S-1000
Regional Project
Animal
Manure and Waste Utilization, Treatment and Nuisance Avoidance for a Sustainable
Agriculture
2003
Station Reports
S-1000 Colorado 2003 Report
Objectives 2. and 3.
Effect of algae and bacteria additions in the conversion of an anerobic
dairy lagoon to an aerobic lagoon
Reporting Scientists: T.L. Stanton, W.R. Wailes, S. Reynolds, J.
Davis and A. Seidl
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness
and economics of adding algae continuously to an anaerobic 8 acre livestock
lagoon in order to convert it to an aerobic system and to reduce odor. The
algae growing system was provided by AgSmart, Inc., Strasburg, Colorado and
the micro diffuser system and bacterial additions were provided by Keeton
Industries and installed at 1500 cow commercial dairy. Dissolved oxygen
and other water quality measurements were recorded weekly with a YSI model
556 multi-probe sensor. BOD is and will be measured every three months.
The lagoon was located at a 1500 cow dairy that utilized a flushing/leaky
dam waste management system. A composting operation is used in conjunction
with the leaky dam system. No water is removed from the dairy except
for evaporation. Water from the main storage lagoon is used to flush
the milking parlor and four loose stall barns that are sand bedded.
Flushing re-circulates between 250,000 and 400,000 gallons of water per day
in 6 flushing cycles.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were recorded at a lagoon depth of six feet.
Total lagoon depth has ranged from 8-9 feet over the first four months
of the study. DO levels increased gradually over the first three months
of the two year study from early June through the end of August with a high
single reading of 1.07 mg/L. The rapid increase in DO readings from
mid to late August may have been partly due to the micro diffuser system failing
for two weeks and thus little vertical stirring of the lagoon occurred.
Once the mixing system was repaired DO levels dropped for the next two weeks
and then started to increase. Once the micro diffuser system was repaired
DO levels started to increase. The average DO level was 0.40 mg/L four
months after the project began. Odor measurements are being monitored
with a Cyranose 320 electronic nose. Based on number of complaints last
summer versus this summer, odor objection has been reduced. The dairy
is located across a county road from the rapidly growing town of Wellington,
CO. We are excited about the potential that this technology has to
control odor in livestock lagoons.
Our future plans are to continue monitoring this lagoon and to set up an
in vitro system to help us understand the interaction of algae and bacterial
additions at differing temperatures and in varying nutrient rich solutions.