Proceedings available at: http://www.extension.org/67637 Livestock producers are acutely aware for the need to reduce gaseous emissions from stored livestock waste and have been trying to identify new technologies to address the chronic problem. Besides the malodor issue, toxic gases emitted from stored livestock manure, especially hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) are environmental and health hazards for humans and animals and under scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency for regulatory control of concentrated animal farm operations (CAFOs). Presented by: Melvin Yokoyama

1. 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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PPMConcentration
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
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Day 10
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
1.0E+09
1.0E+10
1.0E+11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
TotalBacteria/mlmanure
Treatment
Day 30
1.0E+09
1.0E+10
1.0E+11
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TotalBacteria/mlmanure
Treatment
Day 10
Effects of Borax-Tannins Combnations on Total Bacterial Numbers (16S rDNAAnalyses)
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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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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PPMconcentration
Treatment
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.
PPMConcentration
Treatment
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