The contribution of biogas plants to nutrient management planning
Adviser Torkild Birkmose
Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, National Centre
Udkaersvej 15, Skejby, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
tsb@landscentret.dk
Tel. +45 8740 5432 Fax. + 45 8740 5090
Abstract
In Denmark digestion of slurry is recognized to contribute to a better utilization of the slurry as a plant
fertilizer. From a large number of field trials this has been documented. It is also evident that digestion
reduces the smell problems after spreading the slurry.
Keywords
Slurry, utilization, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, smell reduction
Introduction
In Denmark biogas production is resting on three legs: energy production, agricultural advantages and a
purer environment (figure 1). If you saw off one leg, the whole construction will tip over! A biogas plant
is located in the intersection between the three legs. If the plant is correctly located and all three legs
carry equal weight, large synergy effects can be achieved for the benefit of agriculture, the environment,
the energy sector and thus the surrounding community.
Agriculture
Biogas
Environment
Energy
Figure 1. Biogas is an intersection of energy production, agriculture and the environment.
Biogas provides many advantages
Over the last 12-15 years Denmark has made determined efforts to promote biogas production based on
codigestion of animal manure and organic waste. The normal procedure in Denmark is to codigest about
75 per cent animal manure with about 25 per cent organic industrial and domestic waste. By far most
organic waste originates from the industrial sector (Anonymous, 1999).
In the course of this period a wide range of advantages has been demonstrated which does not
necessarily concern energy production (table 1). Some experts might almost claim that energy
production is of secondary importance! The following paragraphs describe the most important
advantages from an agricultural and an environmental perspective.
Table 1. Advantages of biogas production for the energy sector, agriculture and the environment. In
bold the issues especially discussed in this paper
Energy sector
Agriculture
The environment
 energy production
 CO2 neutral







improved utilisation of
nitrogen from animal
manure
balanced phosphorus/
potassium ratio in slurry
homogeneous and lightfluid slurry
reduced transportation of
slurry
possible to get large amounts of slurry with a full
declaration of contents
slurry free from weed seeds
and disease germs




reduced nitrogen leaching
reduced odour problems
reduced greenhouse gas
emissions
controlled recycling of
waste
What is digested slurry?
Digested slurry must be transported, stored and spread in the same way as slurry that has not been
used for biogas production. However, there are some important differences. The distinctive features
of digested slurry are:
 that several types of slurry and waste are mixed
 that the organic matter of slurry is partly degraded
Table 2. Content of dry matter, nutrients etc. in slurry used in field trials at Danish Agricultural
Advisory Service in 1999-2001. The digested slurry used is likely to be a digested mixture of about
50% pig slurry, 25% cattle slurry and 25% organic industrial waste. Source: Pedersen, 2001.
Dry
N-total, NH4-N,
P, kg
K, kg
pH
NH4-Nmatter,
kg per
kg per
per
per
factor
share, %
%
tonne
tonne
tonne
tonne
Digested slurry (20)
4,8
4,4
3,5
1,0
2,3
7,6
81
Pig slurry (28)
5,0
4,8
2,9
1,1
2,3
7,1
74
Cattle slurry (15)
7,5
3,9
2,4
0,9
3,5
6,9
61
To consider the nutrient value of nitrogen it is important to notice that:
 the dry matter is relatively low in digested slurry due to the degradation in the biogas
reactor. This makes the slurry more liquid.
 the ammonium (NH4-N) content is higher than in untreated slurry due to degradation of
organic bound nitrogen in the reactor.
 the pH factor rises due to degradation of organic acids in the slurry. This increases the risk
of ammonia volatilization.
Digestion increases the fertilizing effect of slurry
The physical and chemical process taking place in the biogas plant changes the fertilizing effect of
the slurry in the field. It is important to make allowance for this when the fertilizing plans are
prepared and also when handling and spreading the slurry. In the planning process the high content
of ammonium has to be considered. This high content is advantageous to the crops as they are
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primarily capable of utilising ammonium nitrogen. In other words: It is often possible to replace
nitrogen from commercial fertiliser by digested slurry and thus save money (Ørtenblad et al.,
1995).
The thin, low-viscosity digested slurry seeps relatively quickly into the soil. This reduces the
normally very high risk of ammonia volatilization. Trials have shown that the ammonia
evaporation from surface applied digested slurry actually is lower than from surface applied pig
slurry (Hansen, et al. 2004).
Field trials with digested slurry in winter wheat have demonstrated a nitrogen utilization higher
than pig slurry and much higher than cattle slurry (figure 1). This means for example that if a
farmer fertilizes a field of winter wheat with 170 kg of total nitrogen in digested slurry in stead of
170 kg of nitrogen in cattle slurry, he can save about 54 kg of nitrogen of mineral fertilizer and still
get the same yield!
By reducing the supply of nitrogen in mineral fertilizer a reduction in nitrate leaching can be
expected. The specific reduction is dependent on the autumn and winter cover of the fields, the soil
type etc. In general a reduction in nitrate leaching of 0.33 kg nitrate-N per kg reduction in nitrogen
in mineral fertilizer was used in the evaluation of the second Danish environmental protection plan.
(Jørgensen, 2004).
Digested slurry, trailing hoses
Pig slurry, trailing hoses
Cattle slurry, trailing hoses
Digested slurry, injected
Pig slurry, injected
Cattle slurry, injected
0
20
40
60
80
100
N-utilization (fertilizer equivalent)
Figure 1. Utilization of nitrogen in digested slurry compared with pig and cattle slurry in field
trials at Danish Agricultural Advisory Service. Average of 11 trails with digested slurry, 15 trials
with pig slurry and 15 trials with cattle slurry. Source: Pedersen, 2001, Pedersen, 2003.
Phosphorus and potassium
The utilization of phosphorus and potassium in animal manure is normally a matter of avoiding
oversupplying the crops. The best solution is only to supply until the requirement of for instance
phosphorus is covered. If the requirement of potassium is not covered at the same time extra
potassium in mineral fertilizer must be supplied.
The phosphorus/potassium ratio of digested slurry is often about 1:3. This ratio is excellent for crop
rotation schemes including for instance grain and rape - these crops often require about 20 kg
phosphorus and about 60 kg potassium. Crop rotation schemes dominated by roughage crops
require extra potassium from commercial fertiliser as the demand for potassium is much higher in
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for instance grass, beet and maize, than in cereal and rape. If a relatively large share of the slurry to
the biogas plant originates from cattle the phosphorus/potassium ratio of the digested slurry will be
considerably higher, and the slurry will be more suitable for roughage crops.
Digestion reduces the smell from the slurry
In a biogas reactor almost all easily degradable organic compounds are degraded and converted
into biogas (methane). Amongst these compounds are a lot of volatile organic compounds that
smell very bad. For example a great number of fatty acids. When these compounds are degraded,
the smell will be reduced compared to untreated slurry after spreading on the fields. In figure 2 the
content of four fatty acids in untreated and digested pig slurry is shown. A significant reduction is
demonstrated. In figure 3 the slurry has been spread in a field, and air samples have been collected
and analysed by a smell panel. A significantly lower emission of smell after spreading of digested
slurry than of untreated pig slurry was detected. Apparently a higher emission of smell was
observed after 260 minutes than after just 20 minutes. The reason is probable, that the temperature
was considerable higher after 260 minutes as it was in the middle of the day.
mg per litre slurry
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Iso-butanoic acid Butanoic acid
Untreated slurry
Iso-valeric acid
Valeric acid
Digested slurry
Figure 2. Concentrations of four very bad smelling volatile fatty acids in untreated and digested
slurry. Source: Hansen et al., 2004
Odour units per m3 of air
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
20 minutes
Untreated slurry
260 minutes
Digested slurry
Figure 3. Odour concentration in air samples collected above untreated and digested slurry spread
on a field. Source: Hansen et al., 2004.
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Final remarks
The agricultural and environmental advantages of digesting slurry and organic waste are so
manifold that digestion should have much higher priority. It is a paradox that only about 4 percent
of all animal manure in Denmark is used to produce biogas.
Some of the reasons for this relatively low percentage are poor and unstable economy and a large
administrative workload in the period of establishing (the plants are typically planned and
established by farmers and it often takes 3 - 4 years from the first plans are made to the biogas plant
is operational).
Sources
Anonymous. (1999): Centralized Biogas Plants. Danish Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries
Economics.
Hansen, M.N.; Birkmose, T.; Mortensen, B.; Skaaning, K. (2004). Miljøeffekter af bioforgasning
og separering af gylle. Grøn Viden, Markbrug nr. 296
Jørgensen, U. (2004). Muligheder for forbedret kvælstofudnyttelse i marken og for reduktion af
kvælstoftab. DJF-Rapport, Markbrug nr. 103.
Pedersen, C.Å. (2003). Oversigt over Landsforsøgene, 2003. Dansk Landbrugsrådgivning,
Landscentret
Ørtenblad, H., Birkmose, T., Knudsen, L. (1995). Næringsstofudnyttelse af afgasset gylle. Dansk
Landbrugsrådgivning, Landscentret
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