Liquid livestock manure slurry is becoming more plant available and less human objectionable.
Thyregod A/S of Demark has developed a new approach to applying manure to cropland.
The company has found it can reduce the volatility of manure by treating a small amount of the slurry with sulfuric acid and sealing it at the soil’s surface, above untreated manure.
The system requires a treatment unit with nozzles that mix in the acid and add the foam sealing agent to five to 10 percent of the slurry, depending on dry matter content.
Read Also
VIDEO: Green Lightning and Nytro Ag win sustainability innovation award
Nytro Ag Corp and Green Lightning recieved an innovation award at Ag in Motion 2025 for the Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.
Adding acid to the manure at the surface helps lower the slurry’s pH, allowing its nitrogen to convert from ammonia to the more stable and plant-available ammonium.
The process also reduces odour because it seals off the volatile fatty acids at the ground level and stabilizes the ammonia.
Thyregod has shown European researchers that the system reduces ammonia and carbon dioxide emissions by 85 percent compared to traditional spreading or knife burying of manure slurry.
Dubbed Biocover, the new system won Agromek’s top award for new European agricultural products in 2008.
Agromek is northern Europe’s largest farm equipment and technology agricultural trade show, similar to Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina and World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.
Morten Toft of Thyregod said he hopes his company’s new manure management strategy will reduce ammonia emissions from Denmark’s large hog industry by 10,000 tonnes annually.
Canada and Denmark each have 12 to 13 million hogs, despite Denmark’s tiny size. As a result, manure management is a serious issue for the world renowned swine exporting nation.
“Demark is aggressive in improving its approach to livestock emissions. But the rest of the world wants this too,” Toft said.
“Ten thousand tonnes (of ammonia) is corresponding to about 20 percent of the total emission of Denmark. For the EU as a whole, Biocover could reduce emissions by 184,000 tonnes.”
He said at application rates of 12 tonnes of manure per acre, an additional 10 pounds of ammonia is sequestered within the soil over traditional methods.
“The nitrogen in the slurry is therefore better exploited and can replace the requirement for nitrogen in commercial fertilizers for crops.”
He said in addition to saving nutrients, producers don’t have the added cost of burying the manure.
Manure can also be precision applied to fall seeded crops with less damage from knives or coulters, he added.
