Air stripping of ammonia from pig slurry: characterisation and feasibility as a pre- or post-treatment to mesophilic anaerobic digestion

The objective of the present paper has been to study the effect of pig slurry waste type, fresh or anaerobically digested, and the effect of initial pH on ammonia air stripping from pig slurry waste at high temperature (80 °C). Stripping process as pre- or post-treatment to anaerobic digestion has been also evaluated. Treatment performances differ according to pig slurry type. When fresh pig slurry is used, despite working at 80 °C, a high initial pH (11.5) is required for complete ammonia removal. On the other hand, for digested pig slurry, complete ammonia removal without pH modification is possible and organic matter significantly less contaminates recovered ammonia salt. Batch anaerobic tests showed that ammonia air stripping is not an advisable pre-treatment to pig slurry anaerobic digestion.