Nutrient recovery from biomass cultivated as catch crop for removing accumulated fertilizer in farm soil

Abstract

As a result of long-term continuous use of fertilizers in farm land, a large amount of nutrients accumulate in the soil, increasing the risk of eutrophication or nitrate pollution of groundwater. For rehabilitating the farm soil and recovering nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, a new system has been developed by our research group. This paper discusses the methodology of extracting nutrients from biomass in order to recover phosphorus and other nutrients in crystal form. Around 80% or higher extraction rates were achieved for phosphorus and potassium by soaking the powdered tissue in distilled water or 1% NaOH solution for 24 h. The extracted phosphorus and potassium act as a potential resource for recycled fertilizer or other industrial materials.

Comparative evaluation of anaerobic digestion for sewage sludge and various organic wastes with simple modeling

“…Sui et al (2011) performed ozonation of activated sludge to reduce sludge generation, and reported that K and Mg were solubilized at a higher ratio than COD solubilization, while the solubilized ratio of Ca was lower. Nagare et al (2012) showed that more than 80% of P and K and around 60% of Ca and Mg were extracted from powdered mature corn using distilled water at 20°C and 80°C, regardless of the temperature difference. Solubilization of these elements might be caused by a simple physical phenomenon, rather than by biochemical digestion reactions.…”

Combined use of sugars and nutrients derived from young maize plants for thermophilic l-lactic acid fermentation

“…Two types of nutrient recovery conditions were examined: one for recovering nutrients to investigate their availability during thermophilic L-lactic acid fermentation and the other for elucidating the nutrient balances in the experimental process. In the former case, nutrients were prepared using 300 g of dried and ground biomass soaked for 24 h in 3.0 L of distilled water at ambient temperature (Nagare et al, 2012). After extraction, approximately 1.7 L of primary nutrient solution was recovered after which the residue was washed with 1.2 L of distilled water.…”

Site selection for catch crop processing facilities

“…Akao et al (2012) compared two fermentation processes to produce l-lactate, an ingredient in environmentally benign solvents and polymers, from catch crops (corn or guinea grass) and aquatic plants, and reported that separate saccharification and fermentation increased l-lactate yields. Nagare et al (2012) removed P, a potentially exhaustible mineral, from catch crops with an extraction rate of 80 % or higher by soaking powdered biomass in water. Masuda et al (2014) examined three types of l-lactate fermentation processes, combined with the recovery of P and K, and concluded that the most efficient steps were the preprocessing of recovered minerals, followed by lactate fermentation in which recovered minerals were utilized during the fermentation process.…”