Digestate as a Source of Nutrients: Nitrogen and Its Fractions

cris.virtual.author-orcid0000-0002-7750-9265
cris.virtualsource.author-orcid723cb16b-5343-4f7e-a53a-308ccdb5aae2
dc.abstract.enDue to fossil-fuel-limitation constraints, new energy sources are being sought. On the other hand, organic fertilizers that can be used in agriculture are increasingly being sought. One of the renewable energy sources is biogas produced from substrates large in organic matter. Apart from biogas, the product of the anaerobic digestion process is digestate. Due to the high content of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, this product can be successfully used as a fertilizer. This study aims to determine the content of total nitrogen (Ntot) and its selected fractions in the raw and processed digestate from agricultural biogas plants. The nitrogen fractions included N-NH4, N-NO3, and Norganic. The total nitrogen content (Ntot) and its fraction in raw digestate were determined. Samples used for the research came from five agricultural biogas plants. Separation into liquid and solid fractions is one of the methods for digestate management. The nitrogen content in selected samples obtained after separation of digestate in a biogas plant and on a laboratory scale was also checked. The obtained results show that digestate from agricultural biogas plants is a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. The content of Ntot in the tested samples ranged from 1.63 g∙kg−1 to 13.22 g∙kg−1 FM. The N-NH4 content in the analyzed material ranged from 0.75 to 4.75 g∙kg−1 FM. The determined physical and chemical properties confirm that the raw and processed digestate is characterized by appropriate fertilization properties, with particular emphasis on the content of Ntot and the share of its mineral forms. Based on the chemical composition, digestate from agricultural biogas plants can be considered a multi-component fertilizer.
dc.affiliationWydział Inżynierii Środowiska i Inżynierii Mechanicznej
dc.affiliation.instituteKatedra Inżynierii Biosystemów
dc.contributor.authorCzekała, Wojciech
dc.date.access2026-02-11
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-11T12:15:31Z
dc.date.available2026-02-11T12:15:31Z
dc.date.copyright2022-12-13
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>Due to fossil-fuel-limitation constraints, new energy sources are being sought. On the other hand, organic fertilizers that can be used in agriculture are increasingly being sought. One of the renewable energy sources is biogas produced from substrates large in organic matter. Apart from biogas, the product of the anaerobic digestion process is digestate. Due to the high content of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, this product can be successfully used as a fertilizer. This study aims to determine the content of total nitrogen (Ntot) and its selected fractions in the raw and processed digestate from agricultural biogas plants. The nitrogen fractions included N-NH4, N-NO3, and Norganic. The total nitrogen content (Ntot) and its fraction in raw digestate were determined. Samples used for the research came from five agricultural biogas plants. Separation into liquid and solid fractions is one of the methods for digestate management. The nitrogen content in selected samples obtained after separation of digestate in a biogas plant and on a laboratory scale was also checked. The obtained results show that digestate from agricultural biogas plants is a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. The content of Ntot in the tested samples ranged from 1.63 g∙kg−1 to 13.22 g∙kg−1 FM. The N-NH4 content in the analyzed material ranged from 0.75 to 4.75 g∙kg−1 FM. The determined physical and chemical properties confirm that the raw and processed digestate is characterized by appropriate fertilization properties, with particular emphasis on the content of Ntot and the share of its mineral forms. Based on the chemical composition, digestate from agricultural biogas plants can be considered a multi-component fertilizer.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.bibliographyil., bibliogr.
dc.description.financepublication_nocost
dc.description.financecost0,00
dc.description.if3,4
dc.description.number24
dc.description.points100
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume14
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/w14244067
dc.identifier.issn2073-4441
dc.identifier.urihttps://sciencerep.up.poznan.pl/handle/item/7302
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/24/4067
dc.languageen
dc.relation.ispartofWater (Switzerland)
dc.relation.pagesart. 4067
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.sciencecloudnosend
dc.share.typeOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.endigested pulp
dc.subject.enbiogas
dc.subject.enwaste management
dc.subject.ensustainable development
dc.subject.encircular economy
dc.subject.enfertilizer
dc.titleDigestate as a Source of Nutrients: Nitrogen and Its Fractions
dc.title.volumeSpecial Issue Water, Wastewater, Waste Management in Agriculture and Agri-Food Industry
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue24
oaire.citation.volume14