Composition of aqueous extracts of broiler litter treated with aluminum sulfate, ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride and gypsum

More knowledge on the composition of aqueous extracts of broiler litter amended for Water Soluble P (WSP) reduction would help to understand how amendments work. We measured pH, concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, Cu, Mn, Zn, Molybdate Reactive P (MRP), and Dissolved Unreactive P (DUP) in water extracts of broiler litter treated with aluminum sulfate (ALS), ferrous sulfate (FES), ferric chloride (FEC), and gypsum (GYP) at 0, 5, 15, and 25% w/w. In order to study the effects of acidification, the same properties were measured in aqueous extracts of broiler litter suspensions that were titrated to end-points 3, 4, or 6 with 0.5N HCl. Concentrations of MRP, DUP, Ca and Mg, were 61%, 53%, 3.8 times, and 2.6 times greater in extracts from suspensions acidified to pH 6 than at the original pH of 8.9. ALS, FES, and FEC reduced pH, and showed similar effects on WSP concentrations, which were greater than with GYP. The magnitude of the reductions in WSP by ALS, FES, and FEC is uncertain because the actual amount of WSP immobilized cannot be determined. This is because of two opposite effects: 1) Through adsorption, soluble aluminum and iron remove phosphates from solution, and 2) Through acidification, iron and aluminum compounds release phosphates to solution.