Creator of a patent-pending, autonomous, biological wastewater treatment system, EnBiorganic Technologies shares recent findings from an operational trial in partnership with a family-operated swine and row crop operation near West Liberty, Iowa.
The system, EBS-Di, aims to provide sustainable and safe elimination of water contamination risks, fines related to manure storage, odors and toxic gases, as well as improving crop yields when applied as fertilizer, the release explains.
Implementation of the system in this pilot scale trial included two parts—swine manure management and corn crop yield data.
Swine Manure Management
For the trial, the EBS-Di was integrated into one barn facility at mid-herd rotation (1,200 head) and a non-integrated barn was used as a control (2,400 head), both with half full manure collection pits at the start.
Operating the EBS-Di for several months and pulling manure analysis and field application throughout the fall and winter months, results indicated a reduction in total solids in the treated pit and measurable differences in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) values. Additionally, qualitative assessments indicated a large reduction in odors after the EBS-Di process both outside and inside the barn.
Corn Crop Yield with Fertilizer Implementation
EBS-Di processed manure and regular manure (control) was applied at 5,100 gallons per acre to fields after harvest in fall 2021 or in spring 2022 prior to planting.
Yield data showed EBS-Di treated manure applied in the fall improved the corn yield by 8 bushels per acre, while spring application of treated manure increased the yield by 23 bushels per acre.
EBS-Di System Impact
Along with improvement in odorous gases, the system provided a 4% and 11% increase in corn yield when applied in the fall and spring, respectively. The total increase of net revenue totaled $51 per acre for fall application and $149 per acre for spring applications, with no additional manure input over the season, the release notes.
The field corn pictures also show the visual difference in height between the acres spread with regular manure (control) and the EBS-Di treated manure, as well as the EBS-Di treated manure when applied in the fall versus the spring.
“While further research is needed to fill in knowledge gaps and expand operational designs, and fully assess the total value proposition to include all tangible and intangible economic benefits beyond the much-needed odor control, the experiment has proven that use of the EBS-Di process can provide significant financial gain for farmers and operators regarding manure management, while providing beneficial improvement from bioaugmentation to crop soils and other issues impacting and threatening all CAFO production facilities,” the release explains.
