In-situ production of amino acid-rich monoammonium phosphate from chicken feathers provides superior efficacy compared to physical blending.

Abstract

A large amount of feather waste is discarded annually, leading to severe environmental pollution problems. Meanwhile, to improve the utilization efficiency of phosphate fertilizers, this study utilized wet-process phosphoric acid (WPPA) to hydrolyze feathers in-situ, producing ammonium amino acid phosphate (AAMAP), and set up physically mixed ammonium phosphate (ARMAP) as a control. The application effects of AAMAP and ARMAP produced under different conditions on bok choy growth were investigated. The results showed that AAMAP consistently outperformed ARMAP in promoting yield, with fresh weight and dry weight increases ranging from 1.38 % to 26.06 % and 5.69 % to 20.67 %, respectively. Among all treatments, the AAMAP (150 g/L-3) group was the most effective, increasing fresh weight and dry weight by 37.13 % and 46.13 % compared to the blank control group. Analysis revealed that the superior application effect of AAMAP was attributed to the elimination of the water-insoluble NH₄MgPO₄·H₂O crystals due to amino acid chelation, leading to improved phosphorus and magnesium utilization, as well as the formation of phosphoesters. Furthermore, economic analysis showed that the addition cost of AAMAP was only 28.52 % of ARMAP. This method of utilizing WPPA to hydrolyze feathers in-situ for AAMAP production is an economical and effective approach to treat feather waste and enhance the utilization efficiency of phosphate fertilizers.