EAST LANSING, Mich. — A technology for extracting drinkable water from manure is on its way to commercial application this year, Michigan State University said recently.
The technology is useful for animal operations in dry regions where water is at a premium, the school said.
The McLanahan Nutrient Separation System is an add-on to an anaerobic digester, which extracts energy and chemicals from manure. The system adds ultrafiltration, air stripping and a reverse osmosis system to produce water that’s clean enough for cattle to drink.
The system has value both in conserving resources and protecting the environment, said Steve Safferman, an associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering.
“If you have 1,000 cows on your operation, they produce about 10 million gallons of manure a year,” Safferman said. “Here in Michigan, we have a tendency to take water for granted, but out west, for example, where drought remains an issue, the accessibility of clean water could make the difference between a farm remaining viable or going out of business.”
Manure also “contains large amounts of nutrients, carbon and pathogens that can have an environmental impact if not properly managed,” Safferman said.
About 90 percent of manure is water. The system now extracts about 50 gallons of water from each 100 gallons of manure. Developers are aiming at raising that to 65 gallons, said Jim Wallace of McLanahan Corp., which is working to develop the technology.
