Energy-effective carbonization technology

Abstract

Pig farms in Japan tend to concentrate in the countryside owing primarily to livestock feed transport costs. Nearly all livestock waste generated in these areas is converted into composts or dry fertilizing materials according to Japanese agricultural regulation, but because the demand for composts and dry materials of livestock waste arises only in spring and autumn, a substantial need exists for developing new technologies to effectively use surplus pig slurry. This chapter describes the development of a sustainable system for recycling pig slurry into organic fertilizer through carbonization. The Energy-Free Carbonizing for Resource Recovery (EFCaR) system can self-generate enough heat for carbonization and produce biochar that is useful as a fertilizing material for organic fertilizer like steamed bone meal. The biochar generated from pig slurry shows the water solubility higher than those of phosphate rock and pig slurry burning ash (cinder). The EFCaR system is a viable solution to address pig slurry surplus in concentrated swine feeding areas.