A method and an apparatus for receiving manure from a vacuum truck, as that manure is collected from alleys of a dairy barn, includes receiving the manure in a mixing basin. The received manure is diluted in the mixing basin with a jet of water discharging a sufficient volume of water to form a sand-laden manure flow having a velocity of over 3 feet per second and dilute the received manure into a sand-laden manure suspension of less than seven percent manure solids. The resulting sand laden manure suspension is conducted into a vestibule of a sand settling lane to slow the flow of the sand laden manure suspension to enter a sand settling lane at a velocity of less than 1.25 feet per second. Sand is collected in the sand settling lane. Gravity urges the sand from the sand-laden manure suspension as it flows through the sand settling lane.

A circular integrated ecological breeding and planting system including a plurality of units capable of growing vegetables, producing worms, breeding and raising chickens, and growing seaweed is provided to collectively construct a simplified simulated food. It not only unifies the lower and upper ecological food chains, but also minimizes pollution and undesirable waste. The system is particularly suitable for enclosed and intensive production within a single enclosed building to greatly reduce the production cost. This proposed eco-agricultural model has applications beyond its current configuration and can be applied to grow other plants, and to breed and raise other animals in the future.

Disclosed are an intelligent separation and drying system for maggots and a method of operating the same. The intelligent separation and drying system includes an intelligent light control unit, an intelligent scraping unit, a separation unit, a drying unit, a travelling unit and a central control unit. The central control unit is connected to other units through signals. Multidisciplinary techniques, including spectrum analysis, machine learning algorithm and artificial neural network, are combined to automatically, systematically, intelligently and continuously separate maggots and maggot feed as well as dry the maggots with high efficiency in a clean manner.

A system and a method for reducing emission of greenhouse gasses is provided, in particular at least one of methane, laughing gas, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia from slurry stored in one or more slurry storage tanks. The method includes continuously maintaining slurry stored in a slurry storage tank under acidic conditions. The method includes the steps of: A: monitoring pH in the slurry present in the slurry storage tank by one or more pH sensors arranged in contact with the slurry in the slurry storage, B: checking if the detected pH exceeds above an upper threshold, such as an upper threshold set at pH=7, C: activate acid addition when the monitored pH exceeds the upper threshold, D: while stirring, adding acid until pH in the slurry is adjusted to within a range between the upper threshold and a lower threshold, such as between pH=2 and pH=7, in particular between pH=5 to pH=7, or more preferred pH=5 and pH=6, and repeating steps C-D when the detected pH of step A exceeds the upper threshold.

A method and system to significantly reduce odor emissions caused by ammonia and other noxious gasses and reduce nitrogen levels in animal husbandry wastewater effectively and efficiently by the use of flush water that has been biochemically conditioned to lower the pH thus reducing the level of un-ionized compounds including NH.sub.3 which can volatilize into the atmosphere and which method and system can also be used to remove ammonia and nitrogen from the wastewater system. The present disclosure includes the use of flush water that has been biochemically conditioned to lower its pH thus sequestering non-ionized ammonia from being released from a liquid as ammonia gas. This disclosure relates to the new use of nitrification for biochemical conditioning of wastewater for use as flush water to reduce atmospheric ammonia emissions.

The present invention is an aquaponic assembly, comprising at least one tank, wherein the tank is sized to contain a predetermined quantity and species of fish; a radial flow settler connected to the at least one tank, wherein the radial flow settler receives a liquid from the at least one tank, wherein the liquid contains fish excrement and the radial flow settler sorts solid excrement from the liquid; a mineralization system is connected to the radial flow settler, wherein the liquid from the radial flow settler undergoes a mineralization process to adjust the composition of the liquid; a series of liquid beds connected to the mineralization system, wherein the liquid passes through the series of liquid beds; and a plurality of substrates positioned within the liquid beds.

A system and method for reclaiming nutrients from dairy manure includes a centrifuge for separating a liquid fraction of the manure from a solid fraction comprising organic material; a mechanical vapor recompression evaporator (MVR) to receive the liquid fraction from the centrifuge and evaporating the liquid fraction by mechanical vapor recompression to produce ammonia-laden water vapor and a concentrated nutrient slurry; a dryer for drying the nutrient slurry to a selected moisture content to be available as an ingredient in compounded fertilizer; and an ammonia stripping tower assembly to receive ammonia-laden water vapor from the MVR and from it to precipitate ammonium sulphate salt and condense water as separate products.

An improved treatment of manure from animal husbandry results from using a hybrid upflow, anaerobic contact reactor that maintains a flocculent bed of solids in combination with a microfiltration/ultrafiltration system and a recycle flow arrangement. This hybrid anaerobic contact reactor arrangement provides a high conversion of COD and volatile suspended solids in the anaerobic contact reactor by maintaining a flocculent region of solids and direct recycle of an aliquot portion of the effluent stream from the anaerobic contact reactor. The direct recycle facilitates the adjustment of the hydraulic retention time versus the solids retention time within the anaerobic contact reactor. The provision of concentrate from the microfiltration/ultrafiltration system increases solids retention time in the anaerobic contact reactor. This arrangement eliminates additional processing steps and equipment typically used in treating flush manure.

An improved treatment of manure from animal husbandry results from using a hybrid upflow, anaerobic contact reactor that maintains a flocculent bed of solids in combination with a microfiltration/ultrafiltration system and a recycle flow arrangement. This hybrid anaerobic contact reactor arrangement provides a high conversion of COD and volatile suspended solids in the anaerobic contact reactor by maintaining a flocculent region of solids and direct recycle of an aliquot portion of the effluent stream from the anaerobic contact reactor. The direct recycle facilitates the adjustment of the hydraulic retention time versus the solids retention time within the anaerobic contact reactor. The provision of concentrate from the microfiltration/ultrafiltration system increases solids retention time in the anaerobic contact reactor. This arrangement eliminates additional processing steps and equipment typically used in treating flush manure.

Methods and apparatus for the treatment of animal waste are disclosed, together with a treated animal waste and fertilizer and growth media products derived therefrom.