Source: WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
AGRICULTURAL WASTE TREATMENT UTILIZING THERMOPHILIC ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (BIOPLEX PHASE 6)
 
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Chatfield, J. M. Huber, D. H. Liedl, B. E. Ruhnke, T. R.
 
PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
BIOLOGY
WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE,WV 25112
 
NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Increasing production of agricultural waste associated with farming activities impacts health, economic and environmental welfare. In 2003, there were 87.2 million broilers (chickens) produced in West Virginia, with a value of over $121 million (357,500,000 lbs. @ $0.34). Over 125,000 tons of litter was associated with this production. Nationally, 44 billion pounds of broilers were produced with over 15.4 million tons (lbs. meat x 0.7/2000) of associated litter and manure. The management of this manure is a serious issue. This animal waste is a rich source of nutrients and unfortunately, human pathogens. Thus, to minimize deleterious impacts to both the health of farms, associated communities and the environmental quality of watersheds, livestock farmers need economically viable alternatives to current manure management practices. The Bioplex program at West Virginia State University involves several projects that are developing novel biological ways to utilize livestock wastes and convert them into assets for the farmer. Innovations and developments resulting from these studies will result in both more efficient and commercially viable digesters and novel commercial applications. This research program has regional significance due to the intense poultry production of NE West Virginia and surrounding regions of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. Thus outreach solutions implemented on WV farms could readily spread to surrounding states. Broilers (chickens) are the #1 livestock product in WV. This represents 1% of national production.
 
OBJECTIVES: The Bioplex program is comprised of several research projects involving the utilization of agricultural waste and thermophilic anaerobic digestion. The objectives are to: 1) Study the pilot plant digester's capacity to be controlled using biochemical parameters known to be effective. We will develop and test software that uses feedback from online measurements of feed volume, pH, biogas production, and methane percentage to control feed loading and mixing for optimal digester performance. Another experiment will evaluate the biogas production of effluent discharged from the thermophilic pilot plant at different hydraulic retention times. 2) The reduction in pathogens during digestion will be studied, with emphasis on bacterial pathogens, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Ascaris. We propose to set up experiments in a manner that we can evaluate pathogen kill over time and demonstrate that the material remaining after known incubation times (equivalent to digester resident time) is not viable or infective. An independent assessment of this experiment will be provided by Waterborne Inc., New Orleans, LA. 3) More effective digester control will result from an understanding of the relationship between biochemical control parameters and the resident microbial populations. This research is aimed at further understanding the microbial degradation processes that occur in thermophilic anaerobic bioreactors during the decomposition of agricultural waste. The objective is to link microbial community structure and metabolism to bioreactor design. The project consists of two phases. The goal of phase one is a molecular analysis of the microbial community structure of a thermophilic methanogenic pilot plant. Phase two will examine microbial community dynamics and comparative reactor performance of three model reactors that differ in design. 4) The organic materials resulting from thermophilic anaerobic digestion are known to have biological value. Several years data on the accumulation and depletion of various crop nutrients has allowed us to propose recommended practices for the use of digested, poultry-litter solids and liquids as replacements for commercial fertilizers. Also, we propose to test a surface coal mine reforestation strategy using digested poultry litter solids and liquids. We plan to compare our test strategy to current revegetation practices with respect to soil chemistry, microbiology and tree establishment characteristics. 5) The commercialization of anaerobic digester technology and outreach of this information will continue by defining the economics of recycling the carbon and nutrients in a specific agricultural region. The value of energy and green power, fertilizers, crop markets, and pollution credits are defined by locality. A ranked list of potential regional digester sites based on the distribution of livestock producers and the associated wastes is being developed. A scoping exercise is determining factors that should go into this economic model. White papers will be developed to facilitate decisions on when and what type of digester technology is appropriate for the management of livestock residuals in a given situation.
 
APPROACH: The Bioplex program is comprised of several research projects involving the utilization of agricultural waste and thermophilic anaerobic digestion. The subprojects will address: 1) Operational Parameters of the Pilot Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester. We propose to continue process control experiments using the newly developed software for monitoring and control of the pilot plant digester. The first exp. will test a dynamic control program that uses the on-line parameters biogas production, pH, feed volume, and methane percentage to make changes to the process control in order to optimize digester performance. The second exp. will address recovery of biogas from the discharged effluent will be measured. The effluent will be sampled at different pilot plant hydraulic retention times and kept at mesophilic temperatures. Biogas production over time will be recorded as well as methane percentage. 2) Monitoring the Loss of Viability of Pathogens in Livestock Residuals. The reduction in pathogens during digestion will be studied, with emphasis on bacterial pathogen loads, Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Ascaris. We propose to set up experiments in a manner that we can evaluate pathogen kill over time and demonstrate that the material remaining after known incubation times is not viable. The viability assays will be essential to verify that the stated conditions are an effective means to destroy specific pathogens. An independent assessment of this experiment will be provided by Waterborne Inc., New Orleans, LA. 3) Linking Microbial Community Structure to Function in Thermophilic Anaerobic Digesters. More effective digester control will result from an understanding of the relationship between biochemical control parameters and the resident microbial populations. This research is aimed at further understanding the microbial degradation processes that occur in thermophilic anaerobic bioreactors during the decomposition of agricultural waste. The objective is to link microbial community structure and metabolism to bioreactor design. 4) Evaluating Digester Effluents as alternative fertilizers. Tomatoes, potatoes and broccoli will be utilized as test crops to demonstrate nutrient management practices when land-applying combinations of digested, poultry-litter liquids and solids. These digested solids and liquids will be compared to both chemical fertilizers and certified organic fertilizers that are formulated specifically by crop recommendations that are based on soil analyses. Also, we propose to test a surface coal mine reforestation strategy using digested poultry litter solids and liquids. We plan to compare our test strategy to current revegetation practices with respect to soil chemistry, microbiology and tree establishment characteristics. 5) Commercialization and Outreach of Anaerobic Digester Technology. We propose to define the economics of recycling the carbon and nutrients in a specific agricultural region. The commercial value of liquids, solids and biogas that result from the digestion of livestock wastes will be researched by locality. White papers will be produced that help in the selection of digester technology for a given situation.
 
CRIS NUMBER: 0203827 SUBFILE: CRIS
PROJECT NUMBER: WVAX-BIOPLEX5 SPONSOR AGENCY: NIFA
PROJECT TYPE: OTHER GRANTS PROJECT STATUS: TERMINATED MULTI-STATE PROJECT NUMBER: (N/A)
START DATE: Jun 15, 2005 TERMINATION DATE: Jun 14, 2008

GRANT PROGRAM: AGRICULTURAL WASTE UTILIZATION, WV
GRANT PROGRAM AREA: Federal Administration

CLASSIFICATION
Knowledge Area (KA)Subject (S)Science (F)Objective (G)Percent
133019910706.120%
308371010202.210%
403521010706.230%
605019910706.310%
712409911004.130%

CLASSIFICATION HEADINGS
KA308 - Improved Animal Products (Before Harvest)
KA605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
KA403 - Waste Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse
KA133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation
KA712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins
S0199 - Soil and land, general
S5210 - Fertilizers
S3710 - Catfish
S4099 - Microorganisms, general/other
F1020 - Physiology
F1100 - Bacteriology
F1070 - Ecology
G6.2 - Enhance Soil Quality for Productive Working Lands
G2.2 - Increase Efficiency of Production and Marketing Systems
G6.1 - Ensure Clean Water and Air
G6.3 - Protect and Manage Forests and Rangelands
G4.1 - Reduce Incidence of Foodborne Illnesses and Contaminants


RESEARCH EFFORT CATEGORIES
BASIC 25%
APPLIED 50%
DEVELOPMENTAL 25%

KEYWORDS: bioremediation; anaerobic digestion; pollution control; fertilizers; fermentation; biochemistry; salmonella; cryptosporidium; disease control; poultry litter; waste disposal systems; hydroponics; organic farming; waste utilization; microbial ecology; microbial metabolism; anaerobic bacteria; soil bacteria; escherichia coli; fish food; waste disposal; biomass; substrates; mushrooms; waste treatment

PROGRESS: Jun 15, 2006 TO Jun 14, 2007
OUTPUTS: 1. The microbial community analysis of a 30 kL. thermophilic digester was accomplished using16S rRNA gene sequence diversity. More than 600 Bacteria and Archaea clones were analyzed. Chao1 statistical analysis projects about 200 different bacteria at the 97% rDNA similarity level which roughly corresponds to species. 2.Digested poultry litter solids and liquids were applied to a surface mine site to evaluate them as soil carbon amendments. Measurements of the biological activity including carbon utilization patterns and changes in soil biochemistry are in progress. 3. Solid waste (SW) effluent from thermophillic anaerobic digestion of poultry litter was tested as substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) and Agrocybe aegerita (black poplar mushroom). 4. Evaluation of clusters of broilers produced in VA, MD, DE and WV was conducted at the county level using 2002 data. Broiler production data was translated into tonnage of litter produced and draft maps were created that illustrate the major clusters of production. Access to farm-level data was requested and obtained via a confidentiality agreement. PARTICIPANTS: 1. Dr. Omoanghe S. Isikhuemhen, North Carolina A & T. 2. Mid-Atlantic Technology Research & Innovation Center. 3. Dr. Teodoro Espinosa-Solares, Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo. 4. Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Drs. Liedl and Ruhnke did not participate on this project.

IMPACT: 2006-06-15 TO 2007-06-14 1. The majority of bacterial diversity, including the dominant phylotypes, represent new species, genera, families, or higher taxonomic groups. About 87% of the bacteria represent the phylum Firmicutes. Other bacterial groups represented include the Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The majority of Archaea clones are related to Methanothermobacter. 2. Environmental DNA sampling will continue as a means to determine microbial community variation associated with digested carbon treatments. 3. Substrate combinations tested contained 0 to100% SW and yields were 1.2 or 5.0 times higher than yield from substrate used in commercial production. These novel substrates may result in higher profits for oyster and black poplar mushroom producers that replace traditional poultry litter with anaerobically digested materials. 4. A methodology to conduct a more detailed cluster analysis of broiler farms to reveal relationships between production, fertilizer purchases and crop farming is being developed based on that data. Cost analysis methodology is being developed to evaluate the trade-off between purchased energy and utilization of on-farm biogas, and between local digestion and land application of litter and local or regional use and transport of raw litter.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 2006-06-15 TO 2007-06-14
1. Bombardiere, J., Espinosa-Solares, T., Domaschko, M., Chatfield, M. 2007. Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester Performance Under Different Feed-Loading Frequency. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 136-140: 765-776.

PROJECT CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: Chatfield, M. J.
PHONE: 304-766-3110
FAX: 304-766-4199