| This paper reports on research designed to investigate the capacities of different highly characterized peats to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine and poultry manures (LSM and LPM). Peat types representing a wide range of properties were tested in order to establish which chemical and physical properties might be most indicative of their capacities to remediate odors produced by LSM and LPM. Eight-percent slurries (peat/LSM & peat/LPM) were measured for odor changes after 6, 24 and 96 hours using odor panel, GC/FID, and GC/MS-Solid-phase microextraction (GC/MS-SPME) analysis. In addition, tests were done to determine the total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents of these peats, the LSM, and the LPM, both before and after they were mixed together.; The GC/FID, GC/MS-SPME and odor panel results indicated that, although all peats tested in this study were found to be effective at removing odor-causing compounds found in LSM and LPM, some peats tended to work better than others. Overall, the peats that were most effective at removing odor-causing compounds found in LSM tended to have lower bulk densities, ash contents, fulvic acids contents, and guaiacyl lignins contents and higher water holding capacities, hydraulic conductivities, “total other lignins” contents, hydrogen contents, carbon contents, and total cellulose contents.; The N and P retention results revealed that most peats worked reasonably well at retaining N and P from either LSM or LPM. However, some peats were more effective than others at retaining N and P. These peats also decreased the N and P levels in the liquid portion of the LSM. Peats with higher N retention capacities tend to have lower ash contents, but higher macroporosities and total cellulose contents. Peats with higher P retention capacities tend to have lower bulk densities, ash contents, total guaiacyl lignins contents, fulvic acids contents, but higher microporosities, macroporosities, H contents, and total cellulose contents. Peats with higher N and P retention capacities also have humic acid contents between 5–7%. The results of this study suggest that if these peats are used to reduce odors and N and P contamination, possible byproducts could be the production of odorless fertilizers. |
