Bion Environmental Technologies recently filed a new patent for a process that recovers nitrogen from livestock waste. This process not only produces a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, it can also produce green energy and clean water.
The fertilizer product is produced using a series of mechanical, biological, thermal and chemical processes within Bion’s livestock waste treatment platform. First, “coarse solids” consisting mostly of undigested cellulose material are removed.
Next the effluent is pumped into a bioreactor, where Bion’s patented biological processes convert the nitrogen into a stable and usable form.
The effluent is pumped to a bioreactor, where Bion’s patented biological processes convert the nitrogen into a stable, usable form and harmless nitrogen gas. (Photo courtesy of Bion)
The core of this process is the growth of large populations of naturally-occurring bacteria that are responsible for converting nitrogen and phosphorous in the waste stream.
The nitrogen-rich “fine solids” are lastly separated out and used to produce the final organic fertilizer product. The product contains 12 to 15 percent nitrogen in a water soluble crystalline form.
The product also does not contain many of the pathogens, salt, metals and minerals found in the raw manure.
This solid form can be pelletized for transportation or dissolved into water to apply the fertilizer to crops using existing farming and fertilization equipment.
“By isolating the volatile nitrogen and incorporating it into a solid state that will be water soluble and therefore readily available, it can now be precision-applied more effectively and efficiently than broadcasting manure,” said Craig Scott, Bion’s communications director.
Along with recovering nitrogen, Bion’s treatment processes also reduce the amounts of ammonia and greenhouse gases, pathogens, hormones, herbicides and pesticides in the waste stream.
“This is especially important in the many watersheds of the U.S. where land application of livestock waste contributes to excess nutrient runoff and harmful algal blooms,” Scott said.
When there is an excess of nitrogen and nutrients, they are no longer absorbed by crops. The nutrients make their way into the water system from agricultural waste runoff.
The EPA identifies this as one of the most pressing environmental concerns in the United States due to the formation of toxic algal blooms in marine and freshwater environments.
Algal blooms also impact food resources and marine life by depriving the fish and other aquatic life of oxygen, creating hypoxic “dead zones.”
By separating the excess nutrients out before applying the fertilizer to the crops, these dead zones and other environmental concerns should improve.
Bion hopes to see their fertilizer applied in organic farming production. Toward this end, the company is preparing to certify their product with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as a natural, non-synthetic product.
Successful OMRI approval will give Bion access to a wider market than is available to synthetic fertilizers.
Bion sees applications not only in crop production and horticulture, but also in greenhouse and hydroponic production and potentially the consumer retail market.
“This product marks the first to be identified for broad commercialization as a result of our separate and aggregate strategy that treats the livestock waste stream as a source of assets to be recovered and refined,” said Scott.
“We will continue to identify and develop opportunities to capture value from the waste stream in the form of commercial products, including various forms of renewable energy, fertilizer products, soil amendments and potentially feed additives,” he added.
More details on Bion’s livestock waste treatment technology can be found on their website.