Litter Pellets Research Articles

Comparison of Characteristics of Poultry Litter Pellets Obtained by the Processes of Dry and Wet Torrefaction

Torrefaction is a technology for the preliminary thermochemical treatment of biomass in order to improve its fuel characteristics. The aim of this work is to conduct comparative studies and select the optimal operating conditions of fluidized bed torrefaction for the processing of poultry litter (PL) into an environmentally friendly fuel. PL torrefaction was evaluated according to three different process configurations: (1) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fixed bed in a nitrogen medium at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (NT1, NT2 and NT3); (2) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fluidized bed of quartz sand in a nitrogen medium at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (NT4, NT5 and NT6); and (3) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fluidized bed of quartz sand in an environment of superheated steam at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (ST1, ST2 and ST3). The duration of the torrefaction process in all experiments was determined by the time required for completion of CO2, CO, H2, and CH4 release from the treated biomass samples. The gas analyzer (Vario Plus Syngaz) was used to measure the concentration of these gases. The torrefaction process began from the moment of loading the PL sample into the reactor, which was heated to the required temperature. After the start of the torrefaction process, the concentration of CO2, CO, H2, and CH4 in the gases leaving the reactor initially increased and, subsequently, dropped sharply, indicating the completion of the torrefaction process. The chemical composition of the obtained biochar was studied, and it was found that the biochar contained approximately equal amounts of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and ash, regardless of the torrefaction method. Furthermore, the biogas yield of the liquid condensate, obtained from the cooling of superheated steam used in the torrefaction process, was evaluated. The results highlight the efficiency of fluidized bed torrefaction, as well as the performance of superheated steam as a fluidization medium.

Temporal and Agricultural Factors Influence Escherichia coli Survival in Soil and Transfer to Cucumbers.

Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) increase nutrient levels in soils to support the production of fruits and vegetables. BSAAOs may introduce or extend the survival of bacterial pathogens which can be transferred to fruits and vegetables to cause foodborne illness. Escherichia coli survival over 120 days in soil plots (3 m2) covered with (mulched) or without plastic mulch (not mulched), amended with either poultry litter, composted poultry litter, heat-treated poultry pellets, or chemical fertilizer, and transfer to cucumbers in 2 years (2018 and 2019) were evaluated. Plots were inoculated with E. coli (8.5 log CFU/m2) and planted with cucumber seedlings (Supremo). The number of days needed to reduce E. coli levels by 4 log CFU (dpi4log) was determined using a sigmoidal decline model. Random forest regression and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA; P < 0.05) identified predictors (soil properties, nutrients, and weather factors) of dpi4log of E. coli and transfer to cucumbers. The combination of year, amendment, and mulch (25.0% increase in the mean square error [IncMSE]) and year (9.75% IncMSE) were the most prominent predictors of dpi4log and transfer to cucumbers, respectively. Nitrate levels at 30 days and soil moisture at 40 days were also impactful predictors of dpi4log. Differing rainfall amounts in 2018 (24.9 in.) and 2019 (12.6 in.) affected E. coli survival in soils and transfer to cucumbers. Salmonella spp. were recovered sporadically from various plots but were not recovered from cucumbers in either year. Greater transfer of E. coli to cucumbers was also shown to be partially dependent on dpi4log of E. coli in plots containing BSAAO.IMPORTANCE Poultry litter and other biological soil amendments are commonly used fertilizers in fruit and vegetable production and can introduce enteric pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Salmonella previously associated with outbreaks of illness linked to contaminated produce. E. coli survival duration in soils covered with plastic mulch or uncovered and containing poultry litter or heat-treated poultry litter pellets were evaluated. Nitrate levels on day 30 and moisture content in soils on day 40 on specific days were good predictors of E. coli survival in soils; however, the combination of year, amendment, and mulch type was a better predictor. Different cumulative rainfall totals from year to year most likely affected the transfer of E. coli from soils to cucumbers and survival durations in soil. E. coli survival in soils can be extended by the addition of several poultry litter-based soil amendments commonly used in organic production of fruits and vegetables and is highly dependent on temporal variation in rainfall.

Nesting of the Chinese Bush Warbler (Tribura tacsanowskia, Sylviidae, Passeriforms) in the Amur Region

A nest of the Chinese bush warbler (Tribura tacsanowskia) has been found and monitored in the Amur region for the first time. This is a poorly studied species distributed in southeastern Siberia, the Russian Far East, and the adjoining areas of Mongolia and China. Only seven nests of this species were found earlier, all of them in the Trans-Baikal Territory. Descriptions of those findings are given, including the habitat, location and structure of nests, egg clutch and downy chick, and behavior of adult birds at their nest. The time contributions of the male and female spent in percent in the nest, as well as to chick feeding and the ejection of chicks’ litter pellets have been calculated for the first time. The main parameters of nesting life have been revealed: daytime and nocturnal activity cycles of adult birds in the nest and daily graphs of nestling feeding hours. Observations of adult activity at the nesting site in the period of feeding the chicks in the nest and after their release from the nest are presented. Some other details of Chinese bush warbler behavior and nesting are presented.

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) hosts robust phyllosphere and rhizosphere bacterial communities when grown in soil amended with various organic and synthetic fertilizers

Due to the intimate association between plants and their microbial symbionts, an examination of the influence of agricultural practices on phytobiome structure and diversity could foster a more comprehensive understanding of plant health and produce safety. Indeed, the impact of upstream crop producti006Fn practices cannot be overstated in their role in assuring an abundant and safe food supply. To assess whether fertilizer type impacted rhizosphere and phyllosphere bacterial communities associating with tomato plants, the bacterial microbiome of tomato cv. ‘BHN602’ grown in soils amended with fresh poultry litter, commercially available sterilized poultry litter pellets, vermicompost or synthetic fertilizer was described. Culture independent DNA was extracted from bulk and rhizosphere soils, and washes of tomato blossoms and ripe fruit. PCR amplicons of hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene were sequenced and profiled using the QIIME pipeline. Bulk and rhizosphere soil, and blossom and fruit surfaces all supported distinct bacterial communities according to principal coordinate analysis and ANOSIM (R=0.87, p=0.001 in year 1; R=0.93, p=0.001 in year 2). Use of microbiologically diverse organic fertilizers generally did not influence bacterial diversity, community structure or relative abundance of specific taxa on any plant organ surface. However, statistically significant differences in sand and silt contents of soil (p<0.05) across the field and corresponding shifts in water activity were positively (R2=0.52, p=0.005) and negatively (R2=0.48, p=0.009) correlated with changes in bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere, respectively. Over two harvest seasons, this study demonstrated that the application of raw poultry manure, poultry litter pellets and vermicompost had little effect on the tomato microbiome in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, when compared to synthetically fertilized plants. Plant anatomy, and other factors related to field location, possibly associated with edaphic and air characteristics, were more influential drivers of different tomato organ microbiomes than were diverse soil amendment applications.

The promise [and uncertainties] of Biochar

The promise [and uncertainties] of Biochar

Pelleted Sources of Nutrition and the Effect of Stocking Size-graded Juveniles in Low-input Farming of the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Earthen Ponds

Nutrient sources in pelleted form and the effect of stocking size-graded juvenile freshwater prawns Macrobrachium rosenbergii for the low-input farming of the freshwater prawn in experimental earthen ponds (0.05–0.06 ha) have been studied. For each of 4 yr, experiments were sequentially conducted, having growout durations ranging from 111 to 135 d. Generally, graded juvenile prawns (0.26–0.29 g) were stocked into earthen ponds containing artificial substrate at a density that ranged from 21,690 to 34,580/ha. For all experiments, feeding rates ranged from 10.1 to 60.8 kg/ha/d during the growout season. Survival, mean weight, and total production were compared among the treatments. There were no significant differences in survival, mean harvest weight, or total production when corn gluten pellets fed exclusively were compared to corn gluten pellets in combination (1:1) with less expensive nutrient sources, wheat midds, and range cubes. Substitution of corn gluten pellets with a commercial prawn feed fed for the last 28 d of growout had no significant effect. A total level of feeding corn gluten pellets : range cubes (1:1) at 2802 kg/ha for the growout period was as effective as 3923 and 5044 kg/ha at a stocking density of 28,405/ha. The use of trout feed in combination with the feeding of the 1:1 corn gluten pellets to range cubes for 49 d prior to harvest was effective in maintaining mean harvest weight and production at a higher stocking density (34,580/ha vs. 28,405/ha). Poultry litter pellets were ineffective substitutes for the corn gluten pellet : ranges cubes (1:1) combination. The exclusive feeding of alfalfa pellets and soy hull pellets resulted in mean harvest weights and total production that were significantly less than what was achieved with the feeding of range cubes. Engineered enterprise budgets demonstrated positive economic benefits of the low-input strategy using pellet nutrient sources that contain no less than 20% crude protein (dry weight). Highest returns were realized with the upper grade of juveniles resulting from a 60/40 split (by number), even when lower grade animals were discarded. At stocking densities of approximately 22,000–28,000/ha, nutritional requirements of the prawns appear to be satisfied by the consumption of the fed nutrient sources combined with live, natural resident pond prey organisms enhanced by organic input resulting from the breakdown of the pellets. Production levels of 900–1000 kg/ha can be consistently achieved.

Determination of bioavailable nitrogen and phosphorus from pelletized broiler litter

Improved methods for broiler chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) litter utilization are needed to alleviate potential impacts of pollution around broiler production operations. Pelletization may constitute one improved method for handling broiler litter. The objective of this study was to determine the change in nutrient concentration from pelletizing broiler litter, and determine availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from pelletized broiler litter in a greenhouse experiment. Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) were grown to determine dry matter accumulation and uptake of N and P. Cumulative data for all cuttings showed that pelletized broiler litter had lower uptake of N and P compared to inorganic N and P. Dry biomass production from pellets was less than ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) in the N experiment. Biomass production from pellets was similar to calcium phosphate (CaHPO4) for the P experiment. This indicates pelletized broiler litter can serve as N and P sources for plants. However, N and P in broiler litter pellets may not be as available as that from inorganic fertilizer.

Utilization of poultry litter pellets in meat goat diets

Forty-eight crossbred meat goats were used to determine if poultry litter pellets could be used as a protein source in the diets of growing meat goats. Goats were fed one of three 19–21% CP diets containing 0 (CON; n = 18), 20% (20PL; n = 12) or 40% poultry litter pellets (40PL; n = 18). In Experiment 1, 38 animals ( n = 13 CON; n = 12 20PL; n = 13 40PL) were used. Goats were allowed a 23-day adjustment period and body weight (BW) and feed intake were measured every 7 days for 42 days. In Experiment 2, 10 males fed CON or 40PL ( n = 5 per diet) were used in two metabolism trials at 93.7 ± 0.9 (Trial 1) and 121.7 ± 0.9 d of age (Trial 2). Goats were placed in metabolism crates and after a 3-day adjustment period, feed intake and fecal and urine output were measured and sampled daily for 7 days to determine diet digestibility. In Experiment 1, ADG (79 ± 8 g) and feed efficiency (130 ± 12 g per kg) were not influenced by diet. In Experiment 2, for both trials, organic matter and CP digestibility were similar between diets (80 ± 1 and 70 ± 3% for Trial 1, respectively and 63 ± 2 and 75 ± 7% for Trial 2, respectively). Dry matter digestibility was greater ( P < 0.05) for CON (81 ± 1 and 82 ± 1% for Trials 1 and 2, respectively) when compared to 40PL (77 ± 1 and 75 ± 1% for Trials 1 and 2, respectively). The ADF (41 ± 4% for CON and 67 ± 4% for 40PL) and NDF (48 ± 4% for CON and 71 ± 4% for 40PL) were greater ( P < 0.01) for 40PL compared to CON diet in Trial 1 only. Digestibility (GE) was higher ( P < 0.05) for 40PL (83 ± 0.3%) compared to CON (82 ± 0.3%) in Trial 2 only. The poultry litter pellets may be used effectively as a short-term feedstuff for meat goats.