Co-composting of Beef Cattle Feedlot Manure with Construction and Demolition Waste

Abstract

With increased availability of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) as cattle feed and the need to recycle organic wastes, this research investigated the feasibility of co-composting DDGS cattle feedlot manure with construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Manure was collected from cattle fed a typical western Canadian finishing diet (CK) of 860 g rolled barley ( L.) grain, 100 g barley silage, and 40 g vitamin and mineral supplement kg dry matter (DM) and from cattle fed the same diet but (DG manure) with 300 g kg DM barley grain being replaced by DDGS. The CK and DG manures were co-composted with and without C&D waste in 13 m bins. Compost materials were turned on Days 14, 37, and 64, and terminated on Day 99. Adding C&D waste led to higher compost temperatures (0.4 to 16.3°C, average 7.2°C) than manure alone. Final composts had similar total C, total N, C/N ratios, and water-extractable K, Mg, and NO content across all treatments. However, adding C&D waste increased δC, δN, water-extractable SO, and Ca contents and decreased pH, total P (TP), water-extractable C, N, and P and most volatile fatty acids (VFA). The higher C&D compost temperatures should reduce pathogens while reduced VFA content should reduce odors. When using the final compost product, the increased SO and reduced TP and available N and P content in C&D waste compost should be taken into consideration. Increased S content in C&D compost may be beneficial for some crops grown on S-deficient soils.

Short-term legacy effects of feedlot manure amendments on water-extractable organic carbon in a clay loam soil profile

“…The range (0.1-3.5%) in WEOC as a fraction of total C in our soil was generally consistent with previous studies that reported that WEOC generally represents < 4% of the total C or total organic C in agricultural soils (McGill et al 1986;Zsolnay 1996;Angers et al 2006;Hamkalo and Bedernichek 2014;Benbi et al 2015;Awale et al 2017). The percentage values in our study may have been slightly underestimated at deeper depths because of increasing inorganic C. The percentage of WEOC (of total C) in SM and CM with ST bedding is 6 to 7% (Miller et al 2012), and in feedlot manure in southern Alberta it is 6% (Hao et al 2014). The considerably lower percentage of WEOC in the soil than amendment was likely due to rapid decomposition of soluble C in the soil (Chantigny 2003).…”

“…Long-term application of manure to cropland may initially cause an accumulation of WEOC in soil because these soluble compounds are generally present in the amendments (Chantigny 2003;Hao et al 2014). In a review paper, Chantigny (2003) reported that many short-term studies have reported an immediate and significant increase in WEOC in soil amended with crop residues or manure compared to unamended soils.…”

Effect of Co-Composting Cattle Manure with Construction and Demolition Waste on the Archaeal, Bacterial, and Fungal Microbiota, and on Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants

“…In Alberta, Canada, approximately 25% of total municipal solid waste is comprised of construction and demolition (C&D) waste [ 18 ]. Within North America, C&D waste is made up of around 20 to 30% wood and 5 to 15% drywall [ 18 ].…”

“…In Alberta, Canada, approximately 25% of total municipal solid waste is comprised of construction and demolition (C&D) waste [ 18 ]. Within North America, C&D waste is made up of around 20 to 30% wood and 5 to 15% drywall [ 18 ]. Two of the strategies for diverting C&D waste from landfills are to use the wood and drywall components of C&D waste as a bedding material for feedlot cattle in place of straw and to use these fractions as a bulking agent in composting manure [ 18 , 19 ].…”

“…Within North America, C&D waste is made up of around 20 to 30% wood and 5 to 15% drywall [ 18 ]. Two of the strategies for diverting C&D waste from landfills are to use the wood and drywall components of C&D waste as a bedding material for feedlot cattle in place of straw and to use these fractions as a bulking agent in composting manure [ 18 , 19 ]. Previously it was demonstrated that the addition of C&D waste to feedlot cattle manure prior to composting resulted in composted manure with a higher sustained temperature, lower water content, higher pH, and altered mineral contents [ 18 ].…”