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EPA launches ‘Nutrient Recycling Challenge’

In an effort to surface new ideas for recycling livestock manure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched the “Nutrient Recycling Challenge”, a competition to develop new manure recycling technologies.

According to EPA agriculture advisor Ron Carleton, the agency is seeking ideas for cost-effective technologies that extract nutrients—specifically nitrogen and/or phosphorus—from cow or hog manure and concentrate them into a usable and potentially marketable form.

“Our livestock producers around the country have to manage over a billion tons of manure. This is a valuable resource, but we think that it’s possible with new technologies that we can manage this manure better,” says EPA agriculture advisor Ron Carleton. “We can recover the nutrients and maybe have a better product for the farmer, whether the farmer is using it on the land or wants to transport it long distances or create new markets for it.”

The USDA is partnering with EPA on the project, and the National Pork Producers Council and National Milk Producers Federation have also signed on.

“We think it’s a win-win for everyone, both from providing more economic advantages to the producer as well as some environmental benefits,” Carleton says. “So we’re excited about the challenge, but we’re also excited about the opportunity for the partnerships. This is something we want to do more of and pursue more collaborations and partnerships.”

The first step of the competition is for innovators to submit papers outlining their manure recycling concepts.  For more information, click here.

AUDIO: Ron Carleton