Chapter 1
Anaerobic Digestion: Biogas
AGRICULTURAL WASTE
MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING
It shall refer to the development of
systems, processes and equipment for
AB waste disposal and utilization and
environment-friendly technologies such
as compost plant, biogas plant, biomass
utilization technologies, systems and
processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
It is the study of properly managing the
environment to minimize the problem of
pollution derived from solid, liquid and/or
gaseous matter produced in the farm
and consequently convert them into
useful form to obtain a proper
environment needed in farming
operations.
SOURCES OF AB WASTES
PLANT WASTE
 Perishable crops: Fruits and
vegetables
 Durable Crops: Grains and
Cereals
ANIMAL WASTE
 Livestock and Poultry
 Aquaculture/Fisheries Wastes
UTILIZATION of AB WASTE
 Heat Energy and Power
 Food and Feed
 Bio-fertilizer
 Structural Material
CONVERSION OF AB WASTE TO
ENERGY
A. Bio-chemical Conversion
1.
Production
2. Biofuel production: Ethanol
Production
B. Thermo-chemical Conversion
1. Direct Combustion – heat
production from direct burning of
waste
2. Carbonization – charcoal
production by the use of limited
amount of air during firing
operation
3. Gasification – production of CO
for heat and power generation
4. Pyrolysis – burning of waste in
anaerobic condition to produce oil
substitute
CONVERSION OF AB WASTE TO
ENERGY TO BIO-FERTILIZER AND
SOIL CONDITIONER
1. Composting Process: Aerobic
composting and anaerobic
composting
2. Char production
3. Shredding and Decortications
Process
CONVERSION OF AB WASTE TO
INDUSTRIAL MATERIAL
1. Activated carbon
2. Insulating Material
3. Soap coating and cosmetics
4. Wall board and upholstery
5. Paper, glues and building materials
6. Plastic and synthetic rubber
7. Crude oil
CLASSIFICATION OF WASTES
A. Biodegradable Waste - any material
that can be reduced into finer particles
(degraded or decomposed) by
microbiological organisms or enzymes.
1. Food (cooking) waste/kitchen
waste: peelings, leftovers,
vegetable trims,
fish/fowl/meat/animal
entrails/innards/cleanings, soft
shells, seeds, etc.
2. Agricultural (garden) waste:
leaves, flowers, twigs, branches,
stems, roots, trimmings, weeds,
seeds/inedible fruits, etc
3. Animal waste: manure/urine,
carcass, etc
4. Human waste – excreta, soiled
pads, sanitary napkins, etc.
B. Non-biodegradable
a) Metals g) Rocks
b) Plastics h) Post
c) Papers i) Glasses
d) Dry leathers j) Rubber: natural
and synthetic
e) Hard shells k) Dry processed
fibers
TERMINOLOGIES
Solid waste- refers to all discarded
household, commercial waste, non-
hazardous institutional and industrial
waste, street sweepings, construction
debris, agricultural waste, and other
non-hazardous/non-toxic solid waste.
Domestic waste – is the refuse from
household as distinguished from
industrial waste, agricultural waste,
hospital waste, etc. which may be
classified as biodegradable or non-
biodegradable.
Solid Waste Management – refers to
the discipline associated with the control
of generation, storage, collection,
transfer and transport, processing, and
disposal of solid waste in a manner that
is in accord with the best principles of
public health, economics, engineering,
conservation, aesthetics and other
environmental considerations, and that
is also responsive to public attitudes.
Solid Waste Management Facility –
refers to any resource recovery system
or component thereof; any system,
program, or facility for resource
conservation; any facility for the
collection, source separation, storage,
transportation, transfer, processing,
treatment, or disposal of solid waste.
Recycling – refers to the treating of
used or waste materials through a
process of making them suitable for
beneficial use and for other purposes,
and includes any process by which solid
waste materials are transformed into
new products in such a manner that the
original product may lose their identity;
and which may be used as raw
materials for the production of other
goods or devices
Re-use – refers to the process of
recovering materials intended for the
same or different purpose without the
alteration of physical or chemical
characteristics.
Resource Recovery - refers to the
collection, extraction or recovery of
recyclable materials from the waste
stream for the purpose of recycling,
generating energy or producing a
product suitable for beneficial use
Sanitary landfill – refers to a waste
disposal site designed, constructed,
operated and maintained in a manner
that exerts engineering control over
significant potential environmental
impacts arising from the development
and operation of the facility.
Materials Recovery Facility – Includes
a solid waste transfer station or sorting
station, drop-off center, a composting
facility, and a recycling facility.
Segregation – refers to a solid waste
management practice of separating
different materials found in solid waste
in order to promote recycling and re-use
of resources and to reduce the volume
of waste for collection and disposal.
Incineration – the controlled process by
which combustible wastes are burned
changes into gasses and residues that
contains little or no combustible
material.
Hazardous Waste –special types of
waste containing the chemical,
biological and radiological elements
which are harmful to human health.
Leachate – refers to the liquid produced
when waste undergo decomposition,
and when water percolate through soil
waste undergoing decomposition. It is
contaminated liquid that contains
dissolved and suspended materials.
Environmental acceptable – refers to
the quality of being re–usable,
biodegradable or compostable,
recyclable and not toxic or hazardous to
the environment.
Collection – refers to the ordinance of
removing solid waste from the source or
from a communal storage point.
Composting – biological degradation
under controlled conditions; the process
of making biodegradable items such as
food waste, animal waste, into compost
by making them with soil, water,
biological activities/ activators (optional)
and air.
Disposal site – refers to a site where
solid waste is finally discharged and
deposited.
Ecological solid waste management –
refers to systematic administration of
activities, which provide for segregation
at source, segregation transportation,
storage, transfer, processing, treatment
and disposal of solid waste and all other
waste management activities, which do
not harm the environment.
Environmental acceptable – refers to
the quality of being re–usable,
biodegradable or compostable,
recyclable and not toxic or hazardous to
the environment.
Pollution means such alteration of the
physical, chemical and/or biological
properties of any water and/or
atmospheric air of the Philippines, or
any discharge of any liquid, gaseous or
solid substance into any of the waters
and/or atmospheric air of the country as
will or is likely to create or render such
waters and/or atmospheric air harmful or
detrimental or injurious to public health,
safety or welfare, or to domestic,
commercial, industrial, agricultural,
recreational or other legitimate uses, or
to livestock, wild animals, birds, fish or
other aquatic life. (RA 3931 – act
creating the National Water and Air
Pollution Control Commission)
Pollutant shall refer to any substance,
whether solid, liquid, gaseous or
radioactive, which directly or indirectly:
a) Alters the quality of any segment
of the receiving water body to
 affect or tend to affect adversely
any beneficial use thereof;
b) Is hazardous or potential
hazardous to health;
c) Imparts objectionable odor,
temperature change, or physical,
chemical or biological change to
any segment of the body of
water; or
d) Is in excess of the allowable
limits, concentrations, or quality
standards specified, or in
contravention of the condition,
limitation or restriction prescribed

WATER POLLUTION
 means any alteration of the
physical, chemical, biological, or
radiological properties of a water
body resulting in the impairment
of its purity or quality.

PHILIPPINE LAWS RELATED TO AB

WASTE MANAGEMENT
R.A. No. 9275- Philippine Clean Water
Act of 2004
 An act providing for a
comprehensive water quality
management and for other
purposes.
R.A. No. 8749 – Philippine Clean Air Act
of 1999
 An act providing for a
comprehensive air pollution
control policy and for other
purposes
R.A. No. 6969 - Toxic Substances and
Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control
Act of 1990
 An act to control toxic
substances and hazardous and
nuclear wastes providing
penalties thereof, and for other
purposes
P.D. No. 1152 – Philippine
Environmental Code
R.A. No. 9003 - Ecological Solid Wastes
Management Act of 2000
 An act providing for the
ecological solid waste
management program, creating
the necessary institutional
mechanisms and incentives,
declaring certain acts prohibited
and providing penalties,
appropriating funds therefore,
and for other purposes
DAO 90-34
 Revised water usage and
classification/water criteria
amending section Nos. 68 and
69, Chapter III of the 1978 NPCC
Rules and Regulations
DAO 90-35 - Revised Effluent
Regulations of 1990, Revising and
amending the Effluent Regulations of
1982
R.A. 9367 – Biofuels Act of 2006
 An act to direct the use of
biofuels, establishing for this
purpose the Biofuel Program,
appropriating funds therefore,
and for other purposes
R.A. No. 10068 – Organic Agriculture
Act of 2010
 An act providing for the
development and promotion of
organic agriculture in the
Philippines and for other purposes
Chapter 2
ROLE OF PLANTS IN AB WASTEs
MANAGEMENT
Agricultural Waste as a Source of Plant
Growth
 Objectives of applying Agri’l waste
to land.
 to recycle part of the plant
nutrients contained in the waste
material into harvested plant
forage, fruit, or dry matter
 enhancing the receiving soil’s
organic matter content
THE PLANT-SOIL SYSTEM
 Nutrients transformation
 Soil supports plant growth
Nutrients Transformation
Processes in transforming chem.
Compounds:
 Absorbed by the roots and
assimilated by the plant.
 Degraded by soil micro-organism
and become a part of the soil
organic component, or broken
down further
 Fixed to soil minerals or attached
to soil exchange sites.
 Solubilized and moved with runoff
water.
  Moved with eroded mineral or
organic material.
 Leached downward through the
soil toward the ground water
 Escaped from plant tissue into
the atmosphere
Soil supports plant growth
 Optimum plant growth depends on
the soil having the biological,
chemical, and physical conditions
necessary for the plant root system
to readily absorb nutrients and
water.
PLANT NUTRIENT UPTAKE
 Essential plant nutrients
 Nonessential elements
 Nitrogen
 Phosphorus
 Potassium, Calcium, and
Magnesium
 Sulfur
 Trace elements
 Synthetic organic compounds
Essential plant nutrients
 Plant growth can require up to 20
chemical elements. Plants get
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
from carbon dioxide and water.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium,
sulfur, calcium, and magnesium
are needed in relative large
quantities.
Non-essential elements
 Besides the 20 essential
elements, other elements
nonessential for plant growth must
be monitored where municipal
sludge is used as a soil
amendment.
Nitrogen
 Nitrogen is the element that most
often limits plant growth. About 98
% of the planet’s nitrogen is in the
Earth’s primary rock. Nearly 2 % is
in the atmosphere, but it is 79 %
inert.
Phosphorus
 Phosphorus concentration in
plant leaves ranges between 0.2
and 0.4 % (Walsh & Beaton
1972). Is important for plant
growth because of its role in
ribonucleic acid (RNA), the plant
cells material, and its function in
energy transfer with adenosine
triphosphate (ATP).
Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium
 The similar size and uptake
characteristic can cause plant
fertility problems. An excess of any
one of these elements in the soil
impacts the uptake of the others. It
is, therefore, extremely important
not to create nutrient imbalances by
over applying one of these
elements to the exclusion of the
others.
Sulfur
• Sulfur is oxidized by soil bacteria
and fungi. The plant absorbs the
oxidized sulfate ion. Sulfate
concentrations between 3 and 5
mg/L in the soil are adequate for
plant growth. Sulfates are
moderately mobile and may be
adsorbed on clay minerals,
particularly the kaolinitic type, and
 on hydrous oxides of aluminum and
to a lesser extent iron.
Trace elements
 Trace elements are relatively
immobile once they are
incorporated into the soil.
Synthetic organic compounds
 When dealing with municipal
sludge, one other constraint to
application rates should be
addressed. Most sludge has
synthetic organic compounds,
such as chlorinated hydrocarbon
pesticides, which can be slow to
decompose and may be of
concern from a human or animal
health standpoint.
Balancing plant nutrient needs with
waste application
 Deficiencies of plant nutrients
 Excesses of plant nutrients, total
dissolved solids, and trace
elements
Deficiencies of plant nutrients
 The deficiency of nutrients to the
plants from agricultural waste
application can occur by either
the shortage of supplied elements
contained in the material or the
interference in the uptake of
essential nutrients cause by the
excessive supply of another.
Excesses of plant nutrients, total
dissolved solids, and trace elements
 The tolerance of plants to high
levels of elements in plant tissue
must also be accounted for in
waste application to cropland.
 Concentrations of nitrate nitrogen
in plant dry matter less than 0.1
% is considered safe to feed
livestock.
Application of AB Wastes
 Field and Forage crops
 Horticultural crops
 Vegetated filter strips for
agricultural waste treatment
 Forest land for agricultural waste
treatment
Field and Forage crops
 Generally, manure and sludges
are applied to crops that are most
responsive to nitrogen inputs.
Field crops that are responsive
include corn, sorghum, cotton,
tobacco, sugar beets, and cane.
Horticultural crops
 Vegetables and fruits benefit from
applications of wastes; however,
care must be taken because
produce can be fouled or disease
can be spread. Surface
application of wastes to the soil
around fruit trees will not cause
either problem, but spray
applications of liquid waste could.
Vegetated filter strips for agricultural
waste treatment
• Vegetated filter strips are
designed strips or areas of
vegetation growing down gradient
of an animal production facility or
cropland where animal waste has
been applied. The strips can filter
nutrients, sediment, organics,
agrichemicals, and pathogens
 from runoff received from the
contributing areas.
• Forest land for agricultural
waste treatment
• Forest land provides an area for
recycling agricultural waste.
Wastewater effluent has been
applied to some forest sites over
extended periods of time with
good nutrient removal efficiency
and minimal impact on surface or
ground water.
Role of soils in AB wastes
management
Introduction
• AB WMS planning, design,
implementation, and function are
dependent on soil physical and
chemical properties and
landscape features. The AWMS
planner and designer must
understand agricultural waste-
related soil suitabilities and
limitations.
• Soil data should be collected early
in the planning process. Essential
soil data include soil maps and the
physical and chemical properties
that affect soil suitability and
limitations for an AB WMS
• Soil information and maps may be
inadequate for planning AWMS
components. Agricultural waste
management systems should not
be implemented without adequate
and complete soil maps or soil
interpretive information. If soil data
or maps are inadequate or
unavailable, soil survey
information must be obtained
before completing an agricultural
waste management system plan.
This information will include a soil
map of the area, a description of
soil properties and their variability,
and soil interpretive data.
SOIL PHASES
• Soil is heterogeneous material
made up of three major
components which influence
the supply of plant nutrients to
the plant root
1. SOLID PHASE
2. LIQUID PHASE
3. GASEOUS PHASE
SOLID PHASE
 the main nutrient reservoir. It
holds nutrients in the cation form
(positive charged ions), such as
potassium, nitrogen (as
ammonium), sodium, calcium,
magnesium, iron, manganese,
zinc, and cobalt on negatively
charged clay and organic colloidal
particles. Anionic (negatively
charge ions) nutrients, such as
nitrogen (as nitrate), phosphorus,
sulfur, boron, and molybdenum,
are largely held by the organic
fraction or mineral complexes.
 Nitrate is held very loosely to the
anion exchange sites of the soil
and move readily with percolating
soil water. As the organic fraction
is impoverished because of poor
farming practices, the soil’s ability
to hold these elements is
drastically reduced.
 Phosphorus is often fixed to the
mineral soil fraction containing
iron, aluminum, and carbonates. It
 can be attached to hydrous
aluminum, iron oxides,
carbonates, and clays, particularly
the kaolinitic type.
 The amount of plant available
nutrients held by a soil depends
upon its unique chemical and
physical makeup. This makeup
can be ascertained by a soil’s
cation-exchange capacity, pH,
organic matter content, clay
minerology, and water holding
capacity.
LIQUID PHASE
 The liquid phase of the soil, the
soil solution, is responsible for
the transport of nutrients in the
soil. Nutrients transported in the
liquid phase are present in the
solute form of the nutrient
element. Oxygen and carbon
dioxide can be dissolved in the
soil solution and transported to
and from the system. A large
percentage of agricultural waste
material is composed of water.
Depending on the type, timing,
and method of delivery of waste,
this water can be used to supply
part of the plant’s moisture as well
as nutrient requirements.
GASEOUS PHASE
 The gaseous phase mediates the
exchange of gases that occurs
among the numerous living
organisms in the soil. Nitrogen,
oxygen, water vapor, and carbon
dioxide are the primary gaseous
by-products of the soil and plant
system. Gas exchange affects
denitrification, mineralization of
organic material, and soil micro-
organism growth rate.
Soil-agricultural waste interaction
• FILTRATION
• BIOLOGICAL DEGRADATION
• CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Soil-agricultural waste mineralization
relationship
• MICROBIAL ACTIVITY
• NITROGEN MINERALIZATION
• PHOSPHATE
MINERALIZATION
• POTASSIUM, CALCIUM, AND
MAGNESIUM
MINERALIZATION
• HEAVY METAL AND TRACE
ELEMENT MINERALIZATION
SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
• Available water capacity
• Bulk Density
• Cation-exchange capacity
• Depth to bedrock or cemented
pan
• Depth to high water table
• Flooding
• Fraction greater than 3 inches
in diameter—Rock fragments,
stones, and boulders
• Intake rate
• Permeability rate
• Ponding
• Salinity
• Soil pH
• Slope
• Sodium adsor