Fertilizer manufactured from animal wastes and method of producing same (18-Sep-2003)

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a division of copending U.S. application Serial No. 10/236,525, filed Sep. 6, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Serial No. 10/139,827, filed May 7, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/235,461, filed on Jan. 22, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,788 B1, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional application Serial No. 60/072,372, filed Jan. 23, 1998, all of which are incorporated hereby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. The Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to the production of commercial fertilizers by treating agricultural and industrial wastes. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods for producing organic-based, slow release fertilizers by processing wastes such as organic-based and industrial wastes.

[0004] 2. The Relevant Technology

[0005] Feedlots, animal barns, agroindustrial plants, municipal sewage, and farms that A_z M _keep large numbers of animals are sources of enormous quantities of organic waste. The expression “organic waste source” will hereinafter refer to any of these sources of organic waste or to any source that similarly produces organic waste, although perhaps in different quantities or by different activities.

[0006] The disposal of untreated organic waste causes serious pollution problems which include those due to the waste's high content of chemically oxidizable components (expressed as COD, or chemical oxygen demand) and biochemically decomposable components (expressed as BOD, or biochemical oxygen demand). When these pollutants reach bodies of water, either because they leach from disposal sites or as a consequence of being directly released or transported into water bodies, they deoxygenate the receiving waters and impair the receiving waters' capability to support aquatic life.

[0007] Acridity and high pathogen content add to the COD and BOD problems of untreated waste disposal. Acrid gases released into the atmosphere are not only unpleasant but they can also contribute to acid deposition, global greenhouse effects, and ozone depletion.

[0008] According to background material provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “animal waste, if not managed properly, can run off farms and pollute nearby water bodies. Agricultural run off, rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous has been linked to dangerous toxic microorganisms such as Pfisteria piscicida. Pfisteria is widely believed to be responsible for major fish kills and disease events in several mid-Atlantic states and may pose a risk to human health.” Draft Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations, EPA Memorandum, Mar. 4, 1998. See also EPA To Better Protect Public Health and The Environment From Animal Feeding Operations, EPA release of Mar. 5, 1998. In particular, the relationship between swine production and waste management problems has been reported in the Task Force Report No. 124, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Waste Management and Utilization in Food Production and Processing, October 1995, pp. 42-54, 110-121.

[0009] Notwithstanding the problems referred to above and other detrimental effects of the disposal of untreated organic waste, organic waste has nutritional value for plants. Nevertheless, untreated organic waste cannot be used directly as fertilizer because of the afore-mentioned problems. The alternative use of synthetic fertilizers is often adopted for increasing crop yield, but this solution carries at least two undesirable implications. First, a strategy that relies only on the use of synthetic fertilizers neglects the problem of organic waste disposal. Second, the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers frequently requires consumption of considerable amounts of energy and possibly expensive synthesis materials, sometimes involves polluting subprocesses, and may produce additional waste whose safe disposal is often expensive. In addition, the fast release of most synthetic fertilizers causes leaching, which in turn leads to wasted fertilizer and the ensuing pollution problems when the leached fertilizer accumulates in canals and other bodies of water.

[0010] The problems inherent to organic waste production and subsequent treatment require economical processes which avoid the afore-mentioned environmental problems. The efficiency of these processes is considerably enhanced when, in addition to providing a practical disposal of organic waste, the processes convert the organic waste into a useful product, such as commercial fertilizer, preferably a slow-release fertilizer. This conversion requires the recovery of the nitrogenous products in the waste and their conversion into a fertilizer that can slowly release nitrogen in a form that plants can absorb. Because of the diversity of variables that determine the economic, chemical, and environmental aspects of this conversion problem, a variety of attempts to treat organic waste have been undertaken. The patents and other works referred to hereinbelow relate to methods that address aspects of the problem of converting organic waste into useful fertilizer.

[0011] Methods for producing fertilizer have been disclosed in references that include the following patents and articles.

[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,099 describes a method for producing fertilizer from liquid manure or from sludge that includes mixing the manure or sludge with harvest leftovers and then grinding the mixture to a particle size such that the particles adsorb and absorb the liquid substance fully. An apparatus for producing the solid fertilizer is also disclosed.

[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,528 describes a pathogenic waste treatment process to produce a useful product such as an amendment to agricultural land. In the process, waste is combined with an acid and a base which react exothermically to thermally pasteurize the waste and add mineral value to the product. Materials such as fly ash agglomerate the product, and after grinding, the particles can aerate the soil. This patent is a division of U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,015 that also discloses a pathogenic waste treatment. The use of alkaline fly ash as an amendment for swine manure has been studied by M. Vincini, F. Carini, and S. Silva, Use of Alkaline Fly Ash as an Amendment for Swine Manure, Bioresource Technology, Vol. 49 (1994), pp. 213-22.

[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,613 describes a method for producing suspension fertilizer by first preparing an aqueous initial suspension of the organic material and transforming it into colloidal form. An ammoniacal compound, such as anhydrous or aqueous ammonia, and supplemental compound or compounds for providing the other desired inorganic plant nutrients are added to and admixed with the acidified suspension to produce a finished suspension fertilizer having the desired analysis.

[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,568 describes a method for preparing granular slow release nitrogen fertilizer from nitrogenous organic wastes by coreacting particulate dry conditioned nitrogenous organic waste and reactive ureaformaldehyde oligomer.

[0016] U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,317 describes a method and apparatus for making organic based fertilizer, the method including mixing organic material with phosphate, potash, or other inorganics and water if necessary. Acid and ammonia are also added to the mixture, and quantities of the various ingredients are adjusted to provide a fertilizer that has a desired percentage of the major fertilizer elements for a specific crop.

[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,257 describes a process for organic fertilizer production that comprises mixing a batch of the waste matter with nitric acid, crushing the waste water mixed with nitric acid to make sludge, adding quicklime to the sludged waste matter, thereby neutralizing the waste water, and drying the neutralized waste matter. An apparatus for the production thereof is also disclosed.

[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,559 discloses a method for processing manure by adding an organic carrier liquid to the manure, concentrating the mixture of manure and carrier liquid, condensing the formed vapor, anaerobically treating the condensate, and aerobically treating the effluent from the anaerobic treatment.

[0019] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,021,247, 5,021,077, and 4,997,469 disclose methods for preparing high integrity natural nitrogenous granules for agriculture by processes that include the heating of natural nitrogenous materials under alkaline conditions until the materials develop adhesive properties.

[0020] U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,300 describes a method for processing of organic materials containing nitrogen compounds, where the organic material undergoes an anaerobic digestion with simultaneous liberation of biogas which contains methane and carbon dioxide. In this process, the liquid product obtained after anaerobic digestion is heated to boiling temperature, ammonia is bonded as carbonate which is distilled off, and the tail product from distillation is further processed to the valuable product and clear water or is discharged as prepurified wastewater. Biogas production and anaerobic lagoon digesters have been described by L. M. Safley, Jr., S. L. Crawford, and W. R. McLeod, Capturing Methane for Fuel and Other Strategies for Managing Swine Lagoon Waste, pp. 38-41; L. M. Safley, Jr., S. L. Crawford, D. Nichols, and W.R. McLeod, Low Temperature Lagoon Digester for Biogas Production from Swine Manure; L. M. Safley, Jr., and P. D. Lusk, Low Temperature Anaerobic Digester, published by the Energy Division of the North Carolina Department of Economic and Community Development; J. R. Fischer, D. M. Sievers, and C. D. Fulhage, “Anaerobic Digestion in Swine Wastes”, and E. J. Krocker, H. M. Lapp, D. D. Schulte, and A. B. Sparling, “Cold Weather Energy Recovery from Anaerobic Digestion of Swine Manure”, in: Energy, Agriculture and Waste Management, edited by W. A. Jewell, (Ann Arbor Science, 1975) pp. 307-16, 337-52.

[0021] European Patent Application No. 79400246.9 discloses a method and facility for deodorizing waste from pig farms and for transforming it into manure. A mixture of the waste and a calcareous solution is decanted and the separated liquid component is oxygenated by compressed air. Odor control methods have been described by S. Barrington and K. El Moueddeb, “Zeolite to Control Swine Manure Odours and Nitrogen Volatilization”, in: New Knowledge in Livestock Odor Solutions, International Livestock Odor Conference '95, pp. 65-68, and S. Piccinini, Application of a Phillipsite Rich Zeolite During the Composting of Solid Fractions of Pig Slurry, Materials Engineering, Vol. 5 no. 2 (1994), pp. 375-81.

[0022] Methods for treating wastewater have been disclosed in references that include the following patents and articles.

[0023] U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,326 describes a pressurized process for the treatment of high-solids wastewater having relatively high BOD and phosphorous concentration that includes anaerobic and aerobic treatment. The treated wastewater effluent is discharged in an environmentally safe manner such that the residue BOD and phosphorous are concentrated in the solid fraction which may be a source of protein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,201 describes a process for the purification of aqueous solutions polluted by nitrate ions, such as municipal wastewater, factory effluents, and liquid manure.

[0024] U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,993 discloses processes and techniques for treating wastewater to remove organic matter and heavy metals. In the treatment, clay and flocculating agent are added to the wastewater to cause separation of a sludge. Research on unsettleable material removal by chemical coagulation and flocculation has been reported by M. Hanna, D. M. Sievers, and J. R. Fischer, “Chemical Coagulation of Methane Producing Solids from Flushing Wastewaters”, in: Agricultural Waste Utilization and Management, Proceedings of the Fifth Int. Symposium on Agricultural Wastes, Dec. 16-17, 1985, pp. 632-37, and by D. M. Sievers, Rapid Mixing Influences on Chemical Coagulation of Manures, Biological Wastes, Vol. 28 (1989), pp. 103-14.

[0025] U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,831 describes a method of converting sewage sludge solids into dense controlled release, attrition resistant fertilizer agglomerates. The method uses acidic material and uncondensed liquid ureaform. U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,396 discloses a process for drying and granulating sewage sludge either mechanically or by application of heat. This patent is related to U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,206 on processes for drying sewage sludge and filtering water, and to U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,946 on a drying organic waste process.

[0026] European Patent Application No. 83830277.6 discloses a method for removing and recovering ammonium, potassium and phosphate ions from wastewater by selective nutrient removal using ion-exchange resins, resin regeneration and recovery of nutrients and precipitation of hydrous MgNH4PO4 and/or MgKPO4. This is a RIM-NUT process, where RIM-NUT stands for “removal of nutrients.” This process has also been disclosed in other publications, such as L. Liberti, A. Lopez, V. Amicarelli, and G. Boghetich, “Ammonium and Phosphorous Removal from Wastewater Using Clinoptilolite: A Review of the RIM-NUT Process”, in: Natural Zeolites '93, pp. 351-62; S. J. Kang, T. W. King, P. J. Horvatin, A. Lopez, L. Liberti, and L. Beebe, Nutrient Removal and Recovery from Municipal Wastewater by Selective Ion Exchange, and L. Liberti and A. Lopez, “Applications of a New Physicochemical Method for Removal and Recovery of Nutrients from Wastewater”, in: Nutrient Removal from Wastewater, edited by N. J. Horan, P. Lowe, and E. I. Stentiford (1994), pp. 371-78. The formation of magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) has been studied by C. Maqueda, J. L. Perez Rodriguez, and J. Lebrato, Study of Struvite Precipitation in Anaerobic Digesters, Water Research Vol. 28 (1994), pp. 411-16, and by K. M. Webb and G. E. Ho, Struvite (MgNH4PO46H2O) Solubility and its Application to a Piggery Effluent Problem, Water Science and Technology Vol. 26 (1992), pp. 2229-32. The precipitation of phosphate and ammonia and nutrient removal from swine wastewater has been studied by E. Brione, G. Martin, and J. Morvan, “Non-Destructive Technique for Elimination of Nutrients from Pig Manure”, in: Nutrient Removal from Wastewater, edited by N. J. Horan, P. Lowe and E. I. Stentiford, (Technomic Pub., 1994) pp. 33-37; P. H. Liao, Y. Gao, and K. V. Lo, Chemical Precipitation of Phosphate and Ammonia from Swine Wastewater, Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 4 no. 5 (1993), pp. 365-71, and by Y. C. Gao, P. H. Liao, and K. V. Lo, Chemical Treatment of Swine Wastewater, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Vol. A28 no. 4 (1993), pp. 795-807.

[0027] Fertilizer compositions and/or fertilizer components have been disclosed in references that include the following patents.

[0028] U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,730 relates to a compression molded tablet fertilizer capable of slowly releasing active ingredients and is suitable for use in horticulture and afforestation, and a method for the production thereof.

[0029] U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,888 describes a multilayer degradable and controlled release multinutrient mulch film, and a process of preparing it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,728 reveals fertilizer compositions, processes of making them, and processes of using them. This patent is a division of U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,400 that relates to a fertilizer in granular form, and processes for making and using it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,287 discloses a fertilizer and a method for making a complex humic acid fertilizer by mixing a select organic material, water, and measured amounts of major inorganic elements of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulfur.

[0030] U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,766 reveals a synthetic apatite containing agronutrients and a method for making the apatite. The apatite comprises crystalline calcium phosphate having agronutrients dispersed in the crystalline structure, and it can optionally comprise a carbonate and/or silicon solubility control agent. The agronutrients are released slowly as the apatite dissolves. U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,124 reveals the production of potassium phosphate useful as a low-chloride content fertilizer by reacting phosphoric acid, commercial or technical grade, with fertilizer-grade potassium chloride. The reaction product is used to produce various types as well as grades of fertilizers.

[0031] Methods that include fermentation or the use of certain microorganisms have been disclosed in references that include the following patents.

[0032] U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,336 discloses a method for valorizing liquid manure from pigs by elaboration of biological amendments. The method includes fermentation of a biomass based on a mixture of pig liquid manure and a carbonaceous medium. U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,711 describes the fermentation of organic materials for producing heat and fertilizer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,262 discloses a method and apparatus for producing organic fertilizer with the use of nitrogen fixing bacilli.

[0033] Other treatments, production methods or compositions that relate to organic wastes have been disclosed in references that include the following patents.

[0034] U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,474 particularly relates to a method of recovering particulate animal feed fats, free of malodors and pathogens from abatoir by-products and to the product recovered by this method.

[0035] U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,900 describes a method for treating organic waste, which includes separating the liquid portion of the waste from the solid portion prior to reacting the solid portion in an accelerated wet oxidation reaction. U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,699 describes a method of purifying distillers solubles and use of the purified

[0036] U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,552 discloses a swine, hog and pig fodder which comprises the customary digestible meal or grain component in combination with an indigestible blown perlite additive.

[0037] U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,019 is directed to a method for producing feeds for ruminant animals whereby carbamides, particularly urea and biuret, are reacted with fermented proteinaceous agricultural products and wastes with the aid of an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid catalyst to produce feed which releases protein and protein equivalent nitrogen in a slow and controlled manner in the rumen.

[0038] U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,090 describes interlayered clay compositions used as catalysts, catalytic supports, and sorbents.

[0039] Despite the plurality of methods for treating organic waste and for producing fertilizer, conventional methods leave unsolved problems. This is particularly the case regarding strategies that rely on encompassing and integrating organic waste treatment methods and fertilizer production processes for making fertilizer with desired environmental and agronomical properties. More specifically, there is a need for commercially successful organic waste treatment and fertilizer production processes.

[0040] The composition of animal waste depends on both the kind of animal and the way the waste is handled. Poultry operations generally produce dry waste, with about 15%-25% moisture whereas hogs and cattle generate waste that is more liquid. In addition, water is typically used to flush hog and cattle waste out of barns and into storage facilities, thus producing a slurry that can be up to 97% liquid and it is typically stored either in earthen lagoons or in slurry tanks. In these conventional treatments, “many of the solids (including much of the phosphorous) settle into a sludge at the bottom. Most nitrogen remains dissolved in the water or volatilizes into the atmosphere. A farmer who utilizes the animal waste for nutrients pumps the liquid out for nutrients or irrigation, and may agitate the sludge at pumping time to capture the nutrients that otherwise would remain behind.” Animal Waste Pollution in America: An Emerging National Problem, Environmental Risks of Livestock & Poultry Production, Report Compiled by the Minority Staff of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry for Sen. Tom Harkin, December 1997.

[0041] Most methods that rely on conventional lagoons do not clarify the effluent that carries the organic waste prior to its accumulation in the lagoon system. This practice leads to unnecessarily high loading of the lagoon system, thus requiring large conventional lagoons. Whereas some recently introduced lagoon treatments claim to reduce odors, these treatments essentially increase greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia gas emissions.

[0042] In anaerobic lagoons, one of the more common methods of hog manure treatment, organic matter in the waste is decomposed by bacteria. These lagoons are under increased criticism for the offensive odor that results from incomplete decomposition and ground water contamination. Anaerobic lagoons also diminish nutrient value in the hog wastes through processes that include the loss during digestion of much of the nitrogen in the waste.

[0043] The removal of eutrophic ions from wastewater and the reintroduction of nitrogen and phosphorus into the environment is the focus of some methods that nevertheless do not address the recovery of biogas that has considerable energetic value and whose release into the atmosphere can have a serious impact on air quality, ozone concentration, and global climate changes. In addition, recovered biogas can be used for heating or electric energy generation. Whereas the capture of the gases released in the conversion of organic waste to fertilizer leads to a reduction or elimination of undesirable odors, greenhouse gas emissions, and gases that can contribute to acid deposition, some methods that focus on the elimination of odors or pathogenic content of organic waste do not provide for the conversion of waste into a commercial fertilizer.

[0044] After biogas recovery, the sludge that can be separated from the organic waste effluent contains ammonia and phosphates that are recoverable by precipitation under controlled pH conditions. The densified precipitate is a fertilizer that can be supplemented with other compounds to incorporate in its composition micronutrients and to standardize its composition, but most organic waste treatments neglect the incorporation of these complements that are necessary for plant growth, and more specifically, for crop production.

[0045] Furthermore, the conversion of waste into fertilizer in most conventional organic waste treatments does not absorb residues produced by other activities. These residues include the waste generated by, for example, industrial mining and the combustion of coal in power plants.

[0046] It is also important that the reintroduction of phosphates and ammonia into the environment be achieved by means of a slow release fertilizer. Certain components in organic waste used as a source of plant nutrients far exceed plant demand when they are not properly administered. For example, it is acknowledged that phosphorous nonpoint-source pollution is becoming a problem throughout the USA. F. Liu, et al., Phosphorous Recovery in Surface Runoff from Swine Lagoon Effluent by Overland Flow, J. Environmental Quality Vol. 26 (1997) 995-1001. In addition, ammonia is usually released from untreated pig slurry that is directly applied as a fertilizer. Ammonia loss rates have been reported as being very high during the first 4 hours to 6 hours after slurry application. These ammonia losses can be significantly enhanced by temperature and wind speed increases. Sven G. Sommer, et al., Ammonia Volatilization from Pig Slurry Applied with Trail Hoses or Broadspread to Winter Wheat: Effects of Crop Developmental Stage, Microclimate, and Leaf Ammnonia Absorption, J. Environmental Quality Vol. 26 (1997) 1153-1160. In contrast with some processed organic waste, the slow release fertilizer produced according to this invention considerably decreases water pollution that would otherwise take place by leaching.

[0047] Finally, some methods produce variable composition fertilizers depending on the characteristics of the feed provided to the animals that produce the waste, thus supplying non-standard composition fertilizers. It would be desirable to produce a fertilizer of standard composition that can be appropriately modified to satisfy the needs of different agribusiness.

[0048] Currently, organic waste is largely treated and disposed of by relying on technology developed in the 1940's for small scale operations, and integrated waste systems are nonexistent. In particular, most of the presently available waste treatment and disposal methodology relies on single unit operations which address a single problem or a very reduced number of problems. This approach cannot solve the variety of environmental, economical, operational, and technological problems that the multifaceted waste treatment and fertilizer production industry faces.

[0049] Descriptions of methods that address specific elements of the more encompassing problem of converting waste into useful fertilizer by an economical and nonpolluting process can be found in some of the afore-mentioned related art. Some of these methods necessitate the addition of materials such as caustic products, urea or formaldehyde. Others rely on sources of energy for heating or for oxygenating by forced air flow.

[0050] For example, the treatment of organic waste with caustic chemicals may eliminate the waste's pathogenic content and render it suitable for its use in agriculture, but this method would not solve other problems such as the prevention of emissions of acrid odors and other gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and to the depletion of ozone. In particular, some conventional methods aim at eliminating nitrogen compounds from the organic waste, but in doing so they also increase greenhouse gas and acrid gas emissions. In addition, these methods decrease the yield of nitrogen compounds in the final product into which the organic waste is processed. Such methods would not absorb other residues and waste that would have to be independently disposed of. They would not produce useful fuel material, and would require large processing facilities.

[0051] Another limitation faced by most conventional waste treatment methods is the inability to effectively treat large amounts of organic waste. This limitation becomes particularly relevant in a production framework in which large animal operations gain efficiency by raising a very large number of animals in controlled indoor environments which in turn produce enormous amounts of organic waste. See, for example, Warren Cohen, United States Deep In Manure, US News & World Report, Jan. 12, 1998, p. 46.

[0052] Modern farming operations must address the problems that are inherent to the confining of large numbers of animals in concentrated feeding operations. To this respect, it has been reported that more manure is produced in some areas of the US than can be safely applied to available crop land. See, for example, National Legislation Needed to Address Animal Waste Pollution, Senate Panel Told, BNA Environment Reporter, Vol. 28(49) (1998) pp. 2647-49, and Waste From Hog, Chicken Farms Growing at ‘Alarming’ Rate, Group Says, BNA Environment Reporter, Vol. 28(48) (1998) pp. 2648-50.

[0053] Sewage waste water treatment faces some of the same problems and raises similar concerns. Whereas the US has been regarded as a leader in sewage management, and sewage-treatment technology has been described as a success story in 20th-century US, it has been asserted that significant commercial advantages have been significantly lacking in the past few decades. Moreover, existing treatment methods have been characterized as facing a number of inherent problems that must be overcome to make further progress in the next century. William J. Jewell, Resource-Recovery Wastewater Treatment, American Scientist Vol. 82 (1994) pp. 366-75.

[0054] Attempts in the industry to overcome the multifarious limitations that are inherent to single unit operations have failed to date because of the inability to implement them economically or because of operational and technical difficulties. This limited scope of the current waste treatment and disposal technology has lead to industry problems that have received intense scrutiny by the media. Therefore, an encompassing, integrated waste treatment system is a long felt, yet unsatisfied, need in this industrial sector. The need for an encompassing and integrated waste treatment system has been expressed in a plurality of articles, statements on public health impacts and studies and regulations on animal feeding operations.

[0055] The EPA and legislators have been increasingly sensitive to the problems caused by current organic waste disposal practices and they have been focusing on the need to address such problems. In particular, the development of scientifically valid limits on land application of manure has been called, and the EPA has been reported as planning to revise the feedlot effluent limitations guidelines for poultry and swine by 2001, and for beef and dairy cattle by 2002. See Federal Role in Animal Waste Control Should Be Limited, House Panel Told, BNA Environment Reporter, Vol. 29(3) (1998) pp. 178-79; Draft Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations, EPA Memorandum, Mar. 4, 1998, and Compliance Assurance Implementation Plan For Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, EPA, Mar. 5, 1998.

[0056] Acridity problems have also been increasingly addressed by legislators and government agencies. For example, following a recommendation from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the State of Missouri Air Conservation Commission reportedly agreed on Feb. 3, 1998, to form a task force to analyze odor pollution issues related to large hog and poultry farms in the state. See Task Force to Study Odor Issues Relating to Large Hog, Poultry Farms, in BNA Environment Reporter, Vol. 28(40) (1998) p. 2134.

[0057] In addition to the focus on the problems that untreated organic waste discharge may cause, government strategies have also highlighted the need for developing new technological approaches for treating organic waste, pointing out in particular that the use of successful and innovative technological approaches should be encouraged and pursued. Draft of the Strategy for Addressing Environmental and Public Health Impacts From Animal Feeding Operations, EPA, March 1998, pp. 11-12.

[0058] There is therefore a need in the art for efficient, simple, economically viable methods and systems for converting organic waste into useful products such as fertilizers.

[0059] Each of the afore-mentioned patents and elements of related art is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material disclosed therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0060] The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art and, in particular, in response to problems and needs that have not been solved heretofore.

[0061] Methods and systems according to the present invention permit the separation of valuable substances from organic waste. These valuable substances include purified water and nutrients, such as fertilizers. Organic waste that is treated according to the present invention includes complex forms of waste, such as organic waste that comprises setteable and nonsettleable materials such as suspended and dissolved solids, including fine solids of predominantly organic origin, various biomaterials and bio-related materials, various inorganic materials and their complexed and combined forms with the bio and bio-related materials, such materials being present in the complex organic waste in a variety of aggregation and phsyicochemical forms such as solution, suspension, and colloidal forms. Organic waste treated according to this invention includes forms of organic waste such as digested and undigested organic waste.

[0062] Embodiments of the systems and methods according to the present invention permit the separation of purified water and/or nutrient materials from organic waste with low capital and operating costs, with relatively simple methodology that can easily be automated, providing near full recoveries of the valuable materials in the organic waste, eliminating the need for land applications of residual waste products, such as waste stream, and providing for water re-use as fresh water.

[0063] It is desirable to dispose of organic waste that would otherwise pose a serious environmental problem. Instead of its mere disposal, it is desirable to treat the organic waste and convert it into useful products. This conversion process however, should not lead to other forms of pollution. Instead, the conversion process should optimally rely on methods that are not very energy demanding and that do not require the consumption of other substances of complex, expensive, or polluting manufacture. Conversion of organic waste to fertilizer and optionally to feed supplement, and biogas recovery are two desirable and beneficial activities that can make the waste treatment process economical. In addition, these activities can make of the waste treatment process a practical and effective alternative to environmentally impermissible disposal.

[0064] To achieve the desirable goal of eliminating water pollution, organic waste treatment must provide effluents in every separation and reaction step that meet EPA discharge standards. The accomplishment of this goal should be further complemented by the capture and effective use of gases that, if released from the organic waste, would contribute to acid deposition, ozone depletion, greenhouse effect, and whose acridity could be intolerable.

[0065] It is also desirable that the organic waste treatment products do not contribute to water pollution by leaching and that they become economical slow release commercial fertilizer. Finally, it is also desirable that the organic waste treatment process be carried out by implementing techniques and methods that lead to a minimization of the overall land surface dedicated to the entire organic waste conversion process.

[0066] The expression “organic waste” is used herein as a descriptive term that encompasses waste of organic origin whether in the form of effluent, solid, sludge, slurry, or any other form that can be produced in organic waste sources. Furthermore, it is an operation well known to those skilled in the art to convert waste in, say, solid form to effluent by flushing the solid waste with water, if such conversion were needed at any step in the organic waste treatment and conversion process that is described and claimed below.

[0067] The objectives of this invention include the following. The general objective is to provide a method for the treatment of organic waste, whereby the organic waste is converted into commercial fertilizer, biogas useful for heating and power generation, and final effluents that can be directly employed in irrigation and wetland projects. In particular, the organic waste to be treated according to the methods of this invention can be, for example, hog farm effluent and solid matter, cattle or poultry waste.

[0068] It is a further objective of this invention to provide a method for the treatment of organic waste and production of supplement feed for animals, including cattle feed quality products.

[0069] Whether this invention is characterized as providing a method for producing fertilizer or for producing fertilizer and feed supplement, these characterizations are merely concise references to another objective of this invention that consists of providing a method for producing fertilizer only, feed supplement only, or both fertilizer and feed supplement.

[0070] It is a further objective of this invention to significantly reduce or even eliminate the release of gases that can lead to acrid odors, loss of potential plant nutrients, and environmentally undesirable emissions of gases that may contribute to acid deposition, ozone depletion and an overall insalubrity of local farming environments. This reduction or even elimination of released gases can be achieved in this invention by employing gas adsorbing substances, in particular ammonia adsorbing zeolites, at several stages of the waste generation and/or waste treatment processes, by reacting ammonia with acids, such as phosphoric or sulfuric acid, and by recovering methane-rich biogas.

[0071] The utilization of gas-adsorbing substances such as zeolites according to this invention minimizes the emission of ammonia gas from the animals' gastrointestinal tracks and from the organic waste itself. The biogas can be directly used in the integrated waste treatment and fertilizer and feed supplement production processes and/or it can be used in organic waste sources in operations such as drying manure filtrate. Furthermore, this biogas can be used for heating, power generation, or in subsequent synthetic or catalytic processes. The prevention of gas releases from organic waste sources leads to the additional advantage of satisfying the public demand for acrid odor reduction in, or even its elimination from, organic waste sources.

[0072] The minimization or reduction of gas emissions by this invention is further facilitated by the reliance on either no lagoons or on reduced-size lagoons. When this invention relies on reduced-size lagoons, gas emissions from such lagoons are reduced or eliminated because this invention reduces anaerobic lagoon loading and lagoon surface area by comparison to loading and surface area of conventional lagoons. Reliance on reduced-size small load lagoons makes anaerobic lagoons economically feasible and extends the lagoon useful life with respect to that of large conventional lagoons. Furthermore, it leads to an increase in the available surface area of useful space at the organic waste treatment site and to a minimization or elimination of the risk of water contamination by spills or leaks that are more difficult to control in large, big-load conventional lagoons. Because this invention does not rely on conventional biological and volume reduction treatments in anaerobic lagoons, biogas emission from conventional lagoons is eliminated.

[0073] It is a further objective of this invention to provide a waste treatment process in which the separation of solids is accomplished with very high settling rates. Accordingly, the liquid-solid separation of the organic waste is improved with respect to that achieved by most conventional organic waste treatment processes. Furthermore, the effluents separated from the organic waste according to this invention can be used in irrigation and wetland projects under current EPA discharge standards and salting problems in recycling streams are eliminated. The separation process of this invention can also be used to remove undesirable components from municipal sludge.

[0074] One of the features of this invention is that the treatment of organic waste can be accomplished by using waste materials from other sources, such as mining waste and fly ash. This feature leads to a more advantageous and effective waste treatment because mining waste and fly ash would otherwise generate disposal problems.

[0075] It is a further objective of this invention to convert organic waste into an organic-based standard composition, granular, slow release, readily available fertilizer with micro-nutrients whose delivery requires no changes in existing fertilizer delivery systems. More specifically, one of the objectives of this invention is to manufacture and provide a nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium (hereinafter “NPK”) fertilizer with sizing materials and, in particular, with zeolite and densifiers. One of the fertilizers produced according to this invention is made from hog waste, zeolite, fly ash, lime, and optionally, off grade commercial fertilizers. In general, the raw ingredients for the fertilizer and food supplement production methods of this invention are economical and the production equipment size is not limited by process engineering.

[0076] The fertilizer production methods of this invention are flexible enough as to produce fertilizer products that combine high availability of plant nutrients, slow release characteristics, soil amendment properties, low salinity, and a rich mix of micronutrients in the organic base. Because of the flexibility of the fertilizer production method of this invention, the fertilizer composition can be advantageously tailored to the demands of specific markets.

[0077] The waste treatment and fertilizer and food supplement production methods of this invention rely on a variety of mechanical processing equipment that includes processing equipment for efficiently densifying organic waste. This feature leads to the advantageous improvement of the organic waste handling characteristics and facilitates the retention of zeolites, magnesium, phosphates and ammonia in the organic waste throughout the process, thus becoming part of a finished fertilizer.

[0078] A feature of the mechanical processing equipment of this invention is that it can operate in either continuous or batch mode. Accordingly, an advantage of the organic waste treatment and fertilizer and feed supplement production methods of this invention is that they can be implemented in small farms as well as in large farms, batch operations being more useful for small farms and continuous operations being more useful for large farms.

[0079] It is a further objective of this invention to provide organic waste treatment and fertilizer and food supplement production methods that can absorb the organic waste production from a great diversity of organic waste sources, whether the organic waste sources are small or large scale operations, and regardless of whether the organic waste is produced at the organic waste treatment site or at a plurality of near or remote organic waste sources. A feature of the methods of this invention is that their implementation is versatile enough as to be adaptable to different economic strategies and needs, whether it is in organic waste sources that are being built or in already existing organic waste sources by simple retrofitting. With this versatility, an advantage of the methods of this invention is that they can easily be implemented for reclaiming existing sites that are destined to either closure or cleanup.

[0080] When implemented in conjunction with farms or livestock operations, the integrated waste treatment and fertilizer and food supplement production methods of this invention successfully densify and dry manure slurry, significantly improve animal health, feeding efficiency and reproductive capacity, and they lead to the production of an economically competitive organic-based slow release fertilizer and optionally, to the production of feed supplements. These features permit to advantageously improve the overall economics of livestock production by improving animal health, decrease waste management costs, implement processes that easily comply with environmental regulations, reduce long term liability by reducing or eliminating water and soil contamination, and use waste material to profitably produce NPK fertilizer and optionally feed supplements.

[0081] The objectives of this invention are specially significant to the pork producing sector of the US and most countries. The biggest concerns of pork producers include: Competition for land space between farms and urban development, environmental problems, competitive marketing of products, and proper care of animal diseases and animal health. Because the present invention significantly reduces the size of conventional lagoons, or even eliminates the need for lagoons, its embodiments need much less surface area than that required by conventional methods.

[0082] The positive environmental effects of the present invention are manifest in three forms: The minimization, or even elimination, of emission of gases that would otherwise have detrimental environmental effects and would be a nuisance to human beings; the recovery of energy-rich gases whose subsequent utilization reduces reliance on other forms of energy, and the discharge of effluents with reduced nutrient loading. Reduction of nutrient loading in final effluents can largely eliminate nutrient accumulation problems when the effluents are used for irrigation or when the effluents are used to make constructed wetlands economically viable.

[0083] The effects of this invention on marketing pork products include the ability to raise animals in less remote areas because of its environmentally friendly waste treatment method, the production of low cost high-quality fertilizer, and the optional production of feed supplement that lead to a reduction of the operational costs. Furthermore, animal diseases are reduced and animal health is improved because of the improved conditions in barn air quality.

[0084] The objectives of this invention are achieved by means of an integrated waste treatment method that relies on modem technology and that can be used in operations that range from small scale to large scale operations. In particular, the objectives of this invention are achieved by a specially designed mechanical system which facilitates the implementation of a method for separating organic waste into a liquid and a precipitate. The precipitate includes the products of reacting the organic waste with flocculent, phosphate precipitating agent, ammonia retaining agent, base and optionally a densifier.

[0085] Optionally, gas reactors recover methane-rich biogas that can be used in heating, power generation, or subsequent synthetic or catalytic processes.

[0086] The liquid, optionally treated in a reduced load lagoon system, can subsequently be used in irrigation, wetland projects, or recycled in the organic waste source. The precipitate yields a solid fertilizer base which can be used as such as a fertilizer or it can be mixed with other compounds such as nitrogen, potassium, or phosphorous containing compounds as well as micronutrients to improve its grade as a fertilizer.

[0087] Subsequent steps include pelletizing and drying the mixture and controlling its size to obtain standard size fertilizer pellets. The final product is an organic-based, granular, slow release fertilizer whose composition includes micronutrients. This fertilizer is readily available to plants and it can have a standard composition and grain size. The solid obtained from the filtration of the solid fraction can be adjusted to a proper pH, if needed, and used as a feed supplement.

[0088] Whether this invention is implemented for the production of fertilizer, feed supplement, or both, one of the objectives of this invention is nitrogen conservation. To conserve nitrogen, this invention preferably relies on the addition of zeolite, optimally an ammonia adsorbing zeolite, to one or several of the different organic waste generation steps. For example, zeolite can be added to animal feed, it can be incorporated into farm waste streams, and/or used in the waste treatment process itself. Added zeolite retains nitrogen which would otherwise be released mostly in the form of gaseous ammonia. The nitrogen retention achieved by the method of this invention contrasts with traditional waste treatment methods which allow for a significant release ammonia. In these traditional operations, release of ammonia may account for a significant loss of the nitrogen initially contained in the organic waste, an ammonia loss that can be about 70%. Furthermore, the capture of ammonia can be increased according to the methods of this invention by reacting ammonia with acids such as sulfuric and phosphoric acids.

[0089] Another object of this invention is the manufacture of a pathogen-free, odor-free and dust-free black fertilizer product.

[0090] Additional objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the remainder of the specification and appended claims and upon referring to the attached Figures, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0091] In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to a specific embodiment thereof which is illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only a typical embodiment of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0092] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the main steps of an exemplary embodiment of the organic waste treatment and commercial fertilizer production process of the invention.

[0093] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the main steps of another exemplary embodiment of this invention in one of its possible applications to the treatment of waste generated in hog barns.

[0094] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the main steps of another exemplary embodiment of this invention as applied to the treatment with no lagoons of farm organic waste, and its transformation into an organic base that is further utilized as fertilizer or as feed supplement.

[0095] FIG. 4 shows a partial matter flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an organic waste treatment and fertilizer production plant.

[0096] FIG. 5 shows a partial matter flow diagram of another exemplary embodiment of an organic waste treatment and fertilizer production plant.

[0097] FIG. 6 shows a partial matter flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an organic waste treatment and fertilizer production plant that includes features for capturing in the form of ammonium salts the ammonia that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

[0098] FIG. 7 schematically shows an ammonium sulfate crystallizer.

[0099] FIG. 8 shows a graph of the weight percentages of ammonia gas and ammonium ions in an aqueous solution as a function of the medium pH at three temperatures.

[0100] FIG. 9 shows a partial matter flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a dryer/pelletizing unit for an organic waste treatment and fertilizer production plant.

[0101] FIG. 10A shows a schematic diagram of an organic waste production facility with an IRS system.

[0102] FIG. 10B schematically shows a flow chart for embodiments of an IRS system.

[0103] FIGS. 10C-10D schematically show flow charts for embodiments of a crystallizer.

[0104] FIG. 10E schematically shows a flow chart for embodiments of a base stabilization system.

[0105] FIG. 10F schematically shows a flow chart diagram for embodiments of a clarification, thickenening and centrifugation system with off-line addition of flocculant.

[0106] FIG. 10G schematically shows a flow chart diagram for embodiments of an ammonium sulfate recovery circuit.

[0107] FIG. 11A shows a schematic diagram of an organic waste production facility with an IRS system.

[0108] FIG. 11B schematically shows a flow chart diagram for embodiments of a digestion system.

[0109] FIG. 11C schematically shows a flow chart diagram for embodiments of a wet process for fertilizer production.

[0110] FIG. 12 schematically shows a flow chart for embodiments of a black fertilizer production process.

[0111] FIG. 13 schematically shows a kiln for the temperature controlled conversion of brown product into black product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0112] The present invention is directed to methods and systems for the separation of components such as purified water and nutrient materials from organic waste. Forms of organic waste envisaged within the scope of the present invention include organic waste such as hog farm waste and organic waste processing effluents. The methods and systems of the present invention are devised to process organic waste that comprises settleable and nonsettleable material. This material includes matter in forms such as suspended and dissolved solids, colloids, and fine solid residue of predominantly organic origin. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention comprise digesting operations.

[0113] Forms of organic waste treated according to the methods and systems of this invention pose specific problems due to the complexity of their chemical composition and physical form of their constituents. These problems are not exhibited by other waste materials, such as brackish water, aquifer water oil and gas production water, and supernatant solutions obtained from the primary lagoon treatment of organic waste because of their comparatively simpler constitution. The complex organic waste treated according to this invention includes forms of setteable and nonsettleable materials such as suspended and dissolved solids, including fine solids of predominantly organic origin, various biomaterials and bio-related materials, various inorganic materials and their complexed and combined forms with the bio and bio-related materials, such materials being present in the complex organic waste in a variety of amounts and aggregation and phsyicochemical forms such as solution, suspension, and colloidal forms.

[0114] These characteristics of the complex organic waste treated according to the present invention render the separation of purified water and nutrient materials from organic waste a particularly complex problem. Furthermore, the special and complex chemical and physical characteristics of the organic waste processed according to the methods and systems of this invention distinguish such feed fluid from other feed fluids such as brackish water, river water, aquifer water, oil and natural gas production water, sea water, and supernatant solutions obtained from the primary lagoon treatment of organic waste. The distinguishing features are not merely in the amount or extent of one class of dissolved components, such as salts, but in the nature or kind of the fluid to be processed.

[0115] In addition to hog farm effluents, other organic waste forms that are treated with embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention include organic waste from sources such as other animal confinement facilities, lagoons used to store and/or treat farm liquid waste, dilute packing house fluids, dairy and feedlot runoff, and organic waste and waste processing effluents such as those encountered at the various stages of processes such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,788 BI and U.S. application Serial No. 10/139,827, filed May 7, 2002, in the name of Larry P. Sower, collectively referred to herein as “Fertilizer and Feed Supplement Production” and in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/595,702, filed Jun. 16, 2000, in the name of David Allen Townsend, James H. Freiss, Joel Willis Sneed, Brian Paolsen, and Alfred Stewart, entitled Animal Waste Management System and Method Thereof (hereinafter referred to as “Internal Recycling System” or “IRS”), all of which applications and patent are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0116] It follows from the following description of illustrative embodiments of the present invention that nutrients and purified water are recovered from organic waste without resorting to conventional primary treatment of the organic waste. This conventional primary treatment relies on the holding of the organic waste in lagoons right after it is obtained from the farms, and it is also known as lagoon primary treatment. Conventional primary treatment leads to a sediment that is typically discarded in the form of land application and a supernatant solution whose physical and chemical characteristics are entirely different from and considerably simpler than those of the organic waste feed fluid that is treated according to the present invention.

[0117] The supernatant solution obtained from the lagoons in the conventional primary treatment is obtained after various aerobic and anaerobic processes have changed the physical and chemical composition of the waste. In doing so, however, big volumes of gases are released into the atmosphere, large surface areas are occupied by the primary treatment lagoons, and large masses of sediments are accumulated and discarded as land application. This conventional practice has come under increasing scrutiny because of its detrimental environmental consequences.

[0118] The treatments in the recycling and/or process plants in embodiments of this invention permit organic waste treatment without resorting to primary treatment and avoid the drawbacks of the conventional primary treatment practice. The organic waste obtained from such recycling and/or process plants is still a complex organic waste that includes setteable and nonsettleable materials such as suspended and dissolved solids, including fine solids of predominantly organic origin, various biomaterials and bio-related materials, various inorganic materials and their complexed and combined forms with the bio and bio-related materials, such materials being present in the complex organic waste in a variety of aggregation and phsyicochemical forms such as solution, suspension, and colloidal forms.

[0119] The term “directed” is used in the following examples in relation to matter flow direction. It is understood that this term refers to an appropriate transport or to an appropriate cause of flow of the matter to which it is applied. For example, when a fluid is directed from A to B, this expression means that the fluid either flows from A to B by gravity or by appropriate pumping. Because pumping and related causes of flow are within the ordinary skill in the art, no further discussion of this matter is provided here.

[0120] The illustrative embodiments of the invention exemplify the application of the useful characteristics discussed below, and further reference to these and other useful and novel features is made in the following discussion of each illustrative embodiment. One embodiment of the organic waste treatment and fertilizer production process is represented by the block diagram in FIG. 1. This and other exemplary embodiments are intended to limit neither the scope of the processes nor the apparatuses or materials that are needed for performing the processes.

[0121] Referring to FIG. 1, organic waste 102 produced at an organic waste source that in particular can be farms 101 is clarified in clarifier 103. In particular, this organic waste source can be pig farms, but the process steps shown in FIG. 1 are not limited only to the treatment of organic waste produced in pig farms.

[0122] The clarification in clarifier 103 can be effectively accomplished by treating the organic waste with a flocculent. Flocculants, whether alone or in mixtures, include inorganic compounds such as iron and aluminum compounds, whether solid or in solution, lime, which is sometimes used as a coflocculant, and organic products such as chitosan and other natural products including starch, guar gum and protein colloid such as gelatin and animal glue. Examples of preferred iron and aluminum compounds used as flocculants include aluminum sulfate, iron (III) chloride, and iron (II) sulfate. One of the benefits of using lime is that some of the bases in it, such as calcium hydroxide, eliminate pathogens in the organic waste. In the context of this invention, lime generically describes bases that include calcium compounds, whether in the form of oxides, hydroxides or carbonated, mixtures thereof, and it might contain similar compounds, the most common of which are the corresponding magnesium-based compounds. Depending on the organic waste source location and the type of activities developed therein, preferred flocculants can typically be obtained at or near farm sites from natural sources, in which case their use leads to considerable cost reduction. They can also be obtained commercially, together with synthetic organic flocculants that are usually polymeric materials. Synthetic organic flocculants can be anionic, cationic and nonionic, and they are useful when the flocculating conditions impose some operational restrictions such as pH sensitivity or resistance to some chemicals. Cationic polyacrylamide emulsions are preferred in the methods of this invention as flocculants. Among cationic flocculants such as those marketed with the designations NALCO7191, NALCO7193, NALCO7194, NALCO7196, CYTEC2085, and CHEMAX2746, the flocculants NALCO7191 and NALCO 7193 are preferred, with NALCO7191 being more preferred. The preferred flocculants in this invention are preferably used in emulsions at concentrations of about 1 g/l.

[0123] Two products are extracted from clarifier 103: primary sludge 104 and overflow liquor 105. In this context, the terms clarification, sedimentation, coagulation, and flocculation are used synonymously to signify the separation of material that in the absence of the indicated treatment would remain in the liquid phase. For example, a significant amount of the material in primary sludge 104 that is separated in clarifier 103 would remain in the overflow liquor 105, also called liquid waste, in the absence of clarification in clarifier 103. The non-liquid material in clarifier 103 includes settleable and nonsettleable substances and it becomes part of primary sludge 104. Nonsettleable material comprises material that would take a very long time to settle and material that would not settle in the absence of a flocculant or an agent that induces the formation of nucleation centers. Suspended solids in the organic waste are an example of settleable material, and organic matter in colloidal form in the waste is an example of nonsettleable material.

[0124] The separation of primary sludge 104 from overflow liquor 105 can be accomplished by methods such as industrial vacuum filtration, by means of devices such as a screw press or a belt press, or by combining these and other methods and devices that are conventionally used in similar separation processes. The use of clarifier 103 increases the amount of solid material in primary sludge 104 from 20% to 50% solids compared to a system without a clarifier. This increased recovery of solid material is accomplished in the present invention because nonsettleable, in addition to settleable, material is separated in clarifier 103. This solid material is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and it would lead to biogas emissions if it were discharged with the overflow liquid 105 into anaerobic lagoons 108.

[0125] Primary sludge 104 is transported by sewer lines and/or motorized means of transportation 106 to gas reactors 107 in a processing plant. The extensive separation achieved in clarifier 103 plus the suitable means of transportation 106 permit the implementation of the waste treatment and fertilizer production process of this invention at any convenient location, whether such location is the organic waste source site itself or another site away from the organic waste source. This versatility is indicated in FIG. 1 by a horizontal dash line that divides the block diagram into an upper part and a lower part. The upper part of the diagram schematically describes processes that can take place at the organic waste source site itself. The lower part of the diagram schematically describes processes that can take place either at the organic waste source site or at another location such as a near or remote processing plant location.

[0126] Overflow liquor 105 is delivered to anaerobic lagoons 108. Because a high fraction of the material in organic waste 102 is separated as primary sludge 104 in clarifier 103, and only the overflow liquor 105 is fed to lagoons 108, loading of these lagoons 108 is considerably less than the loading that they would withstand in a current state-of-the-art process with no clarifier. According to conventional disposal methods, organic waste is delivered from organic waste sources 101 directly to the conventional counterpart of anaerobic lagoons 108, which are in effect natural digesters that produce biogas that is usually released into the atmosphere. In contrast, clarifier 103 permits the separation of an overflow liquor 105 that is mostly free of solids, colloids, methane, and acrid gases. Equivalently, the embodiments of this invention permit the efficient recovery of biogases from primary sludge 104 that is obtained from clarifier 103, whereas conventional state-of-the-art processes release biogases into the atmosphere or less efficiently recover them.

[0127] Anaerobic lagoons 108 usually include a system of primary lagoons where a mostly biological treatment occurs, and a system of secondary lagoons where the volume of liquor is reduced. Means of carrying out the biological treatment include anaerobic digestion. Liquor volume reduction in the system of secondary lagoons can be accomplished by processes such as evaporation, use of gray water for irrigation or fertilization of crops, and support of constructed wetlands. In essence, the treatments in anaerobic lagoons 108 are such that the products discharged from these lagoons meet sewer conservation service standards. The diminished load of anaerobic lagoons 108 allows lagoons that are 60% smaller than the corresponding anaerobic lagoons used in current state-of-the-art methods.

[0128] The liquor treated in anaerobic lagoons 108, concisely “the anaerobic effluent”, can be evaporated or used in irrigation or wetland projects 109 and it can also be reused at farms 101, and more generally in organic waste sources. For example, the anaerobic effluent can be recycled as treated pit recharge 110 which is used for flushing. As indicated above, while clarifier 103 and anaerobic lagoons 108 are preferably built and operated at the same site where organic waste sources 101 are located, the rest of the constituent elements of the process, starting by gas reactors 107, can be built and operated at the organic waste source sites or at some other convenient location.

[0129] Methane-rich biogas 111 is separated in gas reactors 107 from primary sludge 104 to produce degasified sludge 115. Although the amount and composition of the biogas recovered depends on a variety of factors such as the type of farm animals and the feed supplied to them, biogas with a heat of combustion of about 2.2-104-2.6·104 kJ/m3, (about 5.4103-6.2·103 kcal/m3 or about 600-700 Btu/ft3) may typically be recovered from gas reactors 107. The composition of this biogas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, and it is recovered from gas reactors 107 in an amount of about 0.4 m3/(h·100 animals), (about 14 ft3/(h·100 animals)).

[0130] In contrast, the heat of combustion and the amount of biogas recovered by current state-of-the-art methods in facilities holding similar animals under similar conditions are comparable to the corresponding parameters for existing digesters, if biogas is recovered at all. For example, the report by L. M. Safley, Jr., et al., Low Temperature Lagoon Digester for Biogas Production from Swine Manure, FIG. 18, and summary, pp. 12-13, shows that the biogas production in a conventional low temperature lagoon digester at a facility holding 11494 pigs did not exceed about 0.12 m3/(h·100 animals), (about 4.2 ft3/(h·100 animals)) and some measurements indicate that practically no biogas was recovered some days. Furthermore, the biogas production fluctuated considerably between 0 and about 0.12 m3/(h·100 animals), (0 and about 4.2 ft3/(h·100 animals)). These fluctuations were observed when the average lagoon temperatures changed in an interval of about 7.2° C. (about 13° F.), from about 10° C (about 50° F.) to about 17.2° C. (about 63° F.). The reported mean biogas production was about 0.054 m3/(h·100 animals), (about 1.92 ft3/(h·100 animals)) with a heat of combustion of about 3.05-104 kJ/m3, (about 7.29·103 kcal/m3 or about 817.6 Btu/ft3). These figures indicate that current state-of-the-art lagoon facilities like the ones considered in the study by L. M. Safley, Jr., et al. (cited above), recover comparatively little biogas. Furthermore, these conventional anaerobic digesters do not focus on the capture of greenhouse and ozone depleting gases that embodiments of the present invention recover, for example, by the separation that takes place in clarifier 103.

[0131] For exemplary purposes, gas reactor 107 can be implemented as a system that comprises large, gently stirred, processing vessels. Whether alone or as part of a more complex mixture, this separated biogas 111 can be used for heating 112, electricity generation 113, or other processes such as chemical processes 114 that include synthesis and catalytic conversion. In particular, thermal and electric energy generated by combustion of the separated biogas can be used in a fertilizer processing plant, farms, or in applications near the processing plant where the biogas 111 is produced in reactors 107.

[0132] Degasified sludge 115 from gas reactors 107 contains most of the nitrogen and phosphorous that were initially in organic waste 102. The amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous in the degasified sludge 115 are respectively about 200% and 100% greater than the corresponding amounts recovered according to current state-of-the-art methods because of the way in which primary sludge 104 is separated from organic waste 102, and because of the incorporation of zeolites into the feed supplied to animals in farms 101 or added to the initially generated organic waste. Degasified sludge 115 is subsequently fed into reactors and clarifiers 116 together with one or more of the following agents: an ammonia retaining agent, such as a suitable natural or synthetic zeolite, a precipitating agent, such as magnesium chloride or a suitable brine, a densifier, such as clay, fly ash, bentonite, crushed limestone, zeolite, perlite and mixtures thereof, and a pH control agent, such as lime.

[0133] The terms “retain”, “retaining” and “retention” are herein used to refer to do_Y retention of a gas or gases by a substance, whether the retention is accomplished by absorption, by adsorption or by a combination of adsorption and absorption. Thus, for example, an “ammonia retaining agent” stands for a substance that retains ammonia and prevents its escape from the medium as a gas whether the species predominantly retained by the ammonia retaining agent is ammonia itself or ammonium ions.

[0134] The specific reference to magnesium chloride is not limiting, but merely illustrative. Any other compound such as magnesium sulfate that precipitates phosphate as a salt that is a fertilizer or any combination of such precipitating compounds can be used instead of, or in combination with, magnesium chloride.

[0135] Clinoptilolite, a natural zeolite, is an example of an efficient and preferred ammonia adsorbing zeolite that can be used to treat the sludge that is discharged from the gas reactors. The use of ammonia adsorbing zeolite in the nutrient recovery process permits the reduction of acrid odors. In addition, odor can be controlled more effectively if an ammonia adsorbing zeolite is added to the livestock feed. The choice of preferred zeolites in this invention is also determined by the required characteristics of the fertilizer that is produced from the organic waste. For example, K—Ca clinoptilolites are excellent for soil conditioning as opposed to Na clinoptilolites. Other zeolites that retain ammonia include chabasite and phillipsite. Because natural sources of zeolites sometimes contain mixtures of zeolites instead of one single zeolite and some zeolites share several common characteristics, the term “zeolites” in this context will refer to one zeolite and also to a mixture of zeolites with desired properties. Analogously, reference to a specific zeolite by name in the context of this specification and appended claims is to be understood as referring to named specific zeolites and also to a mixture of zeolites with the desired properties in which the specifically named zeolite is a significant component.

[0136] Fly ash is an example of a densifier that can be used in the treatment of the same sludge. The pH in this treatment can be controlled, preferably to a value between about 9 and about 12, more preferably between about 10 to about 11. A residence time of about two hours in a medium with a pH of about 10.5 leads to significant reduction or almost elimination of the pathogen content of the organic waste being treated. A higher pH of about 12 leads to pathogen content elimination in a shorter time period. Consequently, exclusive reliance on the medium basicity for pathogen content elimination requires a higher preferred pH value of about 12.

[0137] When a base has to be added to control the pH, lime is a preferred base for this purpose. Fly ash can also perform as a total or partial replacement of lime for controlling the pH in this process step. Furthermore, replacing lime for fly ash may be economically advantageous depending on the relative availability of these substances.

[0138] Magnesium chloride from brine, fly ash from coal burning power plants, and lime are explicitly and exemplary referred to in this context because of the availability of these materials in some geographic locations. Their use in these locations makes the organic waste treatment and fertilizer and feed supplement production according to this invention particularly economical. In addition, the process utilizes fly ash, which is an industrial waste that should otherwise be disposed of. Nevertheless, fly ash is not the only substance that can be used as a densifier. Bentonite, for example, is another product that can be used as a densifier instead of, or in combination with, fly ash. This versatility is important because some industrial sources might produce fly ash that is not appropriate for its direct use in the manufacture of fertilizer. This would be the case, for example, if fly ash had an unacceptably high concentration of heavy metals.

[0139] The increased sludge density achieved according to this invention influences the size of the equipment used in the treatment process. Specifically, the size of the equipment needed in this invention is reduced when compared to the size of conventional equipment because of the increased density, or equivalently reduced volume, of the sludge.

[0140] Typical reactors and clarifiers 116 are modifications of standard industrial equipment used in waste water treatment, chemical processing and mineral processing. As to the proportions of the ammonia retaining agent, precipitating agent, densifier, and pH control agent, exemplary compositions referred to dry organic waste include about 5%-10% by weight of ammonia retaining agent, about 1% by weight of precipitating agents, between about 0% and about 10% by weight of densifier, and about 0.5% by weight of a suitable pH controlling agent, although the actual percentages depend on the type of waste and its composition. Modifications to these proportions can be made according to knowledge common to those with ordinary skill in the art.

[0141] Unless expressly indicated otherwise, and as is customary in the art, concentrations given herein in the form of a percentage are understood to refer to weight percentages. For example, the expression “x % of total solids” is to be understood as referring to a material that comprises x mass units of total solids in 100 mass units of such material, wherein the masses of x and material are given in the same type of mass unit, such as both given in kg or both given in lb.

[0142] Sludge 115 from gas reactors 107 may contain zeolites if these aluminosilicates are incorporated previously in the process; for example, they can be added to the feed supplied to the animals in farms 101 for the purpose of more effectively reducing acrid gas emissions from the animals' gastrointestinal tracks. Furthermore, the addition of zeolites to the feed supplied to the animals in farms 101 has beneficial effects such as an improved waste slurry processing and densification, and considerable improvement of (the confined animals' living conditions.

[0143] The overflow liquid 117 from the system of reactors and clarifiers 116 is fed to an aerobic lagoon system 118, which produces a liquid, or “aerobic effluent”, that meets current EPA discharge standards and that can be used in irrigation and wetland projects 119. To this end, overflow liquid 117 in the aerobic lagoon system 118 undergoes processes that include digestion and evaporation. Other beneficial features that distinguish the aerobic lagoon system 118 and the liquid therein produced from their counterparts in current state-of-the-art treatment methods include the minimization of sludge generation and a significant reduction in odor production.

[0144] The solid product 120 from the reactors and clarifiers 116 contains precipitated hydrous phosphates, including magnesium annmionium phosphate. This solid product 120 is fed to a mixing reactor 121, such as a Trommel drum, and is therein mixed, if so desired, with other compounds that incorporate additional plant nutrients to the mixture. These added compounds can include commercial fertilizers of substandard grades. In one of the exemplary embodiments of the mixing reactor 121, a filtrate 122 and a solid 123 are separated.

[0145] In another embodiment of the present invention, phosphates, including magnesium ammonium phosphate, can be recovered by a process known as a RIM-NUT process, or a variant thereof. Because the implementation of this process requires higher operating costs, it is not considered a preferred embodiment of this invention, particularly when applied to organic waste that does not contain toxic metals and other pollutants. A RIM-NUT process, however, could be part of a preferred embodiment of this invention if it were applied to the treatment of, for example, municipal waste with constituents that would be agrotoxins if they were incorporated into the fertilizer.

[0146] Specifically, the compounds added in mixing reactor 121 permit the standardization of the fertilizer composition to include nutrients in the following three classes: primary, as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K); secondary, including calcium, magnesium, and sulfur; and micronutrients, including iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, and molybdenum. Standardization is accomplished by analyzing the product 120 according to analytical methods that are commonly accepted in the industry, determining the lowest cost compositions for supplements to produce specific formulations of fertilizers, and then incorporating the primary and secondary plant nutrients and micronutrients in proportions suitable to satisfy specific market demands. Forms of commercially available plant nutrients that can be incorporated into the fertilizer include anhydrous ammonia, phosphoric acid, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, triple super phosphate, potassium nitrate and potassium sulfate. Other materials can also be added at this stage of the process if the fertilizer market demand so requires. These materials include zeolites and/or perlites for purposes such as soil amendment, micronutrients, and binding and/or dedusting agents. This process allows the production of fertilizers tailored to specific market needs, including most standard grade compositions such as those sold as 10-10-10 and 20-10-5, where each one of these sets of numbers is a conventional expression of the fertilizer composition on a weight basis. For example, a 10-10-10 fertilizer is a fertilizer with 10% nitrogen as N, 10% phosphorous as P2O5, and 10% potassium as K20. Furthermore, the process of the present invention is versatile enough to produce a great variety of fertilizers, including slow release fertilizers, that can meet the demands and standards of a great variety of markets.

[0147] Filtrate 122 from mixing reactor 121 is fed back to reactor/clarifiers 116, whereas solid 123 is delivered to a pelletizing drum 124. Pellets 125 are subsequently dried in dryer 126 and their size is standardized by means of screens 127 that separate standard fertilizer 128 from the oversized and undersized pellets 129 and 130, respectively. In one preferred size control system, oversized pellets 129 are sent to a crusher 131, which delivers the crushed pellets back to screens 127 whereas the undersized pellets 130 are recycled back to pelletizing drum 124. The pelletizing drum, product drier, product screens, and crusher are standard devices widely used in the formulation of mixed fertilizers. For example, in an embodiment of this invention product screens 127 are embodied by a vibrating screen system and crusher 131 is embodied by a Stamler crusher.

[0148] When the pathogenic contents have not been entirely removed by strong bases in clarifier 103, however, the pelletizing and separating operations perform necessary functions such as the elimination of residual pathogenic organisms, which is accomplished during the drying of the processed manure at product temperatures as close to 100° C. as possible. Temperatures significantly above 100° C. are not recommended because struvite begins decomposing at about 100° C. and its decomposition would cause a significant loss of ammonia. Nevertheless, the pathogenic contents in pellets 125 may be very low or even nonexistent when strong bases, such as calcium hydroxide, are used in clarifier 103.

[0149] The final product 128 is an organic based, granular, slow release NPK (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) fertilizer of standard composition and size with micronutrients that is readily available to plants. The process shown in FIG. 1 can absorb the organic waste produced by sources that range from small to large scale operations. For example, the process shown in FIG. 1 can be implemented in farms that hold over 100,000 pigs, even as many as one million pigs or more. In particular, the process can be implemented in facilities under current federal regulations for large scale confinement operations.

[0150] Because the embodiments of this invention do not require that the processing plant be located at the site of the organic waste source, the amount of waste produced by a single source is not a limiting factor of the invention. If single organic waste sources are individually small scale operations, the elements 102-106, 108-110 in the diagram shown in FIG. 1 can be part of each single small scale organic waste source and a processing plant can absorb primary sludge 104 generated by a plurality of small scale organic waste sources. This feature makes the present invention versatile in the sense that it can be implemented in areas of very diverse characteristics. Accordingly, embodiments of this invention can be implemented to accommodate factors such as the size and the number of animals in local confinement operations, particularly when these factors are constrained by tradition, regulations, or economic imperatives.

[0151] Because of their standard technical and operational requirements, embodiments of elements 102-106 and 108-110 can easily be retrofitted in existing small farms, or embodiments of the entire process illustrated in FIG. 1 can be built in existing farms. Similarly, elements 102-106 and 108-110, or the entire process represented by the exemplary diagram in FIG. 1, can be built at an organic waste site that is destined for closure or cleanup. The embodiments of the present invention do not require that the organic waste source be a live animal confinement facility. Furthermore, the process represented by the diagram shown in FIG. 1 can equally treat organic waste or material contaminated by organic waste from remote sources, such as farms and animal confinement facilities that are currently operated under conditions that are not subject to the objectives of the present invention.

[0152] When an embodiment of the processing plant according to this invention is not located at the same site as the organic waste source, sludge transportation can be achieved in different ways. If the amount of sludge is large enough, and the processing plant is not so far from the organic waste source that pumping is prohibitively costly, then sludge transportation by pumping is preferred. Sludge is then preferably pumped at about 5% solids from a sludge storage pond at the organic waste source to the process plant in a preferably pressurized system. It is understood that the fraction of solid matter in the pumped sludge can widely depend on the type of pumps and other characteristics of the transportation system elements, as is known to those with ordinary skill in the art.

[0153] Sludge storage pond pumps are preferably grinder-type pumps, although pumps with rotating components could also be used provided that the sludge is free from objects that would clog pumps with rotating parts. In an exemplary embodiment of this invention applied to a large scale operation, the combination of sludge storage pond pumps and booster pumps preferably provides a sludge flow to the processing plant of about 54.6 l/s (about 865 gal/min) in piping that preferably is plastic piping, such as high density polyethylene piping.

[0154] The diagram shown in FIG. 1 also teaches an exemplary way of implementing a large scale integrated waste treatment system according to the present invention. This system treats waste in its solid, liquid, and gaseous forms, prevents the release of unacceptable forms of the waste produced by organic waste sources and other sources into the environment, and recovers from the waste its agronutrients and energy rich components. The recovered agronutrients and energy rich components are made available for subsequent in-situ use or for their commercial distribution in forms that meet environmental regulations and that satisfy agricultural needs and demands. FIG. 1 also teaches an exemplary way of building an integrated waste treatment and fertilizer production system according to this invention, whether this system is built during farm construction, or to retrofit existing farms, or as a stand alone operation destined to absorb waste generated in a plurality of organic waste sources. With this versatility, the present invention is suitable for a variety of business strategies and goals, ranging from those that focus on farm construction and operation savings to those that aim at independent business profitability. Because of this adaptability to many business strategies, the integrated waste treatment and fertilizer production process of this invention should be expected to replace current waste treatment or fertilizer production processes that rely on single unit operations.

[0155] The exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 places clarifier 103 at the organic waste source site and reactor/clarifiers 116 at the processing plant site. This is only an illustration of one of the features of an embodiment of this invention, but it is not a limitation to other embodiments of this invention. For example, embodiments to be discussed below show that a reactor clarifier that can be embodied by the appropriate facilities at the organic waste site or at the processing plant site. In any one of these embodiments to be discussed below, the reaction with the flocculent, lime, phosphate precipitating agent, ammonia retaining agent, and optionally a densifier mostly takes place at a single site, either the organic waste source or the processing plant.

[0156] The block diagram shown in FIG. 2 represents another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment represented in FIG. 2 exemplifies a waste management and fertilizer production process for a hog farm complex, although it could equally be applied to another type of organic waste source, such as a farm with a different type of confined animals. As shown in FIG. 2, ammonia adsorbing zeolite 201, or an ammonia adsorbing mixture of zeolites, is added to feed 202 supplied to the hogs in barns 203. The addition of zeolite 201 to feed 202 improves air quality in barns 203 and also decreases the release of acrid gases from barns 203. In addition, it improves the feed conversion in animals and the overall herd health by providing a better environment, reducing scours and improving the handling characteristics of the organic waste. Furthermore, the incorporation of zeolite at the initial stage of the process considerably reduces the reaction time of the overall separation. Zeolite, or a mixture of zeolites, 201 can be added to feed 202 at a ratio of about 5% by weight in the feed. This amount of zeolite, however, can be varied depending on the factors that determine the amount of ammonia produced by the animals; generally, it can be added in an amount within the range of about 5% to about 10% by weight of dry organic waste.

[0157] Waste slurry 204 generated at barns 203 is subsequently treated in reactor clarifier 205, where an ammonia retaining agent can optionally be added. In this embodiment of the invention, ammonium and phosphates are removed from waste slurry 204 by mixing said slurry with a substance or mixture of substances 206 that causes the precipitation of phosphates, including struvite, from waste slurry 204 at an adequate pH, as discussed in the context of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, a base, preferably lime, should be added to control the pH of the medium. This precipitating agent 206 can be, for example, magnesium chloride or magnesium sulfate, or mixtures thereof. Depending on the location, available brine of suitable composition can be used as precipitating agent 206. Optionally, densifier 208 can also be added to the waste slurry 204. The addition of densifier 208 improves the clarification of waste slurry 204, the quality of the NPK fertilizer eventually produced, and the flocculation of colloids in the reactor clarifier 205. In essence, the addition of densifier 208 improves the process and product characteristics. Mineral additives or materials that are used as densifier 208 include zeolites, perlites, crushed limestone, fly ash, clays, bentonite and mixtures thereof.

[0158] Flocculant 207 can also be added to waste slurry 204. Numerous flocculants have proven effective on waste slurries, and a variety of such flocculants and their effects are given in the description of the exemplary embodiment represented in FIG. 1. The embodiments of the present invention, however, and in particular the exemplary embodiment represented in FIGS. 2-3, preferably crystallize inorganic salts such as struvite; densify with porous or absorbent minerals; and flocculate the nonsettleable matter in the waste slurry either simultaneously or in individual steps that are proximate to each other. The high liquid-solid separation in the treatment of organic waste achieved by the embodiments of this invention is an unexpected result that cannot be specifically attributed to any single physical or chemical process pathway.

[0159] The inventor suspects that the high liquid-solid separation achieved in the context of this invention is in part due to the formation of a large number of nucleation centers and to the inter-relation amongst the plurality of chemical, physicochemical and physical processes that take place when the separation operations performed in the context of this invention occur in the reactor clarifier. Consequently, the present invention achieves a much better liquid-solid separation than that performed by conventional methods.

[0160] Furthermore, the separation in the present invention is accomplished at very high settling rates. This feature of the present invention leads to considerable time savings when compared with conventional separation processes.

[0161] As with the high liquid-solid separation, the very high settling rates at which the liquid-solid separation is accomplished is an unexpected result that cannot be specifically attributed to any single physical or chemical process pathway. The inventor suspects that the very high settling rates may be related to the characteristics of the separated solid material that is consequently very effectively segregated from the fluid medium. These characteristics that facilitate effective segregation and high settling rates are likely to be related in turn to the formation of a large number of nucleation centers and to the inter-relation amongst the plurality of chemical, physicochemical and physical processes that take place when the separation operations performed in the context of this invention occur in the reactor clarifier.

What is claimed is:

1. A fertilizer derived from animal wastes, comprising: a dust-free, odor-free, and pathogen-free material, derived from animal wastes, that has a nitrogen content of at least about 5% expressed as N, a phosphorous content of at least about 5% expressed as P₂O₅, and a potassium content of at least about 5% expressed as K₂O, wherein said material is devoid of compounds that would decompose or ignite at a temperature below about 300° F.

2. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said nitrogen content, phosphorous content, or potassium content is at least about 10%.

3. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said nitrogen content, phosphorous content or potassium content is at least about 12%.

4. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material has a nitrogen content of at least about 10% expressed as N, a phosphorous content of at least about 10% expressed as P₂O₅, and a potassium content of at least about 10% expressed as K₂O.

5. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material is in the form of pellets.

6. A fertilizer as recited in claim 5, wherein said pellets have a friability that does not exceed about 5%.

7. A fertilizer as recited in claim 5, wherein said pellets have a friability that does not exceed about 2%.

8. A fertilizer as recited in claim 5, wherein said pellets have a friability that does not exceed about 1%.

9. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material further comprises at least one of a calcium-based nutrient, a magnesium-based nutrient, or a sulfur-based nutrient.

10. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material further comprises at least one of an iron-based micronutrient, a manganese-based micronutrient, a copper-based micronutrient, a zinc-based micronutrient, a boron-based micronutrient, or a molybdenum-based micronutrient.

11. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material is derived from hog wastes.

12. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material is derived from cattle wastes.

13. A fertilizer as recited in claim 1, wherein said material is derived from chicken wastes.

14. A fertilizer derived from hog wastes, comprising: a dust-free, odor-free, and pathogen-free material, derived from hog wastes, that has a nitrogen content of at least about 10% expressed as N, a phosphorous content of at least about 5% expressed as P₂O₅, and a potassium content of at least about 5% expressed as K₂O, wherein said material is devoid of compounds that would decompose or ignite at a temperature below about 300° F.

15. A fertilizer as recited in claim 14, wherein said material is in the form of pellets.

16. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer, comprising: obtaining a non-pathogen-free fertilizer product derived from animal wastes and in pellet form; initiating combustion in said fertilizer product by heating said fertilizer product at a temperature that does not exceed about 540° F.; allowing partial combustion of said fertilizer product, while said fertilizer product remains in pellet form, so that said fertilizer product is rendered pathogen-free; and quenching the combustion of said fertilizer product in pellet form.

17. A method of manufacturing fertilizers as recited in claim 16, wherein said fertilizer product in pellet form has a nitrogen content of at least about 5% expressed as N, a phosphorous content of at least about 5% expressed as P₂O₅, and a potassium content of at least about 5% expressed as K₂O, wherein said material is devoid of compounds that would decompose or ignite at a temperature below about 300° F.

18. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, further comprising cooling said fertilizer product after said quenching.

19. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said temperature is in the range from about 290° F. to about 450° F.

20. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said temperature is in the range from about 300° F. to about 400° F.

21. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said temperature is in the range from about 320° F. to about 350° F.

22. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said obtaining a non-pathogen-free fertilizer product in pellet form comprises obtaining wet animal waste solids, agglomerating said wet solids, and drying said wet solids to form pellets.

23. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said combustion of said fertilizer product comprises reducing the mass of said fertilizer in an amount that is in the range from about 20% to about 70% of the dry mass of said non-pathogen-free fertilizer product.

24. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said heating said fertilizer product at a temperature that does not exceed about 540° F. is performed by exposing said fertilizer product to flameless combustion products.

25. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said fertilizer product is derived from hog wastes.

26. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said fertilizer product is derived from cattle wastes.

27. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer as recited in claim 16, wherein said fertilizer product is derived from chicken wastes.

28. A method of manufacturing a fertilizer, comprising: obtaining a non-pathogen-free fertilizer product derived from hog wastes and in pellet form; initiating combustion in said fertilizer products by heating said fertilizer product at a temperature that does not exceed about 500° F.; allowing partial combustion of said fertilizer products, while said fertilizer product remains in pellet form, so that said fertilizer product is rendered pathogen-free; and quenching the combustion of said fertilizer product in pellet form, said fertilizer product having a nitrogen content of at least about 5% expressed as N, a phosphorous content of at least about 5% expressed as P₂O₅, and a potassium content of at least about 5% expressed as K₂O, wherein said material is devoid of compounds that would decompose or ignite at a temperature below about 300° F.