I-Corps: Liquid organic fertilizer produced through anaerobic digestion of organic waste

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to promote a liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) produced through a novel patented technology which uses anaerobic accelerated bio-leaching of green plant material or green plant waste. The synthetic free liquid organic fertilizer is a complex solution that contains macro nutrients, micro nutrient as well as organic matter in soluble form. The benefits of the proposed product include: (1) improvement of soil biological activities by providing the soil with soluble organic matter; (2) feeding the plants with soluble macro and micro nutrients; (3) ease of transportation; (4) ease of storage; (5) easy adjustment of the nutrient content through dilution; (6) easy application through irrigation systems and; (7) environmental benefit of carbon sequestration. Since no synthetic chemical is used for LOF production, it has the potential to be used as an economic alternative for currently used organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion and composts by the rapidly growing organic farming industry. This I-Corps project enables the extraction of plants macro and micro nutrients and organic matter from the body of green organic waste such as landscape grass clippings. The proposed novel technology consists of two simultaneous processes of anaerobic digestion and accelerated bio-leaching of organic waste to produce liquid organic fertilizer (LOF). Historically, the use of organic waste for production of organic fertilizer has been through composting. Research has shown that the proposed technology will require less time, lower energy consumption and easily available nutrients when compared to composting. In addition, LOF returns the plant organic carbon back to the soil and contributes to carbon sequestration. Previous studies have also shown that the use of LOF could lead to higher yield in vegetables when compared to synthetic fertilizer.