Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evaluation Of Cafo Dairy Manure Treatment To Reduce Nutrient Transport, Jenna Laib

Honors Projects

Excess amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into Lake Erie from agricultural fields in Northwest Ohio has led to several harmful algal blooms (HABs). One potential source of those nutrients is manure applied to fields for fertilizer. Manure from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is 95-98% water with only ~3% solids and nutrients, thus physical transportation is expensive relative to the value of the agricultural nutrients. Furthermore, once manure nutrients are applied to agricultural fields, they are relatively easily mobilized to waterways by precipitation. More than 800 lab-scale tests have been used to optimize the treatment of CAFO manure with …