BIOTECHNOLOGY - V. H. Herasymenko - 2006

Part II. Special Biotechnologies

Chapter 22. BIOTECHNOLOGIES FOR WASTE UTILIZATION AND BIOCONVERSION IN THE AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

22.1. NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF LIVESTOCK WASTE

The operation of livestock farms and complexes generates numerous challenges, including sanitary, hygienic, ecological, economic, and social issues.

This is primarily driven by the high concentration of animals in confined spaces and the imbalance between livestock population and available land area, leading to the accumulation of massive amounts of manure, wastewater, and other organic-rich wastes per unit of land. Manure contains significant amounts of pathogenic microorganisms, helminth eggs and larvae, weed seeds, heavy metal salts, and other xenobiotics. When introduced into soil and Water bodies, liquid manure pollutes groundwater, causes biological contamination of the soil with pathogens, and triggers mass mortality of aquatic organisms. It leads to a sharp increase in ammonia concentration and a depletion of dissolved oxygen in water.

Waste components such as methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide pollute the air. Released into the atmosphere, methane contributes to the greenhouse effect with an impact 22–30 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, driving global climate change. Under the International Convention signed by Ukraine, each country is allocated a specific quota for methane emissions into the environment. Excess emissions result in penalties, whereas reducing methane emissions allows a country to trade a portion of its unused quota on the global market.

These problems are exacerbated by the fact that agricultural lands, acting as biological waste disposal systems, can only assimilate limited amounts of organic fertilizers in the form of manure. The limiting criterion is the nitrogen content, the maximum permissible concentration of which is 250–300 kg/ha.

Consequently, manure biomass acts as an environmental pollutant of both organic and biogenic nature, accounting for 43–66% of the total biological load on natural ecosystems.

To mitigate these negative effects, specialized technological Processing of manure is essential. This approach increases the nutrient concentration per unit volume while simultaneously eliminating odors, inhibiting or destroying pathogens, reducing toxic compounds, and curbing harmful gas emissions into the atmosphere.