Despite being eclipsed by the technological progress, the farming sector is still a vital component of the global economy and it is constantly evolving. Ovine, cattle and poultry livestock rule a huge slice of the market. Livestock units increase year by year. Consequently, the generated amount of animal waste is huge and the challenges to exploit it as a precious resource to produce energy, by-products and fertilizers are many. Animal waste is particularly rich in nutrients like nitrogen, and phosphorus. The earliest way to use animal waste is the direct spreading on the soil but the presence of pollutants represents an issue. Pathogens could affect soil and water quality with a consequent serious risk to human health. It is, therefore, important to treat animal waste right after its collection. Common treatments are aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion. Poultry manure is not suitable for anaerobic stabilization because of the high ammonia content. Other frontiers are, therefore, gasification or biological degradation using insects.
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