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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #343476
Research Project: Development of Improved Technologies and Management Practices to Enhance Soil Biodiversity and Agricultural Resilience to Climate Variability

Location: Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory

Title: Anaerobic digestion reduces veterinary ionophore lasalocid in dairy manure

Author
item ARIKAN, OSMAN - Istanbul Technical University
item Mulbry, Walter
item Rice, Clifford
item LANSING, STEPHANIE - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Desalination and Water Treatment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/8/2018
Publication Date: 3/1/2018
Citation: Arikan, O., Mulbry III, W.W., Rice, C., Lansing, S. 2018. Anaerobic digestion reduces veterinary ionophore lasalocid in dairy manure. Desalination and Water Treatment. 108:183-188. https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2018.22040

Interpretive Summary: Raw manure can be a significant source of antibiotics and other pharmaceutically active compounds (PACs). When animal producers remove manure from pens, housing units, barns or sheds, the manure is stockpiled until time and circumstances are available to land apply the material. To the extent that manure stockpiles contain antibiotics and PACs, this land-applied material will contribute to the contamination of soil and water and to the development of antibiotic resistance among native microbial communities. Therefore, it is important to implement appropriate management practices that minimize the risk of disseminating antibiotics and PACs from the stockpiled manure. The objective of this study was to determine the fate and effect of the widely used compound lasalocid during the anaerobic digestion of dairy manure. Results from replicate field scale digesters showed that about 75% of the lasalocid added to the digesters was removed during digestion. Thus, anaerobic digestion is a partially effective method for reducing lasalocid levels in animal manure. Results also showed that, at levels typically found in dairy manure, lasalocid does not have a significant effect on methane production. These results could be useful for animal producers and the anaerobic digestion industry who are interested in the use of animal manure for biogas production.

Technical Abstract: There is a growing concern about residual antibiotics and feed additives in the manure of treated animals because of potential effects of these residues in the environment. Lasalocid belongs to the family of divalent polyether ionophore compounds that are commonly used in cattle and poultry as coccidiostats and for growth promotion. The objective of this study was to determine the fate and effect of lasalocid during the anaerobic digestion of dairy manure. Duplicate plug flow field-scale digesters were operated using either non-amended dairy manure or dairy manure amended with 1 or 5 mg/L lasalocid and operated at 30°C and a 12-day hydraulic retention time. Results showed that lasalocid was reduced approximately 75% during anaerobic digestion. Methane production from digesters treating manure amended with 1 and 5 mg/L lasalocid were comparable to methane production from the duplicate digesters operated without added lasalocid. These results suggest that anaerobic digestion is an effective treatment for reducing lasalocid in dairy manure, and lasalocid did not affect digester stability at concentrations expected in dairy manure at recommended dosage rates.