Anaerobic digestion of spent bedding from deep litter piggery housing

This paper investigates spent litter from deep litter piggery housing as a potential substrate for farm-scale anaerobic digestion. Degradability and degradation rates were evaluated under mesophilic conditions for unused, lightly soiled (used by weaner/small pigs), and heavily soiled (used by finishing/large pigs) wheat straw, barley straw, and rice husks bedding. Apparent first order hydrolysis rate coefficients varied, but were comparable across all samples analysed (<0.1 day−1). Spent wheat straw was generally more degradable (approximately 60%) than spent barley straw, while spent barley straw was comparable to raw straw (40–50%), but with higher hydrolysis rates, indicating better accessibility. Rice husks were relatively poorly degradable (<20%), but degradability was improved by weathering in a pig shed. Digestion of spent barley and wheat straw litter was significantly faster (approximately twice the rate) at low (8% solids) than high (14% solids) solids loading. Rice husks degradation kinetics were not significantly influenced by solids concentration. Intrinsic methanogenic activity of heavily soiled spent wheat straw and rice husks bedding was initially poor, but achieved full activity after 40–60 days, indicating that reactor operation without external inoculum may be possible with care.