Solid–Liquid Separation and Its Environmental Impact on Manure Treatment in Scaled Pig Farms—Evidence Based on Life Cycle Assessment

Yijia Zhang, Qinqing Bo, Xintian Ma, Yating Du, Xinyi Du, Liyang Xu and Yadong Yang ()
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Yijia Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Qinqing Bo: Water Conservancy Engineering College, Fujian Coll Water Conservancy & Elect Power, Sanming 366000, China
Xintian Ma: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yating Du: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xinyi Du: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Liyang Xu: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture/Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yadong Yang: State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi-Arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-21

Abstract: Recently, there has been a significant focus on the issue of pollution caused by livestock and poultry rearing, which is recognized as a prominent contributor to nonpoint source pollution in the agricultural sector. This study employed the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the environmental impact of several pig manure processing scenarios with the aim of determining the appropriate solid–liquid separation tool for large-scale pig farms. The findings indicate that the utilization of a screw extruder for solid–liquid separation in Scenario 2 has a lower environmental impact. In contrast to Scenario 1, Scenario 2 exhibits reduced environmental potential in the areas of global warming, human toxicity, acidification, and eutrophication. Specifically, the global warming, human toxicity, acidification, and eutrophication impacts decreased by 56%, 81%, 83%, and 273%, respectively, due to the implementation of solid–liquid separation. The type of solid–liquid separation equipment used during the processing of swine manure, as well as the subsequent treatment, have a significant impact on environmental emissions. Compared to Scenario 2, Scenario 3, which utilizes a centrifugal microfilter for solid–liquid separation, exhibits a lower environmental impact in terms of human toxicity, resulting in a reduction of 0.736 kg DCB-eq. In general, solid–liquid separation is a viable and environmentally friendly method for the disposal of waste from large-scale pig farms. The adoption of this method is highly recommended. During its implementation, careful consideration should be given to factors such as separation efficiency and pollution emissions. It is crucial to select appropriate equipment for solid–liquid separation to effectively process the waste.

Keywords: manure treatment; life cycle assessment; solid–liquid separation; anaerobic digestion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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