Increased efficiency for biogas production and nutrient recycling

© Liisa Pesonen

Natural Resources Institute Finland promotes the production of biogas from manure and other organic by-products and works to improve the recycling of nutrients in the food production system.

Optimizing the use of pig slurry

The project involves testing a simple separation method for pig slurry and a sedimentation procedure that has the potential to separate bottom sediment containing phosphorus and dry matter from nitrogen-containing surface liquid. In addition to this, efforts are being made to optimize the combined processing of dry manure and pig slurry in biogas plants.

Recycled nutrients to meet plants’ needs

Those involved in the project are also working to demonstrate the use of liquid recycled in common fertilization arrangements connected to precision sowing under Finnish conditions. The tanks of liquid fertilizer can be installed on current tractor-seeder units, and the fertilizer can be distributed on the rows by means of hydraulic technology. The precision adjustment of recycled fertilizer is performed with the same ISOBUS controls used with other fertilizers and seeds. With multiple fertilizer tanks, multiple nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, can be dispensed based on the location, as well as the needs of specific plants.

The aim is to demonstrate to farmers the ways of using recycled fertilizers efficiently, thus promoting their use. The subproject will be completed in close cooperation with businesses.

Shining a light on biomasses

The project participants are further developing a planning tool (Biomass Atlas) developed by Natural Resources Institute Finland, which can be used to illustrate the amounts and locations of available biomass via a map-based application. Information on the nutrients contained by various biomasses will be added to the existing application.

Schedule

  •  2016–2019

More information

  • Project supervisor: Senior Scientist Juha-Matti Katajajuuri, Luke, firstname.lastname@luke.fi
  • Sedimentation and biogas: Research Scientist Ville Pyykkönen, Luke, firstname.lastname@luke.fi
  • Recycled fertilizers: Senior Scientist Liisa Pesonen, Luke, firstname.lastname@luke.fi
  • Biomass Atlas: Research Scientist Eeva Lehtonen, Luke, firstname.lastname@luke.fi

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Published 2019-07-19 at 12:14, updated 2020-12-21 at 16:50

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