallization.

Authors

Presenting author

Jacob D Hostert, PhD candidate, Case Western Reserve University

Corresponding author

Julie N. Renner, Assistant professor, Case Western Reserve University

Corresponding author email address

Jxr484@case.edu

Additional authors

Olivia Kamlet, undergraduate, Case Western Reserve University

Zihang Su, Postdoctoral scholar, Columbia University

Naomi S. Kane, B.S., Case Western Reserve University

Additional Information

Hostert, J. D.; Kamlet, O.; Su, Z. H.; Kane, N. S.; Renner, J. N. Exploring the effect of a peptide additive on struvite formation and morphology: a high-throughput method. RSC Advances 2020, 10 (64), 39328-39337, Article. DOI: 10.1039/d0ra06637k.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (Award No. 2018-68011-28691) and the National Science Foundation (Award No. 1739473).

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2022. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Oregon, OH. April 18-22, 2022. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Advances in Nutrient Recovery Technology: Approaches to Controlling Recovered Product Chemistry

Purpose

Our recent work has focused on developing approaches to nutrient management and recovery, with a particular focus on using electrochemical and membrane technologies to control the chemistry of the recovered nutrient products. We are interested in being able to recover both ammonia and phosphate, and our goal is to create recycled fertilizer products that can allow the agricultural community to control the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in the recycled fertilizer products and to control whether those fertilizer products are in liquid form or in solid form. With the electrochemical technology focus, we see benefits that include no required chemical dosing, scalable reactor design, and the ability to couple to renewable energy sources. Our engineering research on nutrient recovery technology is conducted within a team that includes life cycle assessment, economic analysis, agronomic greenhouse and row crop studies, agricultural sector outreach, and the development of a decision-support tool to help farmers understand technology options for water and nutrient management.

What Did We Do?

We have investigated an electrochemical cell design that includes a magnesium metal anode and a stainless-steel cathode. The corrosion of the magnesium anode results in the release of magnesium cations into solution, and these magnesium cations promote the precipitation of struvite, otherwise known as magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (Figure 1). We have investigated how operating conditions of the electrochemical cell, including voltage, residence time, batch vs flow, and membrane separation of the two electrodes, affect nutrient recovery efficiency and the overall chemistry of the recovered precipitate. Our studies have included control experiments on synthetic wastewater compositions relevant to hog and dairy farm wastewaters, while we have also conducted laboratory-scale studies on natural wastewater samples from both agricultural and municipal sources. To demonstrate initial scale-up of an electrochemical reactor, we have designed a bench-scale reactor (Figure 2) that is capable of producing kilogram-level batches of struvite.

Figure 2. (a) Bench-scale batch reactor demonstration for kg-level struvite precipitation. (b) One engineering challenge is the precipitation of struvite on the electrode surface.

What Have We Learned?

The production of struvite from an electrochemical reactor can be controlled by the applied voltage and residence time of the wastewater in the reactor. Changes in reactor design, including the inclusion of a membrane to separate the anode and cathode and operation in batch vs flow mode, can change the composition of the struvite precipitate and can cause a change in the balance of struvite formed vs hydrogen gas formed from the electrochemical cell. We are also able to produce K-struvite, a potassium-based alternative to conventional struvite, that includes potassium rather than ammonium, and the production of K-struvite allows the recovery of the phosphate in a particulate fertilizer while also allowing the separation and recovery of ammonia in a separate liquid stream. We have learned that one of the primary challenges to the electrochemical reactor operation is fouling of the electrodes by the struvite precipitate (Figure 2), and we have developed a dynamic voltage control approach that enables minimal electrode fouling and therefore increases struvite recovery and decreases energy consumption. Our energy consumption values are similar to that of chemical precipitation processes that have been developed for nutrient recovery.

Future Plans

Future plans include further development and optimization of the dynamic voltage control approach to electrochemical reactor operation, which will allow us to control electrode fouling. We also plan to continue working with natural wastewater samples and further develop flow cell reactor design to understand how to translate our batch reactor studies to a flow reactor environment. Studies on K-struvite will focus on understanding the kinetics of K-struvite precipitation and the competing reactions (e.g., calcium precipitation and struvite precipitation) that might impact K-struvite recovery.

Authors

Lauren F. Greenlee, Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Corresponding author email address

greenlee@psu.edu

Additional authors

Laszlo Kekedy-Nagy, Postdoctoral Fellow, Concordia University

Ruhi Sultana, Graduate Research Assistant, Pennsylvania State University

Amir Akbari, Graduate Research Assistant, Pennsylvania State University

Ivy Wu, Graduate Research Assistant, Colorado School of Mines

Andrew Herring, Professor, Colorado School of Mines

Additional Information

    1. Kekedy-Nagy, Z. Anari, M. Abolhassani, B.G. Pollet, L.F. Greenlee. Electrochemical Nutrient Removal from Natural Wastewater Sources and its Impact on Water Quality. Water Research (2022), 210, 118001, DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.118001.
    2. Kékedy-Nagy, M. Abolhassani, R. Sultana, Z. Anari, K.R. Brye, B.G. Pollet, L. F. Greenlee. The Effect of Anode Degradation on Energy Demand and Production Efficiency of Electrochemically Precipitated Struvite, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry (2021), DOI: 0.1007/s10800-021-01637-y.
    3. Kékedy-Nagy, M. Abolhassani, S.I. Perez Bakovic, J.P. Moore II, B.G. Pollet, L.F. Greenlee. Electroless Production of Fertilizer (Struvite) and Hydrogen from Synthetic Agricultural Wastewaters, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2020), 142(44), 18844-18858. DOI: /10.1021/jacs.0c07916.
    4. Wu, A. Teymouri, R. Park, L.F. Greenlee, and A.M. Herring. Simultaneous Electrochemical Nutrient Recovery and Hydrogen Generation from Model Wastewater Using a Sacrificial Magnesium Anode, Journal of the Electrochemical Society (2019), 166(16), E576-E583. DOI: 10.1149/2.0561916jes.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from the USDA NIFA AFRI Water for Food Production Systems program, grant #2018-68011-28691 and funding from the National Science Foundation, grant #1739473.

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2022. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Oregon, OH. April 18-22, 2022. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Comparison of Sulfuric vs. Oxalic Sulfuric When Forming Struvite from Liquid Dairy Manure

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to demonstrate a mobile fluidized-bed cone for extraction of phosphorus in the form of struvite (magnesium-ammonium phosphate) from undigested (raw) liquid dairy manure. Since Ca binds inorganic P, a particular emphasis was placed on evaluating the effect of oxalic acid as an acidifier and Ca binder.

Dairies often have excess P in manure in relation to the need for on-farm crop production. Easily mineable reserves of phosphorus (P) worldwide are limited, with a majority residing in Morocco (USGS 2013). One approach to recycling P is to capture excess P from dairy manure in the form of struvite for off-farm export as a nutrient source for crop production.

What we did

A portable trailer-mounted fluidized-bed cone (volume of 3200 L) was used to extract phosphorus in the form of struvite (magnesium-ammonium phosphate) from undigested (raw) liquid dairy manure. Batches of 13,000 liters of manure were evaluated and the system was operated at a flow rate of ~ 32 liters per minute.  Sulfuric acid or oxalic acid-sulfuric acid were used to decrease the pH, and sodium hydroxide was used to raise the pH. Oxalic acid was chosen for evaluation due to its dual ability to decrease pH and bind calcium.

What we learned

Results of concentration of total P or ortho-P (OP) after manure treatment through the fluidized bed suggested no advantage of the combination of oxalic acid with sulfuric acid to decrease the concentration of P (see Figures 1 and 2). More detailed analyses of centrifuged post-bed samples of manure effluent indicated that the oxalic acid was binding the free calcium, but the resulting Ca compounds remained suspended in the effluent. Centrifuged manure samples had Ca contents ~23% of un-centrifuged samples when oxalic/sulfuric acid was used as a pH reducer. Centrifuged manure samples had Ca contents ~84% of un-centrifuged samples when sulfuric acid was used as a pH reducer. With raw manure, oxalate does not appear to be beneficial, unless there is a more effective step to drop Ca-oxalate out of suspension, such as centrifuging.

Figure 1. Concentration of OP or P in manure after pre-treatment with oxalic and sulfuric acid.
Figure 1. Concentration of OP or P in manure after pre-treatment with oxalic and sulfuric acid.

 

Figure 2. Concentration of OP or P in manure after pre-treatment with sulfuric acid.
Figure 2. Concentration of OP or P in manure after pre-treatment with sulfuric acid.

Future Plans

Anaerobically digested (AD) manure will be evaluated with the same set of conditions that were utilized with raw dairy manure to determine potential benefits of using oxalic acid with AD manure.

Authors

Joe Harrison1, Kevin Fullerton1, Elizabeth Whitefield1, and Keith Bowers2.

1Washington State University

2Multiform Harvest

jhharrison@wsu.edu

Citations and video links

U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2013. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/phosphate_rock/mcs-2013-phosp.pdf

The Mobile Struvite Project Overview Video: Capturing Phosphorus from Liquid Dairy Manure and Cost Efficient Nutrient Transport

Dairy Struvite Video: Capturing Phosphorus from Dairy Manure in the Form of Struvite on 30 Dairy Farms in WA state

Alfalfa Struvite Video: Struvite, a Recycled Form of Phosphorus from Dairy Manure, used as Fertilizer for Alfalfa Production

Acknowledgements

This project funded by the USDA NRCS CIG program and the Dairy Farmers of Washington.

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2019. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Minneapolis, MN. April 22-26, 2019. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Comparison of Struvite to Mono-Ammonium-Phosphate as a Phosphorus Source on Commercial Alfalfa Fields

The purpose of this project was to demonstrate a regional nutrient (phosphorus (P)) recycling relationship between the dairy industry and alfalfa forage growers. Dairies often have excess P in manure in relation to the need for crop production on-farm. Easily mineable reserves of phosphorus (P) worldwide are limited, with a majority residing in Morocco (USGS 2013). One approach to recycling P is to capture excess P from dairy manure in the form of struvite for off-farm export for use as a nutrient source of crop production. Washington State produces a significant amount of alfalfa for domestic and international sales.

What did we do

Struvite (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate – NH4MgPO4· 6H2O) and Mono Ammonium Phosphate (MAP) were applied to 33 and 30 acres (control and treatment, Farm 1); and 60 and 55 acres (control and treatment, Farm 2) sections of alfalfa fields at two commercial forage producers in Eastern Washington. Fertilizer (struvite or MAP) was applied on an equivalent P2O5 basis in August 2017 and September 2018 (Farm 1 – existing stand) and September 2017 and September 2018 (Farm 2 – new seeding).

What have we learned

Accumulative yield of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 1 was struvite = 7.14 tons, MAP = 7.51 tons. Accumulative yield (2 of 3 cuttings) of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 2 was struvite = 3.08 tons, MAP = 2.95 tons. Average P concentration of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 1 was struvite = 0.27, MAP = 0.27 (% DM).  Average P concentration in alfalfa in 2017 for Farm 1 was struvite = 0.31, MAP = 0.32 (% DM). Average P concentration of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 2 for struvite and MAP was 0.27 and 0.28 % DM, respectively. Average accumulative P uptake of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 1 was 38 and 39 lbs P/acre for struvite and MAP, respectively. Average accumulative P uptake (2 of 3 cuttings) of alfalfa in 2018 for Farm 2 was struvite = 15 lbs, MAP = 16 lbs P/acre. Results indicate that struvite is equivalent to MAP as a P source for commercial production of alfalfa.

Future Plans

The nutrient recycling project will continue through 2019. In addition, companion replicated plots studies are underway to evaluate the effects of ratio of MAP:Struvite and amount of P application for yield and quality of alfalfa.

Authors

Joe Harrison1, Steve Norberg1, Kevin Fullerton1, Elizabeth Whitefield1, Erin Mackey1, and Keith Bowers2.

1Washington State University, jhharrison@wsu.edu

2Multiform Harvest

Citations and video links

U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2013. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/phosphate_rock/mcs-2013-phosp.pdf

    The Mobile Struvite Project Overview Video: Capturing Phosphorus from Liquid Dairy Manure and Cost Efficient Nutrient Transport

    Dairy Struvite Video: Capturing Phosphorus from Dairy Manure in the Form of Struvite on 30 Dairy Farms in WA state

    Alfalfa Struvite Video: Struvite, a Recycled Form of Phosphorus from Dairy Manure, used as Fertilizer for Alfalfa Production

Acknowledgements

This project funded by the USDA NRCS CIG program and the Dairy Farmers of Washington.

 

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2019. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Minneapolis, MN. April 22-26, 2019. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Mobile Struvite System for Nutrient Extraction from Dairy Manure


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Purpose            

Use of dairy manure as the sole source of nitrogen can lead to increased amounts of P in soil. In addition, P reserves around the world are finite and technologies are needed to effectively capture excess P in manure for the purpose of recycling to areas and crops in need of P.

What did we do?          

During the past decade we have adapted a fluidized bed technology to effectively recover P from liquid dairy manure in the form of struvite (magnesium mono-ammonium phosphate). A starter amount of struvite is placed at the bottom of an inverted cone that forms the fluidized bed for producing additional struvite. Manure that has been pre-treated is pumped up through the bottom of the cone to create the swirling action of the fluidized bed. To effectively form struvite, P in manure has to be dissociated from Ca, before subsequently binding with Mg and NH3. The fluidized bed technology was originally demonstrated with swine manure which is relatively lower in Ca compared to dairy manure. Due to the greater content of Ca in dairy manure we determined that it was necessary to lower the pH in dairy manure so that P could be free of Ca and available to form struvite. The pH has been most successfully lowered with use of sulfuric acid. As the low-pH manure is pumped up through the cone, ammonia is injected into the bottom of the cone to raise the pH and promote formation of struvite. The struvite we produced has been used as an effective fertilizer for growth of triticale, oats, corn silage and alfalfa. 

Picture of fluidized bed technology

What have we learned?            

Agriculture and human waste water industries have shown interest in this technology for the capture of P. The technology has been demonstrated as stationary units at three dairies, and has also been adopted by the human waste water plants. Phosphorus removal from dairy manure has been greater than 50%. Greenhouse and field plot studies compared struvite to mon-ammonium phosphate (MAP) and results indicated that struvite was comparable or superior compared to MAP in acidic soils and inferior to MAP in alkaline soils.

Future Plans    

Our current project will involve the demonstration of a mobile system that can be easily transported from dairy to dairy on a 24 foot trailer. Struvite that is captured from each dairy will be used in agronomic studies to promote a nutrient recycling relationship.

Corresponding author, title, and affiliation        

Joe Harrison, Professor, Washington State University

Corresponding author email    

jhharrison@wsu.edu

Other authors   

Keith Bowers and Elizabeth Whitefield

Additional information              

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/dairy/nutrient-management/default.asp

Acknowledgements       

This project is funded USDA NRCS CIG #69-3A75-17-51.

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Separation Technologies for Capturing Nutrients from Manure

Exporting phosphorus and possibly nitrogen from larger livestock operations as well as regions of large livestock populations is often essential for protecting water quality. Solids (and nutrient) separation technologies are an option for concentrating nutrients for export. This webinar introduces three approaches to solids separation that are being applied in commercial settings. This presentation was originally broadcast on January 18, 2019. More… Continue reading “Separation Technologies for Capturing Nutrients from Manure”

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