Process for Manufacturing Nutritional Compositions for Plants and Soils
AssigneeEnviroKure, Incorporated
InventorsSushil K. Bhalla, Devon K. Hooper
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Abstract
Processes for manufacturing compositions for plants and soils, such as liquid biofertilizers and solid biostimulants, from animal manure is disclosed. The processes include the delivery of pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air to a liquid fraction of animal manure and further include subjecting the liquid fraction to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction. Nutritional compositions to enhance the effectiveness of synthetic fertilizers in conventional agriculture and/or for use in organic farming that are manufactured by these processes are also disclosed.
Claims36
A process for manufacturing an organic fertilizer product from animal waste, the process comprising:
- (a) adjusting the pH of the animal waste to about 5 to about 8 to produce a stabilized animal waste composition;
- (b) adjusting moisture content of the animal waste composition to at least about 75 wt % to produce an aqueous slurry;
- (c) separating a substantially solid component and a substantially liquid component of the aqueous slurry;
- and
- (d) subjecting the substantially liquid component to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction that comprises:
- (i) delivery of pure oxygen or oxygen enriched air to the substantially liquid component to maintain the substantially liquid component under aerobic conditions suitable for the growth of thermophilic bacteria for a first period of time;
- and (ii) maintaining the substantially liquid component at a temperature suitable for the growth of thermophilic bacteria for a second period of time;
- and
- wherein the stabilized animal waste composition, the aqueous slurry and the substantially liquid component are maintained at a pH of at about 5 to about 8 throughout the process.
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A process for manufacturing a nutritional composition from animal waste, the process comprising:
- (a) adjusting the pH of the animal waste to less than about 7.5 to produce a stabilized animal waste composition;
- (b) adjusting moisture content of the stabilized animal waste to at least about 80 wt % to produce an aqueous animal waste composition;
- (c) separating a solid component and a liquid component of the aqueous animal waste composition;
- and
- (d) subjecting the separated liquid component to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction (ATAB) for a first pre-determined time wherein:
- (i) the ATAB of the separated liquid component occurs in one or more bioreactors comprising a pure oxygen or oxygen enriched air delivery system;
- (ii) the delivery system injects the pure oxygen or oxygen enriched air into the separated liquid component to maintain the separated liquid component under aerobic conditions suitable for the growth of thermophilic bacteria;
- and
- (iii) the temperature of the separated liquid component in the bioreactor is maintained at a temperature between about 45° C. to about 75° C.;
- and
- wherein the stabilized animal waste composition, the aqueous animal waste composition and the separated liquid component are maintained at a pH of less than about 7.5 throughout the process, wherein the bioreactor comprises a level of foam that is less than about 1 foot for the first pre-determined time, and wherein the first pre-determined time is at least about 1 day.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.