To absorb moisture and deodorize waste. The amount of Zeolite used is dependent on the moisture and nitrogen content of the manure/urea (see table below). Reducing the moisture content with Zeolite reduces the fly and maggot larvae.
For odor, fly, and maggot control the following procedures are recommended:
Bedding. Top dress with layers of Zeolite to reduce odor generation. Zeolite should be laid down in the bedding or stall areas after clean out. Alternatively, if the clean out cycle is at long intervals, multiple layers of Zeolite can be top dressed on the manure.
Lagoon. In the case of wash-down operations, the water from the lagoon can be treated to remove the ammonium with a Zeolite filter column. This will enable the reuse of the wash-down water. Zeolite can also be an effective air filter for ammo- nia gas and hydrogen sulfide. Zeolite loaded with ammonium from the filter and off-gas system can be combined with the manure compost as a fertilizer/soil amendment. The off-gas system can be a floating lagoon cover with attachments to cycle the off-gas through a Zeolite air filter column. A bio-filter using Zeolite is another option to deal with lagoons. A poly- ethylene foam with geo-textile layer and Zeolite e cover reduced ammonia gas by 80%. Zeolite 14 x 40 mesh or coarser is recommended. Adding 6.25% zeolite to manure slurry by wet weight has been shown to reduce ammonium loss by as much as 55%.
Composting. Zeolite increases the nitrogen content of compost and renders it not soluble in water but plant accessible. The held nitrogen increases the value of compost and mitigates odor.
Fertilizers. Add Zeolite to fertilizers for potting soils, lawns, crops, trees, shrubs, flowers to reduce odor.
