http://www.extension.org/67649 Manure from confined animal operations is an environmental liability because of the potential for water and air pollution. The poultry industry in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is under increased regulatory scrutiny due to nitrogen and phosphorous inputs into the Bay. Although poultry litter (PL) is valued as a fertilizer, the cost of shipping the bulky material out of the watershed is prohibitive. One potential solution is to turn the excess litter into energy through pyrolysis. If a market can be developed for poultry litter biochar, more N and P could be removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

1. Reducing the Impacts of Poultry
Litter on Water Quality by
Developing Alternative Markets
for Poultry Litter Biochar
Louis M. McDonald
Andy Burgess, Jeff Skousen, James
Anderson, Joshua Cook
West Virginia University

2. The Chesapeake Bay

6. • Environmental
Liability
Poultry
Litter
• Economic Asset
• Ecological Asset
Poultry
Litter
Biochar
Mine land reclamation
Programmatic Goals
Eutrophication

7. 400-500 mt litter/year700,000 birds/year
3.6 mt
biochar/year
Pyrolysis Unit =
10.9 mt/day
5 million BTUs

8. Task Objectives
1. Chemical & Physical Characterization
• Nutrient and salt concentration
• Particle size distribution
• Batch consistency
2. Biological Response
• Germination and growth
3. Field Trial
• Miscanthus and switchgrass

9. • Rapid decrease in EC
• pH was constant ~6.9
Salt Concentrations

11. DOC losses were larger
than DIC losses
Dissolved Carbon

12. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
<230 >230 >60 >10 >5
PercentMass
Sieve Size
M-Type
W-Type
α <0.0001; R2 = 0.96
*
*
Sieve Size Distribution

13. 0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
<230 >230 >60 >10 >5
Concentration(ppm)
Sieve Size
M-Type
W-Type
α <0.0001; R2 = 0.90
**
*
Potassium by Sieve Size

14. 0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
<230 >230 >60 >10 >5
Concentration(ppm)
Sieve Size
M-Type
W-Type
α <0.0001; R2 = 0.97
*
*
Calcium by Sieve Size

15. a a
a
b
a
ab
a
a
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
Soil Fertilizer Unt bio lo Unt bio hi 24 lo 24 hi 48 lo 48 hi
%Germinated
Treatment
Lettuce Germination

16. 82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
98
100
soil fert unt lo 24 lo 48 lo
PercentGerminated
Treatment
a
a
aaa
Lettuce Germination

17. A
B
B
B
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Soil 48 trt 24 trt unt
PercentofWorms
Treatment
Trt4 Trt 1
Trt 3 Trt 2
48 hr Topsoil
Biochar24 hr
Worm Experiments

18. Greenhouse Production

19. 0
4
8
12
16
20
0 2 4 6 8 10
NumberofLeaves
Time (weeks)
Commercial
Biochar
Control
Greenhouse Production

20. Surface Mine Reclamation

21. Surface Mine Reclamation

22. Surface Mine Reclamation

23. Whatever his accomplishments, this
sophistication, his artistic
pretension, man owes his very
existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil –
and the fact that it rains.