animal and poultry
waste management research:
a progress report

The Use of Poultry Litter as a Source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus
for the Biodegradation of Soil Contaminated with Hazardous Compounds
The Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center

This project demonstrated first in the laboratory, then in a real-world situation the feasibility of using poultry litter to hasten bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. Researchers showed first in the laboratory that poultry litter works well as a source of nutrients -- nitrogen and phosphorous -- to be used by bacteria in degrading diesel fuel. Bacteria capable of degrading diesel fuel use nitrogen and phosphorous to fuel the degradation process. But nitrogen and phosphorous are not always naturally available in amounts necessary for optimal degradation. Collaborating with a company that treats soil that has been contaminated by leakage from underground fuel storage tanks, scientists used poultry litter in treating soil that had been contaminated with diesel fuel. In this demonstration, poultry litter appeared to work better that the nitrogen and phosphorous source the company usually uses. Scientists theorized that the small wood chips in poultry litter may make the material more porous, thus allowing more oxygen to reach the soil and speeding the degradation process. (See also Optimizing the Use of ...)

Funding: $43,834
Source: U.S. Poultry and Egg Association
Status: Completed

Investigators: Dr. Charles M. "Mike" Williams, assistant professor, Poultry Science, director, Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center, North Carolina State University, phone: (919) 515-5386, fax: (919) 515-2625, email: MIKE_WILLIAMS@NCSU.EDU; Dr. Jesse L. Grimes, assistant professor/extension turkey specialist, Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, phone: (919) 515-5406, fax: (919) 515-7070, email: JGRIMES@POULTRY.POULSCI.NCSU.EDU; Dr. Robert L. Mikkelsen, assistant professor, Soil Science, North Carolina State University, phone: (919) 515-2388, fax: (919) 515-2167, email: ROBERT_MIKKELSEN@NCSU.EDU