ABSTRACT
In areas where swine production is highly concentrated, land spreading is problematic, due to the excess of manure in relation to crop-farming requirement, the emission of undesirable odours and risks of transmitting disease. Emilia-Romagna, a Northern Italian re gion with a high number of swine raising enterprises and head of stock, is a case in point. The regional Authorities have financed research into a system of treating pig manure to lower its Nitrogen level, deodorize it and sanitate it at a price accessible to the farmer. The trial system is composed of 4 storage tanks in which the slurry is subjected to various types of treatment. The tests are still in process, the first results, however, appear to indicate that the desired objectives can be attained with intermittent aeration treatment. Indeed with this method partial sanitation, almost total deodorisation and a considerable reduction in the nitrogen level are obtained.
