New Technologies in the Processing of Agricultural Waste

L. L. Gishkaeva

and F. Ya. Polonkoeva

Chechen State University Named After A.A. Kadyrov, Grozny, Russia

Ingush State University, Magas, Russia

Keywords: Agricultural production, ecologically closed biological systems, farm animal waste, anaerobic methane

fermentation, biogas, biofertilizers.

Abstract: The article is concerned with the need for the transition of present-day production on the example of

agriculture to ecologically closed biological systems with a high level of resource and energy use. It is noted

that the possibility of a deep reorganization of business processes in the agricultural sector is due to the

ongoing fundamental changes in such areas as telecommunications, information technology, engineering

solutions. Modern biotechnologies allow farm animal waste to be used as raw materials for the production of

not only organic fertilizers, but also to obtain alternative fuels and feed from them. So, one of the examples

of the effective use of organic waste as animal manure is the technology of its anaerobic fermentation with

the production of gaseous fuel as biogas. Also, the development of this waste processing technology makes it

possible to disinfect waste and obtain high-quality organic fertilizers that are necessary for the development

of crop production industries. The regions of the Southern Federal District have great potential for the

development of biogas technologies that will not only meet their fuel needs for agricultural machinery and

transport, but also provide rural areas with heat and electricity.

1 INTRODUCTION

One of the most important problems of a global nature

that require immediate solution is the problem of

environmental protection. In accordance with the

Federal Laws of the Russian Federation "On

Environmental Protection" and "On Production and

Consumption Waste", the efficiency of production is

assessed taking into account its impact on the

environment. This also applies to the agricultural

sector of the economy, which has waste-intensive

production and its transition to ecologically closed

biological systems, with a high level of use of natural

resources and energy, can be considered as an

important direction in solving this problem.

Agriculture is an industry based on a large variety

of rapidly changing conditions and factors, which, in

turn, generate a huge amount of information

necessary for efficient production and adaptation of

agriculture to these and other external changes. To

date, the possibility of conducting a deep

reorganization of business processes in the

agricultural sector of the economy is determined by

the cardinal changes taking place in such related

fields of activity as telecommunications, information

technology, engineering solutions.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the course of this scientific research in the field of

the development of advanced waste treatment

technologies in agricultural production, the works of

well-known Russian scientists interested in the

problems of the development of highly ecological

industries were used.

According to Osmonov O.M., the production of

biogas during the anaerobic processing of organic

agricultural waste, in addition to the energy aspect as

the production of gaseous fuel, also has

environmental aspects of application - the cessation

of deforestation used for fuel, disinfection of waste

and agrochemical – the production of organic

fertilizers for the growth of soil fertility.

Golubev I.G., Shvanskaya L.Yu., Konovalenko

L.Yu. and others note that in recent years, work has

been actively carried out in various countries of the

world, including Russia, to develop promising and

environmentally friendly technologies for preparing

manure for use as a raw material for biofuels.

Gishkaeva, L. and Polonkoeva, F.

New Technologies in the Processing of Agricultural Waste.

DOI: 10.5220/0011568400003524

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Methods, Models, Technologies for Sustainable Development (MMTGE 2022) - Agroclimatic Projects and Carbon Neutrality, pages

193-197

ISBN: 978-989-758-608-8

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

193

According to Sidorenko O.D., the technologies

under consideration are environmentally friendly,

since they allow transferring waste from a dangerous

source of pollution into valuable raw materials

needed in the production of fertilizers, combustible

materials, as well as feed.

When burning biogas, according to the

calculations of Zakharchenko A.N., there is a greater

heat release than when burning wood waste or

manure directly.

According to Kovalev A.A., the most active

process of methanogenesis is observed in mesophilic

conditions - 35-35 °C or thermophilic - 54-57 °C

temperature modes of fermentation.

As Zavarzin G.A. notes, up to several hundred

species of microorganisms are involved in the whole

complicated process of converting organic substances

into methane and carbon dioxide, and bacteria

predominate among them.

Currently, according to Varfolomeev S.D.,

Moiseeva I.I., Myasoedova B.F., technologization of

the use of renewable energy sources is taking place in

various directions, including direct conversion of

solar energy into electricity.

Pantskhava E.S.Pozharnov V.A., Shipilov M.M.

believe that the process of bioenergy development,

which relies on the conversion of biomass into

combustible gas and its further use, corresponds to the

infrastructure of modern traditional energy.

As noted by Khabibulin R.E., Yezhkova G.O.,

Reshetnik O.A., Russian regions differ in different

potential of biomass, which can be used in the energy

sector.

This work was carried out using such scientific

methods as statistical analysis, comparative analysis,

functional analysis, positive and normative analysis.

The scientific research was carried out in accordance

with the problem-chronological principle, the

principles of consistency and scientific objectivity.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The intensification of agricultural sectors in the

Russian economy in accordance with the program

"Accelerated development of animal husbandry"

within the framework of the priority national project

"Development of Agriculture" is aimed at a high level

of concentration of farm animals and poultry, their

maintenance using innovative technologies, reducing

the volume of straw litter used, ensuring the necessary

changes in the characteristics of organic waste during

their disposal in new ways. The presence of untreated

manure effluents near agricultural enterprises, as well

as their direct introduction into the soil, can lead to

various infections, biological and chemical

contamination of adjacent territories, groundwater,

and the air basin. Manure, animal wastes and manure

effluents are not only large tonnage, but also

dangerous types of agricultural waste, and the need

for their neutralization becomes an important task. At

the same time, farm animal waste, thanks to modern

biotechnologies, makes it possible to use them as raw

materials in the production of not only organic

fertilizers, but also alternative energy carriers and

feed.

According to various estimates, the annual

amount of organic waste from agricultural production

is 630-650 million tons, and the largest part of them

(56%) is formed in livestock and poultry farms of

various forms of ownership (Golubev, 2011). The

peculiarity of animal husbandry and poultry waste is

that they contain in their composition a significant

number of pathogenic microorganisms - agents of

infections. With large volumes of their formation,

untimely collection and removal of waste to places of

disposal and neutralization pose a serious threat to the

environment, polluting soil, groundwater, rivers and

reservoirs. According to some data, in the Russian

Federation, the volume of organic waste generated on

livestock farms annually amounts to 350 million tons

of cattle manure, 32 million tons of pig manure and

15 million tons of poultry manure (Sidorenko, 2018).

In this regard, it is worth noting that livestock

complexes as major pollutants negatively affect the

environment, while agricultural land needs manure,

which is a very valuable fertilizer of organic origin.

So, during the year, arable lands in the Non-

Chernozem zone of Russia lose organic matter in the

amount of 0.5-0.7 tons per 1 hectare, 1.0-1.5 tons per

1 hectare - in the Central Chernozem region, 0.3-0.7

– in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Far East

losses reach 0.6-1.0 tons per 1 hectare. Arable lands

in the country require the annual application of 840

million tons of organic fertilizers to restore soil

fertility, which on average is about 6 tons per 1

hectare of land (Sidorenko, 2018).

For these reasons, the main direction of using

farm animal waste in the form of manure and litter is

their use as an organic fertilizer to increase the

fertility of agricultural soils, since a large amount of

nutrients is present in the composition of manure. The

main types of organic farm animal waste are the

results of the vital activity of animals and birds grown

for the production of agricultural products in the form

of manure and litter.

Considering animal manure as an organic

fertilizer, it is always taken into account that fresh, i.e.

MMTGE 2022 - I International Conference "Methods, models, technologies for sustainable development: agroclimatic projects and carbon

neutrality", Kadyrov Chechen State University Chechen Republic, Grozny, st. Sher

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untreated manure contains a large number of

pathogenic microorganisms (pathogens of infectious

and invasive diseases of animals and humans) and

weed seeds that reduce the quantity and quality of

crop production. So, for one ton of fresh manure, on

average, there may be from 500 thousand to 5 million

different weed seeds, and therefore, when using such

manure as fertilizers, with the calculation of 50 tons

on the soil of the earth with a size of 1 hectare, 25-

250 million weed seeds are also entered. In the future,

when implementing such measures to get rid of

weeds, it often becomes necessary to resort to toxic

chemicals that are dangerous for both humans and

animals (Osmonov, 2006).

Thus, the direct use of fresh manure as fertilizer

without prior preparation (disinfection) is

unacceptable, therefore, aerobic and anaerobic

technologies are used to prepare manure for use. The

utilization of organic waste from animal husbandry

and poultry farming should provide for their effective

disinfection, the use of energy and agrochemical

potential of organic waste from agricultural

production.

The most rational way to use organic waste from

agricultural production in the form of animal manure

is the technology of their anaerobic fermentation to

produce gaseous fuel - biogas. In addition to the

energy aspect of obtaining fuel, such aspects as

environmental (waste disinfection) and agrochemical

(obtaining high-quality organic fertilizers) are of

great importance in the use of this waste processing

technology.

The energy effect that occurs when using the

technology of anaerobic fermentation of organic

waste as animal manure is due to the fact that, due to

incomplete absorption by animals from the plants

they eat of the solar energy generated as a result of

photosynthesis, more than half of it is deposited in

manure. So, for example, 26% of the energy received

by the cow's body from plant feeds in the process of

complex biological processes is spent on its vital

activity, 16% goes into dairy products, and up to 58%

of all the energy noted goes into manure (Osmonov,

2011).

Thus, it can be argued that animal manure is a very

valuable source of renewable energy. Also, in

addition to biogas, during anaerobic fermentation

during the processing of animal manure, the

germination of weed seeds is lost, various pathogens

and helminths are destroyed (Zakharchenko, 2005;

Osmonov, 2006; Osmonov, 2011). Biogas obtained

by anaerobic fermentation of organic waste consists

mainly of 50-70% of a mixture of methane and 20-

50% of carbon dioxide, may also contain a small

amount of hydrogen sulfide - 10%, from 0 to 10% of

hydrogen, 2-4% of water, up to 1% of nitrogen, even

less oxygen, ammonia and other various components.

Thus, the methane content in biogas is determined by

its rather high value of the heat of combustion.

Biogas from liquid manure, due to anaerobic

fermentation obtained from 100 heads of cattle, can

provide thermal energy, which gives 0.7 tons of fuel

oil, and electricity from biogas from the manure of

one cow per year, presented as fuel for a thermal

power plant, can be obtained up to about 900 kWh

(Osmonov, 2011).

The process of anaerobic fermentation of organic

animal waste is divided into two stages: the stage of

maturation of methane biocenosis and the stage of

methane formation. At the first stage, complex

organic compounds such as fats, proteins, fiber, etc.

are decomposed by various acid-forming

microorganisms into such simpler primary

fermentation products as lower alcohols, volatile fatty

acids, carbon monoxide, acetic and formic acids, etc.,

presented as food sources for the second

methanogenic group of bacteria carrying out the

second stage, in which gases such as carbon dioxide

and methane are produced (Kovalev, 1998).

The main bacteria involved in the formation of

biogas in the process of anaerobic methane

fermentation are methanogenic bacteria. During

anaerobic fermentation, the intensity of the gas

release process is determined by the conditions

necessary for the vital activity of methanogenic

bacteria. Methanogenic and acidogenic bacteria

present during anaerobic fermentation are found in

the digestive system of herbivorous animals

(Zavarzin, 1986).

Thus, it is sufficient to provide them with the

necessary conditions for the implementation of

anaerobic methane fermentation, which consist in the

fact that:

- firstly, it is necessary to achieve a complete

absence of oxygen in the air in the fermentation

liquid, i.e. a strictly anaerobic environment is

necessary;

- secondly, we need a certain concentration of

the substrate used, i.e. nutrients in the

fermentation liquid and the possibility of

achieving mass transfer;

- thirdly, during the fermentation process, it is

necessary to maintain a constant temperature

regime;

- fourth, it is also necessary to ensure the pH

regime in the fermentation liquid;

- fifth, the amount of inhibitor substances in the

fermented substrate should be low or absent

New Technologies in the Processing of Agricultural Waste

195

altogether.

When using special biogas plants with anaerobic

fermentation, it is possible to achieve a strictly

anaerobic environment.

During anaerobic fermentation, with the use of a

biogas plant, animal manure turns into organic

biofertilizer of high quality, exceeding in its

fertilizing value fresh animal excrement, due to the

fact that during fermentation, nutrients for plants

become more accessible. In a biogas reactor, as a

result of anaerobic fermentation, no more carbon is

lost compared to other methods of manure

stabilization, such as manure storage and composting.

Also, phosphorus and potassium are almost

completely preserved in fermented manure during its

anaerobic processing using a biogas reactor. This is

evidenced by the data obtained during periodic

quality control of fermented manure on such main

agronomic indicators as nitrogen, potassium,

phosphorus, etc.

Ensuring the necessary concentration during

fermentation of the substrate occurs by adding water

to animal manure, which is prepared for methane

fermentation, which leads to an increase in its initial

humidity. For methane fermentation, manure from 70

to 90% of the moisture content is generally suitable,

while humidity in the range from 88 to 92% is

considered optimal, at which the process of the most

intense gas release occurs during anaerobic

fermentation.

There are three characteristic temperature regimes

of fermentation, which are preferable for certain types

of methane-forming microorganisms:

- psychrophilic temperature regime - 8–20 °C;

- mesophilic temperature regime - 25–40 °C;

- thermophilic temperature regime - 45–65 °C.

In fresh manure, during anaerobic fermentation of

farm animal waste using a biogas reactor, weed seeds,

which are rich in manure, lose their germination, and

crop yields also increase when the fermented mass of

manure is applied as an organic fertilizer. All this

provides producers with the opportunity to grow an

environmentally friendly product without the use of

various types of pesticides harmful to both animals

and humans for weed control. Conducting anaerobic

processing of animal waste, in which pathogenic

microorganisms that are the causative agents of many

infectious diseases are destroyed, helps to reduce

bacterial contamination of both soils and

groundwater. Humus materials, which are present

during the fermentation of manure, lead to an

improvement in the physical qualities of the soil, and

the level of assimilation of nutrients by plants also

increases due to the fact that minerals for the activity

of soil microorganisms are a source for their energy

and nutrition.

Biofertilizers, thus, contribute to the preservation

in the feedstock in an easily digestible form of all the

nitrogen and other nutrients contained in it, so

necessary for plants. Compared with manure that has

rotted under natural conditions, most of the helminth

eggs, weed seeds, and pathogenic microorganisms

present in untreated manure die in biofertilizers

obtained by fermenting manure using biogas reactors.

Also, if mineral fertilizers are rich in nitrogen,

phosphorus and potassium, then there are no chemical

substitutes for protein, cellulose, lignin contained in

biofertilizers obtained in biogas reactors during the

anaerobic fermentation of fresh manure.

To date, Russia has a high resource potential for

the production of fuel from biomass. In the country,

the annual volume of organic waste reaches 750

million tons, of which 150 million tons are livestock

waste, in crop production their number reaches 100

million tons (Varfolomeev, 2009; Pantskhava, 2007).

The results of the assessment of the prospects for the

development of renewable energy production from

organic waste in the country indicate that the volume

of biogas from 624 million tons organic waste can

reach up to 31-75 billion m

, from which, in turn, it is

possible to simultaneously receive 150 billion kWh of

electricity and 150 Gcal of thermal energy, or replace

gasoline in the amount of 37 million tons when it is

used in transport (Pantskhava, 2007).

Due to differences in climatic conditions and the

level of development of agricultural and industrial

sectors, Russian regions have different biomass

potential suitable for use in the energy sector, but

despite this, up to 1 billion tons of organic fertilizers

are formed in all variants (Khabibullin, 2016). The

Southern Federal District is among the promising

ones regarding the development of biogas

technologies. According to calculations, this region

accounts for up to 49% of the total potential of the

country, meaning that it is possible to produce from

agricultural waste from 24 to 28 billion m

of biogas.

The demand of the rural population of the region (9.7

million people) for electricity reaches 14 billion kWh

per year, which will require up to 6 billion m

biogas or 20-25% of the total volume of its

production, 3.4 million tons are annual gasoline costs,

4.3 million tons are diesel fuel, and this is equivalent

to 15.4 billion m

of biogas. Consequently, the district

can meet its fuel needs for agricultural machinery and

transport only with its own biogas, and rural

territories can meet their needs for thermal and

electric energy (Pantskhava, 2007).

MMTGE 2022 - I International Conference "Methods, models, technologies for sustainable development: agroclimatic projects and carbon

neutrality", Kadyrov Chechen State University Chechen Republic, Grozny, st. Sher

196

4 CONCLUSIONS

Biogas production in the world is increasing and

expanding its borders, covering more and more

countries in this process. In terms of the number of

operating biogas power plants, China and India are

the leaders. African states accounted for 2 million

biogas plants, which supplied about 10 million people

with gas, while the biogas market of this continent

reached 20 million installations of potential capacity.

More than 150 thousand biogas plants were used in

Nepal, their number in Vietnam was 25 thousand, and

there are plans for the future of these countries to put

these plants into operation more and more

(Khabibullin, 2016).

In general, the windows of opportunity for the

country consist in greater participation and leadership

in various integration associations, establishing

constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation

with new players in the global geopolitical space,

active participation in the reform of the global

governance system and international economic and

trade institutions, including to strengthen their

positions in new international markets.

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