Abstract
This study demonstrates the leachate characteristics derived from bench-scale leach-bed reactors (LBRs) filled with chicken manure (CM) and zeolite. Zeolite was used to maintain the necessary porosity for the leaching process and to adsorb ammonia. Fresh water was added for leachate production and removed daily, in order to estimate the readily leachable organic and nitrogen matter of the CM. Tests were conducted at two ratios of zeolite to bed (10% and 3.5% v/v CMbed). Other operating parameters studied were the amount of water added in the LBRs, the leachate recirculation rate, and the hydraulic retention time (HRT). A control LBR with river pebbles at a similar size and ratio (10% v/v) with zeolite was also studied. Some experiments were repeated with CM, which had different characteristics. Compared to the control test, the LBR with zeolite at 10% v/v yielded leachate with less NH3 and a higher biochemical methane potential (BMP). However, free ΝH3 in the control experiment was below the inhibition threshold, proving that zeolite contributes to the higher BMP of leachate, and that this effect is not only due to NH3 adsorption.
Highlights
Increased and intensified chicken farming has resulted in the production of a large amount of chicken manure (CM), classified into two types: broiler CM, and egg-laying hen manure
The following procedures were followed: (i) the leach-bed reactors (LBRs) were sparged with an air-free gas mixture to remove as much oxygen as possible, and (ii) the leachate produced was removed every day, with fresh tap water added into the LBRs to keep the hydraulic retention time (HRT)
The objective of this work was to study the effect of various operating parameters on the readily releasable chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) content and the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of the derived leachates from lab-scale LBRs
Summary
Increased and intensified chicken farming has resulted in the production of a large amount of chicken manure (CM), classified into two types: broiler CM, and egg-laying hen manure (caged layer manure). The broiler CM comes from chickens raised to produce meat and contains feces, urine, and bedding materials (wood shavings, straw, and peanut hulls), while the egg-laying manure contains excreta. Both types contain feathers and wasted feed [1,2]. CM is a waste rich in organic matter and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and is commonly used as fertilizer in the agriculture industry. Inappropriate land application of CM without any pretreatment poses risks to the environment, due to greenhouse gas emissions and the nutrients and pathogenic microorganisms released into the surface and underground water [3]. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a suitable technology for the management and stabilization of CM, as with other manures
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