Combination of Borax and Quebracho Condensed Tannins Treatment to Reduce

Hydrogen Sulfide, Ammonia and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Stored Swine Manure

IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH:

This research project clearly shows that borax-tannin combination treatment is highly

effective in reducing hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas (CO2, N2O,

and CH4) emissions from stored swine manure. Furthermore, we established the borax –

tannin treatment doses which are non-toxic and beneficial to agronomic crops and which are

environmentally sustainable. An additional beneficial effect of the borax-tannin combination

treatment is the conservation of nitrogen in the manure, which would reduce the need for

supplemental commercial nitrogen fertilizer. The improvement in crop growth observed with

the application of the B/T treated swine manure as a fertilizer is probably attributable to this

nitrogen conservation phenomenon as well as to the supplemental boron provided in the

treatments as an essential micronutrient. This beneficial effect of B/T treatment of swine

manure might be speculated to contribute to an increase yield in agronomic crops. However,

future field studies need to be conducted to confirm such an increase in crop yield as well as

other agronomic benefits (e.g. fungicidal properties).

M. YOKOYAMA 1, T. R.WHITEHEAD 2, C. SPENCE 2, M. A.COTTA 2, D. PENNER 1, S. HENGEMUEHLE 1, J. MICHAELS 1

1 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MI AND 2 BIOENERGY RESEARCH UNIT, USDA- ARS, PEORIA, IL

INTRODUCTION Livestock producers are acutely aware of the need to reduce gaseous emissions from

stored livestock waste and have been looking to identify new technologies to address

the problem. Besides the chronic malodor nuisance, toxic gas emissions from stored

livestock manure, especially hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) are

environmental and health hazards for humans and animals. These gases are

produced during the anaerobic fermentation of the stored manure by anaerobic

bacteria. Hydrogen sulfide producing bacterial reduce sulfate (SO4) to sulfide

(H2S) using excess hydrogen produced during the fermentation process. During

storage of swine manure, about 60% of NH3 nitrogen is also degraded due to the

fermentation (Panetta et al., 2005). If this NH3 loss can be prevented and saved, it

would improve the fertilizer value of swine manure and significantly reduce the

need for purchasing additional commercial nitrogen fertilizer for crop production.

There are very few technologies available to reduce H2S, NH3 and greenhouse gas

emissions from stored livestock manure, which meet the criteria of being:

inexpensive, safe for farmers and animals, and environmentally sustainable. The

present research demonstrates that a combination of borax and quebracho

condensed tannin is highly effective in reducing gaseous emissions (H2S, NH3, CO2,

CO, N2O and CH4 ) and in retaining more nitrogen in swine manure. Lesser

amounts of borax and quebracho condensed tannin are needed when combined to

achieve a similar reduction in H2S production to using much larger amounts of

either product alone. Phytotoxicity studies show that the level of tolerance of crops

to borax-tannin combination treated swine manure is: alfalfa > corn > wheat >

soybean >> dry beans. Quebracho condensed tannin does not appear to be toxic to

crops.

OBJECTIVES • The working hypothesis of this research project was that a combination of borax

(B) and condensed quebracho tannin (T) treatment will control hydrogen sulfide,

ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from stored swine manure.

• Specific research objectives were:

• To determine the optimum B/T combination to treat in vitro stored swine manure

to reduce hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions using manure

in 5 gal carboys for 30 days

• To conduct 16S rDNA and qRT-PCR analyses of the B/T combinations treated

stored swine manure for effects on total and sulfate-reducing bacteria

• To analyze the control and B/T treated swine manure samples for boron, nitrogen

and other minerals

• To conduct phytotoxicity studies using the B/T combinations treated swine

manure as fertilizer for agronomic crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, dried

beans) for 42 days.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Al Snedegar, Manager, and Kevin Turner, Assistant Manager at the MSU Swine Teaching

and Research Facility for their help on this project. The support of the Michigan Corn Marketing

Program/Michigan Corn Growers Association (CMPM/MCGA), Animal Agriculture Initiative (AAI),

and U.S. Borax Inc. is acknowledged. Other support was provided by the Michigan Agricultural

Experiment Station (MAES) and the USDA, ARS.

REFERENCES

Panetta, D.M., Powers, W.J. and Lorimer, J.C. 2005. Management strategy impacts on ammonia

volatization from swine manure. J. Environ. Qual. 34:119-1130.

Spence, C., Whitehead, T.R. and Cotta, M.A. 2008. Development and comparison of SYBR green

quantitative real-time pcr assays for detection and enumeration of sulfate-reducing bacteria in stored

swine manure. J. Appl. Microbiol. 105(6):2143-2152.

RESULTS

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Cumulative 30 Day Hydrogen Sulfide Emissions

Total

Average

1.0E+02

1.0E+03

1.0E+04

1.0E+05

1.0E+06

Control 0.1% Borax 0.2% Borax 0.3% Borax 0.1% Tannin 0.2% Tannin 0.3% Tannin 0.1 B/ 0.1 T 0.1 B/ 0.2 T 0.1 B/ 0.3 T 0.2 B/0.1 T 0.2 B/0.2 T 0.2 B/ 0.3 T 0.3 B/0.1 T 0.3 B/ 0.2 T 0.3 B/0.3 T

cop

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/ml m

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Effects of Borax-Tannns Combinations on Group 1

Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria

1.0E+03

1.0E+04

1.0E+05

1.0E+06

1.0E+07

Control 0.1% Borax 0.2% Borax 0.3% Borax 0.1% Tannin 0.2% Tannin 0.3% Tannin 0.1 B/ 0.1 T 0.1 B/ 0.2 T 0.1 B/ 0.3 T 0.2 B/0.1 T 0.2 B/0.2 T 0.2 B/ 0.3 T 0.3 B/0.1 T 0.3 B/ 0.2 T 0.3 B/0.3 T

Day 30

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Day 30

1.0E+09

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Day 10

Effects of Borax-Tannins Combnations on Total Bacterial Numbers (16S rDNA Analyses)

Comparison of Borax and Tannin Treatment

and Combination on Corn

Comparison of Increasing Tannin Treatment on Corn

Comparison of Borax with Increasing Tannin Treatment on Corn

Growth Response of Corn to B/T Treatments Tannins, either alone or in combination with lower dose levels of borax, did not appear to be toxic for

corn plant. The amount of swine manure added was not adequate as a fertilizer for the corn, so it should be noted that a commercial fertilizer control

treatment, which was applied weekly was added for comparative purposes. Corn plant height (inches) at 42 days for trial 1 and 2 indicate that growth was

not appreciably affected, except for the highest treatment dose of 0.3% borax in combination with 0.1% - 0.3% tannins.

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Cumulative 30 Day Ammonia Emissions

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

• Substrates. Borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate) was purchased commercially as 20

Mule Team Borax from the local grocery store. Condensed quebracho tannins was obtained

from The Chemtan Company (57 Hampton Rd, P.O. Box C, Exeter, NH 03833).

• Treatment of Carboys. Stored swine manure was collected from the pumping station pit

after the pull plugs in the manure pits were opened in the starter-grower rooms of the MSU

Swine Research and Teaching Facility. The collected swine manure was and added to 18.9

liter plastic carboys (5 gallons) carboys previously treated with different combinations of

borax and condensed quebracho tannins at the MSU Swine Research and Teaching Facility.

The 10 B/T combinations that were evaluated were: 0.0% B/ 0.0% T (control), 0.1 % B/

0.1% T, 0.1% B/ 0.2% T, 0.1% B/ 0.3% T, 0.2% B/ 0.1% T, 0.2% B/ 0.2% T, 0.2% B/ 0.3% T,

0.3% B/ 0.1% T, 0.3% B/ 0.2 %T, 0.3% B/ 0.3% T.

• We evaluated 6 additional control treatments for comparison purposes, to give a total of 16

carboy treatments. For the phytotoxicity studies in the greenhouse, we added another

treatment of a commercial fertilizer as a positive control to give a total of 17 treatments

•Monitoring Gases Emissions. H2S emissions was monitored by using a Jerome H2S detector

(model 631-X, Arizona Instruments, AZ) and NH3 and greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O, CO2,

CO) emissions were monitored using a Continous Emission 114 Photoacoustic Multi-gas

Monitor (CEM) with computer software program ( Innova Air Technology Instruments, CA).

After 30 days of monitoring gas emissions, the carboys were vigorously shaken to release the

residual gases entrapped in the stored swine manure and monitored until baseline values

were obtained.

• Microbiological 16S and PCR Analyses. 25 ml samples of B/T treated swine manure was

collected when the carboys were opened for gas emission measurements. DNA was extracted

from the B/T treated swine manures and 16S rDNA and real time PCR assays were

performed as described (Spence et al. 2008).

• Treated Manure Analyses. Samples of the control and B/T treated swine manure was also

sent to A & L Great Lakes Laboratory, Ft.Wayne, IN for analyses of their boron, nitrogen

and other mineral content.

Borax Quebracho Tannins

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Cumulative 30 Day Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Total Average

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Cumulative 30 Day Nitrogen Oxide Emissions

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Total Nitrogen Content of Swine Manure Treated with

Different Combinations s of Borax and Condensed

Quebracho Tannins

Combinations Total Nitrogen Increase

% (lb/1,000 gal) %

Control 22.7 0.0

0.1B 22.7 0.0

0.3B 22.3 2.6

0.1T 23.4 3.1

0.3T 24.1 6.2

0.1B/0.1T 25.7 13.2

0.1B/0.2T 24.1 6.2

0.2B/0.1T 23.9 5.3

0.2B/0.2T 23.0 1.3

0.3B/0.1T 23.4 3.1

There appears to be a conservation of manure nitrogen

with borax/tannin treatment of the manure. The

highest % increase in total nitrogen content (13.2%)

was with the 0.1B/0.1T combination treatment.

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