2005 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Maryland’s dairy farms, like those across the nation, face the increasingly difficult task of containing manure nutrients on-farm. Even using best manure management practices, a large fraction of manure nitrogen is “lost” to the atmosphere as ammonia from barns, manure lagoons and during land application. Of course, this nitrogen isn’t lost at all, but typically returns to the local watershed during the next precipitation event. However, even if dairies were given unlimited financial resources to cut these nitrogen losses, there are few appropriate technologies and fewer still that have been tested with manure liquids. There is a urgent need to provide farmers with economically and technologically appropriate effluent treatment systems that efficiently recycle manure nutrients. By immediately treating manure effluent, the environmental risks, odors, and atmospheric emissions associated with manure lagoons will also be greatly reduced or eliminated. In this project we will continue to develop and evaluate algal systems for the treatment of dairy and swine manure effluents with respect to capturing N and P from raw and anaerobically digested dairy manure effluents, utilization of the algal biomass, and overall system nutrient uptake efficiency and costs of integrated farm-scale systems. Modern livestock production also involves the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and for therapeutic purposes. When untreated manures are applied on the field, any remaining content of antibiotics or metabolites present in the manure may reach surface water by either run-off or leaching. Due to their biological activity, antibiotics are potential micro-pollutants. In this project, we will determine levels and biological effects of the antibiotics oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline in manure from treated animals on composting, anaerobic digestion, and land application. We will also determine levels of antibiotic resistant organisms in manures from animals treated with oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. FY06: Per project (1265-12000-023-00D), completed improvement of N and P mass balance from dairy manure effluent using algal treatment; completed energy and cost projections for dairy manure effluent treatment using algal technology; determine manure treatment method that degrades oxytetracycline (OTC) most effectively; determine effect of OTC on efficiency of composting and anaerobic digestion treatment processes; FY07: development of alternative (non-fertilizer) uses for algal biomass from manure effluent treatment; optimization of algal treatment processes for swine effluent; determine treatment method that degrades chlorotetracycline (CTC) most effectively; determine effect of CTC on efficiency of composting and anaerobic digestion; FY08: optimization of algal biomass harvesting and processing for nutrient conservation and pathogen control; completed guidelines for algal treatment technologies for dairy manure effluent; determine effect of manure treatment processes on OTC and CTC resistant organism populations in treated manures; FY09: completed guidelines for algal treatment technologies for swine manure effluent; completed guidelines for treating manure for degradation of antibiotic residues; 4a.What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year? Project was begun 4/3/2005. No significant accomplishments for FY2005. 4b.List other significant accomplishments, if any. Project was begun 4/3/2005. No accomplishments for FY2005. 4c.List any significant activities that support special target populations. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. Project was begun 4/3/2005. No accomplishments to report. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? None to report. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). None to report.