ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR WASTE
MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES: YEAR 2
C.M. (Mike) Williams
Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center
Box 7608
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7608
Introduction
On July, 25, 2000 an Agreement was made between the Attorney General of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods, Inc. (Smithfield) to, in part, provide resources for the development of “Environmentally Superior Technologies” that may serve as alternatives to traditional lagoon/spray field technology. In September 2000 a similar Agreement was reached between the NC Attorney General and Premium Standard Farms (PSF). North Carolina State University (NCSU) Chancellor Marye Anne Fox appointed C.M. (Mike) Williams, director of the NCSU Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center (APWMC) as “Designee” to coordinate the research initiatives prescribed by the Agreements.
Both Agreements define “Environmentally Superior Technologies” as “any technology, or combination of technology that (1) is permittable by the appropriate governmental authority; (2) is determined to be technically, operationally, and economically feasible for an identified category or categories of farms and (3) meets the following performance standards:
1. Eliminate the discharge of animal waste to surface waters and groundwater through direct discharge, seepage, or runoff;
2. Substantially eliminate atmospheric emissions of ammonia;
3. Substantially eliminate the emission of odor that is detectable beyond the boundaries of the parcel or tract of land on which the swine farm is located;
4. Substantially eliminate the release of disease-transmitting vectors and airborne pathogens; and
5. Substantially eliminate nutrient and heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater.”
During the 2001 North Carolina Pork Producers Conference a paper was presented (Williams, C.M. 2001. “ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR WASTE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES”) which provided a concise overview and discussion of this research initiative. This paper provides a brief recap of Year 1 events and discusses Year 2 progress and challenges.
Year 1 Events
The Agreements mandated the following tasks: 1) appointment of advisory stakeholder panels (technical and economic) by the NCSU Designee, 2) initiation of 5 candidate technology projects “immediately” with an additional minimum of 5 technologies to follow within 6 months.
A 16 and 5 member technical and economic, respectively, stakeholder panels were appointed (Appendix 1). Per the requirements of the Agreements these panels represent government, environmental and community interests, the companies (Smithfield and PSF) and individuals with expertise in animal waste management, environmental science and public health, economics and business management.
The initial 5 technologies were selected based primarily on work previously conducted through NSCU programs as well as input from the advisory panels. Subsequently, additional technologies were selected based on a request for proposals that was issued nationwide to research institutions and industry. Selections were based on competitive review (outside ad hoc review as well as review and input from the advisory panels). To follow is a list of the technology categories selected (1-5 represent the initial 5 technologies referenced above).
1. In-ground ambient temperature anaerobic digester / energy recovery / greenhouse vegetable production system,
2. High temperature thermophilic anaerobic digester (TAnD) energy recovery system,
3. Solids separation / constructed wetlands system,
4. Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system,
5. Upflow biofiltration system,
6. Solids separation / nitrification-denitrification / soluble phosphorus removal /solids processing system,
7. Belt manure removal and gasification system to thermally convert dry manure to a combustible gas stream for liquid fuel recovery,
8. Ultrasonic plasma resonator system,
9. Manure solids conversion to insect biomass (black soldier fly larvae) for value-added processing into animal feed protein meal and oil system,
10. Solids separation / reciprocating water technology system,
11. Micro-turbine co-generation system for energy recovery,
12. Belt system for manure removal,
13. High-rate second generation totally enclosed Bion system for manure slurry treatment and biosolids recovery,
14. Combined in-ground ambient digester with permeable cover / aerobic blanket - BioKinetic aeration process for nitrification-denitrification / in-ground mesophilic anaerobic digester system (this project represents 3 farm sites),
15. Dewatering / drying / desalinization system,
16. Solids separation / gasification for energy and ash recovery centralized system (this project represents 3 farm sites),
17. High solids high temperature anaerobic digester system, and
18. Solids separation / mesophilic anaerobic digestion / membrane filtration – reverse osmosis system.
Thirteen of the listed technologies are combined into a total of 10 farm scale systems on 14 separate commercial farm sites in North Carolina. The remaining technologies are planned for NCSU field laboratory sites. A site location map for these projects is provided as Appendix 2.
A full service civil, agricultural, and environmental consulting engineering firm (Cavanaugh & Associates, P.A.) was retained in Year 1 to provide technical assistance for the construction and permitting processes associated with all commercial scale projects.
Performance standards for “Environmentally Superior Technologies” as specified in the Agreements require comprehensive odor and ammonia emission and pathogen analysis for each candidate technology. Terms of the Agreements also require a comprehensive economic analysis for each technology. As such, during Year 1, proposals were also issued to research institutions and industry for these services. Responses were subjected to outside ad hoc review and advisory panel review as described for the candidate technologies. Based on that review process the science and service provider teams were identified.
Delays during Year 1 were primarily due to time requirements for the proposal request and review process, and resolution of legal issues associated with necessary contracts and agreements involving “on site” implementation of the commercial scale projects. Most projects represent significant construction of waste treatment infrastructure that must be completed prior to environmental data procurement. In addition, most projects represent interaction between NCSU, Smithfield and PSF, private technology suppliers, farm owners, the NC Attorney General Office, and NCDEHNR. Addressing issues related to design contracts, construction contracts, operational contracts, intellectual property development, license agreements, liability, indemnification, and permitting required more time than originally anticipated.
Year 2 progress and challenges
With assistance from the NC Attorney General Office most of the contract issues discussed above and causing significant Year 1 delays have now been resolved. As such, construction activities are underway for some of the projects and construction is scheduled for winter start-up for most of the additional projects once on-site design and permit activities are completed. Two of the projects, the in-ground ambient temperature anaerobic digester / energy recovery / greenhouse vegetable production system & the solids separation / constructed wetlands system, are well along towards “commercial scale” operational status. Considerable progress has also been made with one of the “on-campus” projects involving a belt manure removal system. Work is in progress by the science teams and service providers responsible for determining ammonia emissions, odor emissions, pathogen emissions, and economic feasibility for each of the candidate technologies.
Challenges for Year 2 for most of the projects can be categorized as follows:
1. Completion of permitting and construction activities.
2. Establishing on-site steady state operational conditions.
3. Procurement of representative economic and performance data.
4. Data interpretation relative to the performance standards mandated by the Agreements, including quantification of the terminology “substantially eliminate” relative to emissions of ammonia and odor, release of disease-transmitting vectors and airborne pathogens, and nutrient and heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater.
5. Data interpretation relative to operational and economic feasibility.
It is recognized that these tasks are indeed challenging, yet necessary. It is also recognized that these tasks will not be completed by the end of Year 2 and that may present challenging social and political issues. While the July 25, 2002 report mandated by the Agreements may show closure for some of the technologies, is very likely that up to an additional year (July 2003) may be necessary to critically evaluate all of the technologies under review.
This initiative has provided resources and established a much needed process that has the potential to address long term environmental and social issues associated with animal production agriculture in this state. It is essential that its execution, and conclusions, maintain academic integrity and withstand critical review. As such, scientific processes and methodology required for the successful completion of this initiative can not be compromised by inadequate time requirements. Transparency has and will continue to be maintained for all aspects of this initiative – I invite all interested parties to stay informed of progress and challenges, and provide constructive critical input.
Appendix 1
Technology Advisory Panel Economics Advisory Panel
NC Association. of County Commissioners Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Alan Briggs Richard Eason
Save Our State Cape Fear Farm Credit
Don Butler Bart Ellis
Murphy-Brown, LLC Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Kim Colson Bryan Hubbell
North Carolina DENR US EPA
Sue Homewood Kerry Smith
North Carolina DENR NCSU Dept. Agricultural and Resource Econ.
George Lucier
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Randy Mapes
AgProVision, LLC
Fred Pfaender
UNC-Chapel Hill Dept. Environmental Science and Engineering
Karen Priest
Alliance for a Responsible Swine Industry
Dennis Rondinelli
UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School
Joe Rudek
North Carolina Environmental Defense
Shihwu Sung
Iowa State University Dept. Civil and Construction Engineering
John Sweeten
Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station
Dave Townsend
Premium Standard Farms
Phil Westerman
NCSU Dept. Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Johnny Wynne
North Carolina Agricultural Research Service
Appendix 2
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