The Bryn-celynog slurry pit at Maes-imper - geograph

A slurry pit, also known as a farm slurry pit, slurry tank, slurry lagoon or slurry store, is a hole, dam, or circular concrete structure where farmers gather all their animal waste together with other unusable

organic matter Organic matter, organic material or natural organic matter is the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come fro ...

, such as hay and water run off from washing down dairies, stables, and barns, in order to convert it over a lengthy period of time into

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

that can eventually be reused on their lands to fertilize

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, Fiber, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same spe ...

s. The decomposition of this waste material produces deadly gases, making slurry pits potentially lethal without precautions such as the use of a breathing apparatus with air supply.

Nutrient value

The

liquid manure Liquid manure is a mixture of animal waste and organic matter used as an agricultural fertilizer, sometimes thinned with water. It can be aged in a slurry pit to concentrate it. Liquid manure was developed in the 20th-century as an alternative to ...

blend, or slurry, can be a rich source of

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

, and

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

Risks

Slurry pits present risks of drowning, as well as of suffocation. Decomposition generates gases such as ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, and

hydrogen sulphide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist Ca ...

. The latter two are heavier than air and will not disperse quickly from low places. Carbon dioxide is odorless, and

hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist ...

quickly becomes undetectable by odor by destroying victims' sense of smell. If inhaled, they can cause rapid unconsciousness by poisoning or displacement of oxygen leading to hypoxia. Death may follow then from poisoning or hypoxia directly, or by drowning caused by unconsciousness. The UK Health and Safety Executive also warns against the creation of naked flames near slurry pits, as gases such as methane are inherently flammable. The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland specifies activity in a slurry pit as specialist work, requiring the worker to have a separate air supply and a harness lifeline managed by two additional people outside the tank. According to the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, between 2000 and 2010, 30% of all child fatalities on farms occurred from drowning in slurry or water.

References

{{reflist Agricultural buildings Feces Organic fertilizers

Nutrient value

Risks

See also

References