Reducing phosphates in cattle slurry

Reducing phosphates in cattle slurry

Livestock slurries are stored on farms as a sustainable source of fertiliser i.e. for muck spreading. The typical nutrient content of 30m3 of cow slurry containing 6 % dry matter is 90kg of nitrogen (N), 36kg of phosphate. However, overapplication of livestock slurries pose a major pollution risk for farming in Wales and across the UK. Also, air pollution arises from stored slurries, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide as well as non-GHG emissions (ammonia) in non-acidified slurries. There is also a potential for dispersion of soluble materials from slurries into watercourses through stormwater wash-off of wet slurries sprayed onto land.

This is a case study carried out on cattle slurry obtained from a local farm in Gwynedd, demonstrating how phosphate levels in liquors generated from the dewatering of livestock slurries can be reduced using Pennotec’s natural and environmentally sustainable technology.

Cattle slurry from a farm in Gwynedd

The slurry was passed through a 0.2mm cloth and left to drain.