Growing <i>Spirodela polyrrhiza</i> in Swine Wastewater for the Production of Animal Feed and Fuel Ethanol: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Abstract To evaluate the performance of Spirodela polyrrhiza grown in swine wastewater for protein and starch production under field conditions, a pilot‐scale duckweed culture pond was installed at Barham Farm, Zebulon, North Carolina and operated from May to November 2010. The anaerobically treated swine wastewater was fed to the duckweed pond intermittently to provide nutrients for the growth of duckweed, and the duckweed biomass was harvested regularly from the pond and prepared as a protein‐ or starch‐rich feedstock for the production of animal feed or fuel ethanol. Over the experimental period, the duckweed pond produced protein and starch at rates of 2.68 and 1.88 g m −2 day −1 , respectively. During the same time, NH 4 –N and o ‐PO 4 –P in the wastewater were, respectively, removed at rates of 92.9 and 2.90 mmol m −2 day −1 .