Potential water quality impacts originating from land burial of cattle carcasses

Abstract

Among the conventional disposal methods for livestock mortalities, on-farm burial is a preferred method, but the potential water quality impacts of animal carcass burial is not well understood. Typically, on-farm burial pits are constructed without liners to prevent percolation of leachate into soil and groundwater. To date, no information is available on temporal trends for contaminants in leachate produced from livestock mortality pits. In our study, we examined the concentrations of conventional contaminants (electrical conductivity, COD, TOC, TKN, TP, and solids) as well as some antimicrobials and steroid hormones for a period of 20 months. High concentrations of conventional contaminants were detected in leachate collected from the field burial pits. In addition, 17β-estradiol and monensin were also observed at maximum concentrations of 20,069 ng/L and 11,980 ng/L, respectively. Estimated mass loading of total steroid hormones and veterinary pharmaceuticals were determined to be 1.84 and 1.01 µg/kg of buried cattle carcass materials.

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“…), compared to the threshold value of 10 mg·L −1 in leachate from monitoring wells. Increased chloride concentrations (about 2600 mg·L −1 ) have been measured as well [5]. Pratt and Fonstad [9] have found that leachate components might vary depending on the type of buried animal carcass: poultry (NH 4 + -N at 10,400 mg·L −1 and Cl − at 2570 mg·L −1 ), cattle (NH 4 + -N at 14,100 mg·L −1 and Cl − at 2600 mg·L −1 ), and pig (NH 4 + -N at 13,300 mg·L −1 and Cl − at 2380 mg·L −1 ).…”

“…However, the pH of the burial pit soil was lower than surrounding soils. Such a decrease in pH might be due to bacterial fermentation products via metabolic processes which could convert sugar to acids, particularly under aerobic conditions [3,5].…”

“…On-farm burial has been the preferred approach for dealing with animal carcass disposal, as it is generally viewed as being a relatively quick and affordable method. Conventional alternative methods include composting, rendering, and incineration [4,5]. In addition, the nearest area of remnant farmland has been recommended for burial to effectively prevent the spread of animal diseases in adjacent livestock farms.…”

“…These contaminants resulted from carcass decomposition can negatively influence the quality of soil and groundwater around the burial sites [5][6][7]. The literature on contaminant leaching from livestock burial pits is scarce.…”

“…The literature on contaminant leaching from livestock burial pits is scarce. MacArthur and Milne [8] and Yuan et al [5] reported on elevated concentrations of ammonium-N in leachates burial sites (at 3294 mg·L −1 and 14,640 mg·L −1 , respectively. ), compared to the threshold value of 10 mg·L −1 in leachate from monitoring wells.…”