New Process for Quick, On-Site Conversion of Manure into Biochar

Soybean producers–in fact, all crop producers–are constantly assessing the potential of soil amendments for increasing yield and/or economic return and for improving soil quality for crop production. However, some amendments that are promoted as beneficial may not be beneficial enough to increase a producer’s net return or may be too expensive to use. Thus, all such soil additives should be assessed both agronomically and economically.

In today’s environment of perceived climate change and its associated negative consequences, agricultural producers are expected to reduce their carbon [C] footprint in order to reduce the amount of C that enters the atmosphere. Thus, producers are faced with the quandary of the potential negative effects that arise from applying more inputs to produce more food, feed, and fiber, while also reducing the perceived adverse effects that may result from those increased inputs. And of course, all of this comes under the intention of increasing the “sustainability” of agricultural production and reducing agriculture’s contribution to factors that are perceived to promote climate change.

Manure is a byproduct of animal agriculture, and the disposal of this material has and always will be a problem faced by those who grow livestock in their operations. Plus, it is well known that animal manure is a major contributor to the release of greenhouse gases [GHG’s] such as nitrous oxide and ammonia into the surrounding atmosphere.

Biochar is a soil additive that is promoted as a promising soil amendment to address challenges in sustaining an agricultural system that leaves little or no C footprint. It is widely regarded as a soil amendment that will enhance water and fertilizer use efficiency in crop production because of its positive effects on soil pH, soil porosity and bulk density, cation exchange capacity, hydraulic conductivity, nutrient availability, soil water holding capacity, soil microbial activity and abundance, and sequestration of C into agricultural soils. This perceived enhancement of these soil properties should result in crop yield increases as well.

A process that quickly transforms this animal manure into biochar at the point of its origin would help those who are faced with the dilemma of disposing of animal manure, and will necessarily reduce manure’s contribution to GHG’s that are released into the atmosphere. In a report titled “New process quickly transforms livestock manure into biochar”, results from research by Korean researchers that developed technology that will quickly transform manure into biochar are presented.

The core of this technology is a dehydration and drying process that reduces the moisture content of the manure. The process uses an integrated system that combines drying, dehydration, and pyrology technology to achieve optimal performance while using significantly less energy than the current rotary kiln method. The process is promoted by the authors to be a low-cost, high-efficiency system that can immediately convert livestock manure into biochar at the site of its origin. This then will prevent environmental degradation and emission of GHG’s that can occur with conventional composting of the animal manure at its origin site.

This new process is currently in the “pilot” stage of development, but it is anticipated that it can soon be operational on a scale that will allow it to be used in domestic livestock operations in the U.S. This breakthrough will contribute to a 1) reduction in animal manure’s contribution to the factors that are perceived to contribute to climate change, and 2) large increase in biochar supply that will be available to crop producers to apply to fields as a beneficial and affordable soil additive. As with all “new” technologies developed for agriculture, there needs to be a determination of the economic feasibility of using this process on a farm-by-farm basis since it is developed for use at the site of manure origin.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, July 2024, larryh91746@gmail.com