Studies Explore Changing Wastewater into Fertilizer

New studies are exploring whether using organic waste to make fertilizers could help promote sustainable production and decrease fossil fuel consumption. One of the studies, by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, focused on using a fungal treatment to make fertilizer from leftover wastewater for agricultural crops.

The researchers were using a process known as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), which makes biocrude oil from biomass via a high-pressure, high-temperature process.

Paul Davidson, an associate professor in the university’s agricultural and biological engineering department, stated that the process through which HTL uses wet biomass from organic sources, such as food waste or swine manure, to yield wastewater was referred to as hydrothermal liquefaction aqueous phase (HTL-AP). This process, he continued, contained nutrients that could be used for fertilizer but couldn’t be accessed by plants due to their organic forms. HTL-AP, he added, could also contain heavy metals that were toxic, depending on the biowaste type.

The lead author of the study, Vitória Leme, discussed how the researchers investigated the use of white-rot fungus known as Trametes versicolor to break down the organic compounds into nitrate or ammonia and eliminate toxic components. The researchers observed how a solution that contained 5% HTL-AP was treated with Trametes versicolor for three days, resulting in increased concentrations of ammonia and nitrate.

In their report, Leme and the other researchers highlighted how Trametes versicolor seemed to show promise as a candidate for the treatment of HTL-AP.

A similar study at the institution was carried out by Karla Lopez, whose objective was to further convert ammonia into nitrate by combining the fungal treatment with a bacterial nitrification process. This study determined that inoculation of nitrifying bacteria and Trametes versicolor grew concentrations of nitrates in HTL-AP 17 times.

In the report, Lopez explained that the scientists discovered that the samples saw the highest increases in both ammonia and nitrate when the microorganisms were put through water with a pH range of between 6 to 7.5. She added that some evidence also showed that Trametes versicolor eliminated some of the possibly toxic compounds in the biowaste. This comes after the researchers observed that the treatment produced an enzyme that could degrade toxins.

Currently, a team of researchers under Davidson are focused on using the treated wastewater to grow crops hydroponically.

The first study, led by Leme, reported its findings in “Heliyon,” while the second study, led by Lopez, reported its findings in “Agriculture.” Both studies were supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

As these studies are taken through the different stages before usable fertilizers are brought to the market, farmers will have to rely on the tried and tested crop nutrients from manufacturers such as Compass Minerals International Inc. (NYSE: CMP).

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