Recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock slurry with treatment technologies: A meta-analysis

The livestock industry has developed rapidly in recent decades, but the improper treatment of livestock manure, especially slurry, causes environmental pollution. Treatment technologies are considered to be effective in alleviating nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from livestock slurry. Here, we used published research data to conduct a meta-analysis of the recovery efficiencies of N and P of five mainstream treatment technologies, including ammonia stripping, air scrubbing, membrane filtration, microalgae cultivation and struvite crystallization. Additionally, the agronomic effects of the recovered products of these treatment technologies were evaluated. The results showed that all technologies exhibited clear recovery effects on N and P. The N recovery efficiencies ranged from 57% to 86%, and those of P ranged from 64% to 87%. Struvite crystallization was the most efficient treatment technology for both N and P recovery; moreover, the ammonia stripping and microalgae cultivation technologies were less efficient. The pH levels and temperatures are the main factors that influence ammonia stripping, struvite crystallization and microalgae cultivation, while membrane filtration and air scrubbing are mainly affected by the membrane types and properties. When the equal amount of N or P input to fields, the recovered products (ammonium sulfate and struvite crystals) may achieve a similar crop yield, relative to commercial N or P fertilizers. Our findings can provide deep suggestions and parameters for designing proper treatment technologies to reduce nutrient discharge from livestock slurry in regions with high livestock density and also for identifying the research gaps that should be paid more attention in the future.

Automated summary

This study conducted a meta-analysis using published research data to evaluate the recovery efficiencies of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from livestock slurry using five mainstream treatment technologies. The results showed that all technologies exhibited clear recovery effects on N and P, with struvite crystallization being the most efficient treatment technology. pH levels and temperatures were found to be the main factors influencing the efficiency of ammonia stripping, struvite crystallization, and microalgae cultivation, while membrane types and properties had a significant impact on membrane filtration and air scrubbing. The recovered products, such as ammonium sulfate and struvite crystals, were found to achieve similar crop yields compared to commercial fertilizers. This study provides valuable insights into designing proper treatment technologies to reduce nutrient discharge from livestock slurry and identifies research gaps that should be further explored in the future.