Optimal design of manure management for intensive swine feeding operation: A modeling method based on analytical target cascading

One of the most significant challenges in existing livestock production is the negative impact of animal waste on the environment. Accumulative manure produced in intensive swine feeding operations (ISFO) cannot be efficiently utilized in a sustainable and economical way. A successful manure management system should maximize the overall economic benefits while satisfying the environmental requirements. To address the manure management problem in a region that lacks adequate land for manure spreading, this project presents a novel modeling approach (Analytic target cascading, ATC) to optimize the design and operation of a swine manure management system by formulating economic objectives, engineering objectives and environmental objectives into individual tasks. This modeling structure simplifies the formulation of a systematic problem, decomposes “all-in-one” model into small tasks, and integrates the professional assessment models into optimal design. We organized the local agricultural information (swine production, crop production) and treatment operational data into parameters and constraints, then optimized the design capacities of main components, operations of manure management and crop management sequentially through updating the targets and responses in each iteration. To explore the viability of the proposed models and solution methodology, a case study in Hangzhou, China (a swine farm with Anaerobic Digestion process + Ectopic Fermentation) is designed using ATC approach. Additionally, the scenario analyses are discussed to provide further insights of opportunities and risks. Our analysis will improve the ability to deal with agricultural systematic problems with social, environmental and economic agreements.