Pig slurry is a heterogeneous mixture of faeces, urine, undigested remains of feed items and water used for flushing of animal excrement and to maintain the proper hygiene of livestock housing. It is formed on farms which use the non-bedding system of pig breeding i.e. animals are kept on the partially or fully slatted floors. According to the Polish law pig slurry is defined as a liquid natural fertilizer intended for agricultural use. The storage and application of pig slurry on arable land affect the surroundings and may create a number of serious risks related to, among others, the pollution of water-soil environment with biogenic elements, heavy metals, pathogens and pharmaceuticals. The article presents the reasons for the occurrence of excessive amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, zinc and antibiotics in pig slurry. The possibility of microbial and pharmaceutical contamination of water, soil and plants as well as their pollution with biogens and heavy metals as a result of improper storage and excessive spreading of pig slurry have been characterized. Moreover, methods of preventing the above-mentioned threats with reference to Polish and EU legal acts have been discussed.

Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP, Na5P3O10) was prepared by the thermal intermolecular dehydration of a spray-dried mixture of sodium phosphates, so that Na/P was 1.67. Thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, and microscopic analysis with the application of a scanning electron microscope and an optical microscope with a heating system were applied in investigations. Temperatures of the formation of Na2H2P2O7 (∼463 K) and Na4P2O7 (∼488 K), as well as Na3P3O9 (>513 K) and NaPO3 (∼593 K), were established for the process in which sodium tripolyphosphate is obtained. At over 616 K NaPO3 melts and is the source of the liquid phase in the reaction system. The formation of anhydrous tripolyphosphate attains the highest speed around 563 K.

This study aimed to develop a new, complex pig manure treatment and filtration process. The final scheme, called the AMAK process, comprised the following successive steps: mineralization with mineral acids, alkalization with lime milk, superphosphate addition, a second alkalization, thermal treatment, and pressure filtration. The proposed method produced a filtrate with 95%, 80%, and 96% reductions in chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen content, and phosphorus content, respectively. An advantage of the proposed method was that it incorporated a crystalline phase into the solid organic part of the manure, which enabled high filtration rates (>1000 kg m(-2) h(-1)) and efficient separation. The process also eliminated odor emissions from the filtrate and sediment. The treated filtrate could be used to irrigate crops or it could be further treated in conventional biological wastewater treatment plants. The sediment could be used for producing mineral-organic fertilizer. The AMAK process is inexpensive, and it requires low investment costs.

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Pig slurry is classified as a natural liquid fertilizer, which is a heterogeneous mixture of urine, faeces, remnants of feed and technological water, used to remove excrement and maintain the hygiene of livestock housing. The storage and distribution of pig slurry on farmland affect the environment as they are associated with, among others, the emission of various types of gaseous pollutants, mainly CH4, CO2, N2O, NH3, H2S, and other odorants. Methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are greenhouse gases (GHGs) which contribute to climate change by increasing the greenhouse effect. Ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are malodorous gases responsible for the occurrence of odour nuisance which, due to their toxicity, may endanger the health and lives of humans and animals. NH3 also influences the increase of atmosphere and soil acidification. The article presents the environmental impact of greenhouse gases and odorous compounds emitted from pig slurry. Key gaseous atmospheric pollutants such as NH3, H2S, CH4, CO2 and N2O have been characterized. Furthermore, methods to reduce the emission of odours and GHGs from pig slurry during its storage and agricultural usage have been discussed.

The paper presents the results of analyses of samples of manure from a pig farm located near Piła, Poland performed between June 2011 and May 2012 using a single sampling system. The statistical analyses of the average content of chemical and biological oxide demands, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and dry mass in the slurry in various seasons allowed us to draw conclusions concerning the changes in the chemical composition of the manure in specific seasons and to determine the correlations between the chemical parameters. The average content of N, BOD, P, and dry mass content tended to decrease systematically from the spring until the winter. The highest correlation coefficient, which indicates significant interdependency among the variables tested, was consistently found for COD and BOD, whereas the smallest correlation coefficient was found consistently for K and Ca and once for Ca and N.