Zeolite for Dairy Cows
Zeolite has natural capabilities of absorbing gases and emissions, ammonia, and other compounds produced from decaying wastes that are trapped and soaked by Zeolite.
It is natural absorption due to its sponge-like structure absorbs about sixty percent of its water weight. It absorbs actions on the surface by ion-exchange.
What is Composting?:
Composting is the process of converting nitrogenous compounds in the waste material to ammonium compounds and ammonia. This process is also useful in killing microbes and dries up the waste. All of this adds up to make the best manure to be used as a fertilizer.
However, the process of composting produces very hazardous emissions like Methane, ammonia, and nitrogenous gases.
These are more dangerous than even Carbon monoxide.
Aluminium silicate has the capability of removing almost all of these emissions.
Zeolite, with its two properties, is an excellent absorption capacity due to greater surface area, and the other is action soak up quality by Ion exchange.
Zeolite can help prevent the formation of these gases by trapping the cations by ion exchange. Nitrates and silica ions are taken up before they convert into hazardous gases.
Animals like cows and other animals on the farm produce tons of solid and liquid excitement. The decomposition of these wastes produces odor as well as dangerous gases and emissions that impose significant health risks for animals and humans working at the farm and make the environment unbearable.
The waste that is produced on the farm in a single day can produce enough methane gas to fossil the farm the whole day.
The digestive process that occurs naturally in the waste produces methane gas. Experiments suggest that burning 250 thousand tons of livestock waste can have more than 500 Btu/ft of methane gas.
Zeolite soaks up moisture and gases from the decomposing wastes, thus helping in manure composting. It absorbs the water, liquid content, and the suspended matter in it. This process removes the continuously formed ammonium in the waste and prevents the further breakdown of nitrogenous compounds by eliminating moisture.
Researchers have found that Zeolite benefits in the process of Manure composting by three mechanisms.
1. Increases nitrogen retention in the waste by preventing its breakdown into Ammonia that increases the available nitrogen in the waste ma, making it a more potent Fertilizer.
2. Removes moisture from the manure, making it emit less odor and gases.
3. Purifies the methane gas to be used as a fossil fuel.
Bernal et al studied that mixing zeolite and straw and passing the air produced in Composting manure through this mixture removed ammonia very effectively.
A straw waste slurry was experimented by placing the slurry in the composting apparatus; the gas produced was passed over zeolite. Zeolite removed up to 80 percent of ammonia in the produced gas. This suggests that Zeolite effective in Ammonia removal.
Pig waste treated with Zeolite showed better digestion and reduced acidity of the waste. Zeolite takes up the cations and Ammonia from the waste by the ion-exchange mechanism.
Mumpton suggested that mixing clinoptilolite in bird droppings in the poultry farms removed the hazardous gases that make the farm foul-smelling and expose birds to respiratory diseases. Adding Zeolite removes ammonia gas and makes the environment pleasant.
Lagoon Systems;
Lagoon systems treat the wastewater from the farms. The wastewater is stored in a lagoon; the water is surrounded by a wall to keep the water from seeping into nearby lands.
Although the lagoon treatment is quite useful as over time, the wastewater is separated into three layers, the upper one being oil, the second one water, and the last one heavy sludge. The water is then treated by organic and inorganic means by chemicals and physical methods; the wastewater produces very foul-smelling gases and, in return, pollute the environment.
Lahav et al generated the way of Zeolite treatment. He found that zeolite is useful in removing the odor by its ion exchange and electromagnetic properties. Studies suggest that Zeolite removed ammonia from livestock polluted water with the absorption of 12-bed volume and 14-15 minute hydraulic retention time. This method is better because it costs less over a long period of time.
Zeolite was mixed with Bentonite and experimented on by Venglovsky. They used it for a month, and this mixture due to Zeolite removed 95 percent or more of the microbial organisms in the Water. The microorganisms found in the feces were also not present after two weeks of inspection.
There was a decrease in the ammonium content of the wastewater as well.
Lefcourt and Meisinger found that adding 6 percent of Zeolite in the dairy waste sludge reduced the ammonia production to more than 50 percent. Ion exchange helps Zeolite to soak up and trap the ammonium and other Cations in the wastewater.
Phosphorus is also reduced.
BioSolids:
Zeolite acts as a molecular sponge that takes up the odor-causing molecules, the air fresheners and sprays don't remove the source of the smell. Still, Zeolite absorbs the odor-causing agents in its honeycomb-like crystalline structure.
Zeolite owes its unique odor control properties because it adsorbs and absorbs the matter particles that cause the smell and make bonds with them in its structure naturally so that the substances don’t leech out again. The compounds are trapped in its porous structure.
Zeolite removes odor by two mechanisms working together, ammonium ion removal, ammonia gas, and stable compounds are the cause of the smell. Moisture removal is the 2nd mechanism as less moisture, and liquid waste leads to less decomposition and less odor.
Liquid absorption prevents slurry production. The mineral soaks up the liquid content on the floor or surface. It is used and doesn't cause slipperiness. This property makes it suitable to be used on all kinds of floors.
The mineral is naturally totally nontoxic and has no side effects. It doesn't require any precautions, even if accidentally ingested. There are no hypersensitivity reactions reported to date.
Animal Feed:
Zeolite improves the quality of feed and manure production by binding toxins in the feed and increasing the digestion process within the animal’s alimentary canal.
It absorbs more than eighty percent of the ammonia in normal pH; this enhances food conversion. In an aqueous environment, zeolite binds metals and ammonium compounds. Using it in aquaculture systems and aquariums improves the clarity and purity of water.
Zeolite removes ammonia and waste materials that, in return, help with cleaning the environment. Zeolite added in feed helped in getting better manure as there are less nitrogen loss and reduced odor and has emissions.
Green Waste Composting:
The nitrogen in the plant waste can be made more usable faster with zeolite addition. Zeolite makes compost more useful by retaining nitrogen content and less odor. It also helps by breaking down nitrogen into compounds that are taken up quickly.
Sun and Zhang founded out that mixing zeolite and cast of earthworm enhanced the quality of manure products. This also decreased the maturation time required by the compost drastically.