Disposal of Animal Waste-The Magnitude of the Problem in Asia and Australasia - Review

Even though the development of livestock industry in Asia and Australasia has brought the economic growth and thus elevated the living standard in these areas, it has also brought the pollution caused by the increasing amount of animal wastes. Among them, Japan probably is the first country that suffered from the animal waste pollution as early as in 1970s. Nowadays, the animal waste pollution has been a common problem for almost every countries in this region. To solve it, different measures and regulations have been implemented in many countries. In this paper, different methods for animal waste disposal are discussed, including: manure-bed animal housing, composting, anaerobic treatment, odor control, utilization of biogas, aerobic treatment, three-step process, N and P removal, land application, cultivation of algae, anaerobic treatment of dead animals. It is hoped that an animal industry without pollution can be achieved in the future.