Cows convert millions of tonnes of grain into millions of tonnes of dung, which is commonly referred to as cow flops. Because there is considerably more manure than there are fields to distribute it on these days, it is kept in liquid form in enormous lagoons.
Cornell University researchers claim to have developed a novel method for converting bovine excrement into sustainable fertilizer to replace the cocktail of chemicals farmers now use on their crops.
They claim that heating it at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1200 degrees F in the absence of oxygen – a process known as pyrolysis – preserves essential nutrients from dairy lagoons while converting them into a controllable, environmentally beneficial biochar.
It is no longer a disposal concern after we have created a dry fertilizer -biochar- out of what was previously a liquid problem. Because the solids have been pyrolyzed, it is harmless. There are no infections, hormones, antibiotic residues, or other substances that might pollute the soil or water.
Though not a fertilizer, when applied to soil, biochar increases fertility by helping to hold water in the soil when circumstances are dry, and it helps to improve drainage and retain soil nutrients when conditions are moist.
Reference- Clean Technica, Cornell University Media-room, ScienceDirect