Solids separation coupled with batch-aeration treatment for odor control from liquid swine manure

Previous studies on solids/liquid (S-L) separation for odor control from swine manure indicated that the practice might not technically be feasible because of the complexity of removing the fine particles, which are usually the major source of the odor problems. This study coupled S-L separation by sedimentation with an aeration treatment to quickly break down the fine as well as dissolved solids. Results showed that S-L separation of manure prior to aeration, at the same level of aeration, took only 1.5 days compared to 3 days needed for the control, to bring down volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to the "threshold of unacceptable level". In addition, it took 2.3 and 5 aeration-days for VFAs to reach the "acceptable level" for the separated liquid manure and the control, respectively. Results also showed that within the three weeks of post-aeration storage, the VFAs in the separated liquid manure consistently stayed 13.5 folds below the acceptable level. In the unseparated manure, the VFAs gradually increased upwards from 2.2 folds below acceptable level achieved at the end of aeration treatment, to 1.38 folds below the acceptable level at the end of the third week of storage and looked poised to definitely rise above the acceptable level in a matter of days. A strong relationship (R=0.99) between pH and the VFAs in the manure suggested that; degradation of VFAs rendered manure more basic as shown by the increase in pH. After only three days of aeration, the oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in the separated liquid manure stabilized at a much higher level of -15 mV, while the ORP in unseparated manure stabilized at a much lower level of -200 mV. The S-L separation treatment thus significantly improves the oxygen transfer efficiency, which in turn significantly reduces the aeration power needed to maintain adequate ORP if prolonged aeration is desired.