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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398412
Research Project: Managing Water Resources to Foster the Sustainable Intensification of Agroecosystems in the Northeastern U.S.

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Nutrient fate in the manure phosphorus extraction (MAPHEX) system: A four-farm case study

Author
item Church, Clinton
item HRISTOV, ALEXANDER - Pennsylvania State University
item Kleinman, Peter
item Fishel, Sarah - Sarah K Marshall
item Reiner, Michael
item Bryant, Ray

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2023
Publication Date: 6/8/2023
Citation: Church, C., Hristov, A.N., Kleinman, P.J., Fishel, S.K., Reiner, M.R., Bryant, R.B. 2023. Nutrient fate in the manure phosphorus extraction (MAPHEX) system: A four-farm case study. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 39(3): 339-346. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.15365.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.15365

Interpretive Summary: The recent concept of the manureshed highlights the problem of the broken nutrient cycle in modern animal agriculture and the low nitrogen:phosphorus ratio in manure that results in P accumulation in soils near source areas. One solution is to transport the manure to soils with a deficit of P, but liquid manure’s bulkiness and low nutrient content present challenges for transport over great distances. This study indicates that both the full MAPHEX System and a newly designed MAPHEX Lite System are highly efficient at extracting and concentrating P and most nutrients in solid form while leaving most of the N and K in the liquid phase for beneficial use by the farmer near the manure source. Therefore, it seems clear that both Systems, and the components they include, can play a significant role in manureshed management.

Technical Abstract: The relatively recent concept of the manureshed highlights the problem of the broken nutrient cycle in modern animal agriculture and the low nitrogen:phosphorus ratio in manure relative to crop requirement that results in P accumulation in soils near source areas. One solution to avoid P accumulation is to transport the manure to soils with a deficit of P, but liquid manure’s bulkiness and low nutrient density present challenges for transport over great distances. While the full MAnure PHosphorus EXtraction (MAPHEX) System has shown to be capable of removing greater than 90 percent of the P from liquid manures while leaving much of the N in the liquid fraction for use on the farm, other nutrients present in manures in lesser amounts than N and P have not been reported on. This study indicates that both the full MAPHEX System and a newly designed MAPHEX Lite System, that not only conserves more N but is more efficient and less costly, are highly efficient at extracting and concentrating most nutrients in solid form while leaving most of the N and K in the liquid phase for beneficial use by the farmer near the manure source. Therefore, it seems clear that both Systems, and the components they include have the potential to play a significant role in manureshed management.