As reinvigorated water supply become progressively special and the world ’s universe continues to grow , Auburn University College of Agriculture researcher are working on ways to find and utilize substitute urine resources for irrigating crops .
" One proven source that can assemble this demand is wastewater , " said Brendan Higgins , assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering . " In plus to providing weewee for crops , wastewater resource are deep in nutrients , specifically nitrogen and phosphorus . Combined , these nutrients can improve the increase of food crop . "
Higgins is leading a research squad that has received a four - twelvemonth $ 499,577 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture , or NIFA , to study the hypothesis of using poultry processing wastewater for irrigating in master - surroundings agriculture . He will discuss the research as part of an Auburn Talks instrument panel during the practical " Auburn Research : Faculty Symposium " on Jan. 29 .
Other members of the research team include Daniel Wells , assistant prof in the Department of Horticulture ; Dianna Bourassa , supporter professor and wing specialist in the Department of Poultry Science ; and Rishi Prasad , help professor and filename extension specializer in the Department of Crop , Soil and Environmental Sciences .
Brendan Higgins , assistant prof
The fowl industriousness , Higgins said , is a major author of nutrient - plentiful effluent . " This body of water supply is currently being treated as a waste at a substantial expense to industry and , ultimately , to consumer , " he state .
In 2018 , the U.S. broiler industry produced roughly 9 billion chickens , result in an economic impact of $ 31.7 billion on the U.S. saving . The processing works that handle domestic fowl slaughter and meat-packing business also produce or so 62 billion gallons of sewer water annually at a monetary value of more than $ 247 million to treat .
" Repurposing this piss provision for use in crop production has the potential to importantly thin treatment monetary value , increase nutrient yield and cut the overall impingement on the environment , " Higgins say . " However , there are three chief challenge that call for to be addressed to safely and expeditiously employ wastewater for food production . "
The first challenge , he aver , is that nutrients in the effluent should be in the appropriate form for unchanging craw production . second , the crops irrigated with wastewater must be gratis of pathogens , and , lastly , the minus impression of antimicrobial chemicals in the poultry sewer water must be mitigated .
" The goal of our project is to train mastermind biological processes that overpower these three challenge , " Higgins articulate . " Successful development of such processes will pave the manner for recycling of sewer water back into safe and sustainable intellectual nourishment production . "
Researchers will receive the projection ’s goal by engaging in four major research activities :
The discourse organization , Higgins read , will require to be locate near the processing plant . " Water can be pump a significant distance , but of trend you would need to consider the site - specific economics , " he said . " Where is the supply and demand , and does it make mother wit for this especial location ?
" One of the attraction of controlled - environs agriculture is that the step of the facility is quite lowly , give how intensive the craw production is . you’re able to produce a lot of lettuce on a minor surface area of soil using greenhouse engineering . It is contributing to suburban and exurban areas where a peck of the poultry mainframe are located . "
The Auburn labor will be located at the College of Agriculture ’s Charles C. Miller Jr. Poultry Research and Education Center . The poultry wastewater conception originated during a group meeting of the " brute production " working group organized by the College of Agriculture and led by Ken Macklin , professor and filename extension specialist in the Department of Poultry Science .
" I ’ve been work with poultry processing wastewater over the preceding few years and have been develop the idea that algae can be used to overcome the negative consequences of antimicrobic agent in the poultry processing wastewater , " Higgins articulate . " However , it was n’t until our research team started talking that this idea of growing crops with wastewater really came to realisation . "
While the research undertaking will be focusing on growing lettuce , Higgins sees the potential for using wastewater on a variety of crop . " Non - food crops like cotton would probably be easiest from a regulatory standpoint , " he articulate . " However , we really want to maturate nutrient with the piss because it is a major enquiry challenge . There are already many options for reutilizing waste materials on non - food crop and forage . "
For more entropy : Auburn University College of Agriculture ’s Department of Biosystems Engineeringwww.agriculture.auburn.edu
