Research findings
Development of biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture over four decades (1980–2022)
Bibliometric analysis of 12,880 articles (1980–2022) shows that biofertilizer research evolved through three phases: nitrogen fixation (1980–2005), plant-yield mechanisms (2006–2015), and soil-improvement applications (2016–2022). Key findings indicate that biofertilizers enhance plant growth by improving nutrition, regulating hormones, and enriching soil and microbiome health. Commonly studied biofertilizer bacteria include Pseudomonas, Azospirillum, and Bacillus. Overall, the study highlights major trends supporting sustainable agriculture.
Development-of-biofertilizers-for-sustainable-agriculture-over-four-decades-1980–2022.pdfAir stripping of ammonia from pig slurry: characterisation and feasibility as a pre- or post-treatment to mesophilic anaerobic digestion
The study tested how to remove ammonia from pig slurry using air stripping at high temperature. Fresh slurry needs a very high pH to remove all the ammonia, but digested slurry can be cleaned without changing the pH. Digested slurry also gives cleaner recovered ammonia. The tests also showed that air stripping should not be used before anaerobic digestion, because it makes the digestion process less effective.
Air-stripping-of-ammonia-from-pig-slurry-1.pdfPig Slurry Concentration by Vacuum Evaporation: Influence of Previous Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion Process
This study looked at removing water from pig slurry by evaporating it under vacuum to reuse the clean water. Researchers tested how different pH levels and whether the slurry was fresh or already digested affected the quality of the condensed water. They found that the amount of ammonia and other substances in the condensate depended strongly on the pH. Anaerobic digestion before evaporation had clear benefits, because it used up smelly and volatile compounds, helping produce cleaner condensed water and reducing pollution.
Pig-Slurry-Concentration-by-Vacuum-Evaporation.pdf