ATAB Bioreaction for Animal Waste Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing biofertilizers from animal waste face challenges such as incomplete decomposition, excessive foaming, and contamination issues, leading to unstable products that are difficult to use and apply effectively in agriculture, while also lacking sufficient microorganisms and nutrients.
Innovation Solution
The process involves subjecting an animal waste slurry to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction (ATAB) with pure oxygen delivery, allowing for complete decomposition and separation into liquid and solid fractions, resulting in stable, nutrient-rich bionutritional compositions with enhanced microbial content suitable for both liquid biostimulants and solid biofertilizers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional decomposition methods are used to process animal waste, then the process is simpler and requires less advanced technology, but the decomposition is incomplete and the product is unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by implementing autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction (ATAB) conditions with specific temperature ranges (45-70°C), controlled oxygen delivery rates (0.5-5 vvm), and pH control (6.0-8.0). These parameter optimizations enable complete decomposition and produce stable bionutritional compositions with consistent microbial populations and nutrient profiles, resolving the contradiction between product stability and process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ATAB process is self-service in that it generates its own heat through microbial activity, eliminating the need for external heating systems. The thermophilic microorganisms produce sufficient heat to maintain reaction temperatures, simplifying equipment requirements while achieving complete decomposition and stable product composition.
2Stability of the object's composition
If animal waste is processed without pure oxygen delivery, then the equipment is simpler, but excessive foaming occurs and decomposition is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pure oxygen delivery at controlled rates (0.5-5 vvm) to accelerate aerobic decomposition reactions. This strong oxidation approach ensures complete breakdown of organic matter, prevents excessive foaming by controlling reaction intensity, and produces stable bionutritional compositions with consistent microbial populations, resolving the contradiction between decomposition completeness and equipment complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxygen delivery system incorporates feedback control through dissolved oxygen sensors and flow meters that monitor and adjust oxygen injection rates in real-time. This feedback mechanism prevents excessive foaming while ensuring complete decomposition, maintaining product stability without requiring overly complex equipment.
3Reliability
If conventional bioreaction methods are used, then the process is easier to operate, but contamination issues arise and microbial content is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains specific parameter ranges throughout the ATAB process: temperature (45-70°C), pH (6.0-8.0), dissolved oxygen (2-8 mg/L), and retention time (24-72 hours). These controlled parameters create optimal conditions for beneficial microbial proliferation while preventing pathogen growth, ensuring high microbial content and product reliability without complicating operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ATAB process operates continuously with constant oxygen delivery, temperature maintenance, and pH control throughout the 24-72 hour reaction period. This continuous action ensures consistent microbial population development and product quality, improving reliability while maintaining ease of operation through automated control systems.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separation into liquid and solid fractions is performed, then the product versatility is improved, but the processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bionutritional composition into liquid and solid fractions through filtration or decantation after the ATAB process. This segmentation creates versatile products: liquid fraction for foliar applications and rapid nutrient delivery, solid fraction for soil amendment and slow-release nutrition. The separation is performed as a simple post-processing step, adding minimal time while significantly enhancing product versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The ATAB process produces a multi-functional bionutritional composition that serves multiple purposes: the liquid fraction provides rapid nutrient availability for foliar sprays, while the solid fraction offers slow-release soil amendment. Both fractions contain beneficial microorganisms, making the system universally applicable to different crop needs and application methods, resolving the contradiction between versatility and processing time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach produces bionutritional compositions with increased stability, microbial activity, and nutrient availability, improving soil health and plant growth while being safe and cost-effective, thus addressing the limitations of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting an animal waste slurry to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction (ATAB)
Implementation Method 2
autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction
Implementation Method 3
autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction
Implementation Method 4
with pure oxygen delivery
Data Source
AI summary
Bionutritional compositions for plants and soils, such as liquid biostimulant compositions and emulsified compositions or solid biofertilizer compositions, produced from animal manure are disclosed. Also disclosed are processes for manufacturing such bionutritional compositions. The processes include the delivery of pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air to aqueous animal waste slurry and further include subjecting the aqueous animal waste slurry to an autothermal thermophilic aerobic bioreaction (ATAB). The processes may also include a separation step to separate the digested or decomposed animal waste composition after ATAB into a substantially liquid component and substantially solid component, each capable of being further processed to produce a biostimulant composition and biofertilizer composition, respectively. Also disclosed are methods of using the bionutritional compositions for promoting plant health or conditioning soil.