animal and poultry
waste management research:
a progress report

Thermophilic Anaerobic Fermentation
for Biological Methane Production and Odor Control
Using Swine Manure as a Substrate
The Animal and Poultry Waste-Management Center

This project demonstrated that thermophilic, or high-temperature, anaerobic fermentation is a feasible method of treating liquid swine waste. Thermophilic anaerobic fermentation has advantages over other types of waste treatment. The higher temperatures kill pathogens, and thermophilic anaerobic fermentation also treats waste more quickly, so less space is required for treatment. Odor is reduced because treatment takes place in a closed environment. Yet previous attempts to treat liquid swine waste at high temperatures raised concern that unusually large amounts of ammonia would be produced. This project demonstrated that ammonia toxicity may be avoided if treatment begins with small amounts of waste, allowing bacterial cultures to acclimate and build up until a stable bacterial culture is established.

Funding: $25,775
Source: North Carolina Agricultural Research Service
Status: Completed

Investigator: 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