Decline of phosphorus, copper, and zinc in anaerobic swine lagoon columns receiving pretreated influent

ABSTRACT

Land application of both anaerobic lagoon liquid and sludge can increase nutrient accumulation beyond the soils assimilative capacity and become a threat to water quality in regions with intensive, confined swine production. In a 15-month meso-scale column study, we evaluated the effect of manure pretreatment on the reduction of total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive P (SRP), and total copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in swine lagoons using (i) enhanced solid-liquid separation (SS) and (ii) solid-liquid separation plus biological nitrogen treatment with nitrification-denitrification (SS + NDN). A conventional anaerobic lagoon treatment was included as a control. A mass flow balance revealed that with both pretreatments the net mass input of TP, Cu, and Zn in the lagoon columns declined 80 to 100 % when compared to the control. Even though both pretreatments significantly reduced P in the inflow, TP and SRP were negatively correlated (r = -0.51 to -0.87) with TSS in the liquid fraction because of the dissolution of P from sludge into the overlying lagoon liquid. On the other hand, the removal of solids by both pretreatments effectively reduced Cu and Zn concentrations in the lagoon liquid, and their concentrations were positively correlated (r = 0.79 to 0.90) with TSS. The decline in mass accumulation of TP, Cu, and Zn in sludge as a result of the reduction of input solids can help minimize both the frequency of sludge removal for lagoon maintenance and the land area for its disposal.