Soil Contamination Caused by Emergency Bio-Reduction of Catastrophic Livestock Mortalities

Abstract

Catastrophic regional losses of poultry and livestock have caused environmental officials in North America to seek emergency on-farm disposal alternatives that pose less pollution risk to soil and shallow groundwater than burial. Bio-decomposition of remains followed by land application of the resulting product is used throughout the U.S. and Canada for management of routine poultry, swine, and cattle mortalities, and is often cited as being more environmentally friendly than burial since it recycles nutrients and other potential pollutants into the topsoil and crop production cycle, rather than placing them deeper in the ground and closer to groundwater. During emergencies, however, when time and resources are limited, bioreduction is likely to be done in unsheltered windrows constructed on unprotected soil-conditions that could cause localized soil pollution. Pollution associated with emergency bio-reduction procedures was assessed by Water Air Soil Pollut (2009) 198:285-295 DOI 10.1007 Note: Due to the heterogeneous inputs and layered structure of onfarm emergency mortality disposal "composting" operations, the authors have chosen to refer to this as "bio-reduction" rather than composting which has long been associated with frequently-and completely-mixed solid waste treatment processes designed to achieve homogeneous matrix characteristics that are considered optimal for high rates of biological activity. comparing pre-and post-bio-reduction concentrations in soil beneath the bio-reduction sites. Small but statistically significant (p<0.05) increases in chloride at depths of 1.2 m indicated that bio-reduction leachate reached this depth. Significant increases in % total nitrogen and % total carbon were observed only in the top 15 cm of soil, but large increases in total ammonia-nitrogen were observed at depths of 30-90 cm. The total mass of N added to soil by bio-reduction was 10-25% of the estimated total N in the cattle carcasses, indicating that bio-reduction poses a lower pollution threat to soil and shallow groundwater than burial. T. D. Glanville (*)Department

Methane and carbon dioxide production from simulated anaerobic degradation of cattle carcasses

“…Soil and groundwater contamination attributable to cat-tle carcass composting or poultry and cattle carcass burial were reported in previous studies (Glanville et al, 2009;Ritter and Chirnside, 1995;Pratt, 2009). There have been very few studies evaluating air quality impacts from animal mortality management.…”

Quantifying Nutrients in Effluent from Uncovered, Intact Mature Bovine Carcass Compost Piles Subjected to Storm Events

“…Since other forms of nitrogen may be converted to nitrate in the soil profile if oxygen is present, nitrate reduction was not necessarily expected. Nutrient concentrations in the groundwater collected beneath compost piles receiving storm event rainfall simulations were substantially less than those reported in groundwater adjacent to animal burial sites suggesting that composting above ground is less of a groundwater pollution risk than mortality management using burial (Glanville 2009;Pratt and Fonstad 2009). …”

Experiences of Mass Pig Carcass Disposal Related to Groundwater Quality Monitoring in Taiwan

“…Elevated levels of BOD, NH 4 -N, TDS, and Cl were commonly found within or very close to the burial pits of livestock carcasses. Although the chloride concentrations are generally lower than those of other contaminants, elevated chloride levels are the optimal indicator of burial-related groundwater contamination [4,18]. Moreover, chloride is a conservative ion that does not undergo significant oxidation/reduction reactions, adsorption on to mineral grains, or complexation [19].…”