- For other uses, see Guano (disambiguation).
Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu', via Spanish) is the feces of seabirds, bats, and seals [1]. Quechua ( Runa Simi) is a Native American language of South America. Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the Anus Seabirds are Birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment
It is an effective fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Phosphorus, (ˈfɒsfərəs is the Chemical element that has the symbol P and Atomic number 15 Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14 Superphosphate made from guano is used for aerial topdressing. Superphosphate is a Fertilizer produced by the action of concentrated Sulfuric acid on powdered Phosphate rock. Aerial topdressing is the spreading of fertilisers such as Superphosphate over Farmland with the use of Aircraft. Soil that is deficient in organic matter can be made much more productive by addition of this manure. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel
Contents |
Usage
Guano consists of ammonia, along with uric, phosphoric, oxalic, and carbonic acids, as well as some earth salts and impurities. Ammonia is a compound with the formula N[[hydrogen H3]] It is normally encountered as a Gas with a characteristic pungent Odor Uric acid (or urate) is an Organic compound of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen with the formula C5H4N4O3 Phosphoric acid, also known as orthophosphoric acid or phosphoric(V acid, is a mineral (inorganic acid having the Chemical formula Oxalic acid is the Chemical compound with the formula H2C2O4 This Dicarboxylic acid is better described with the Carbonic acid (ancient name acid of air or aerial acid) has the formula H2CO3 Guano also has a high concentration of nitrates. In Inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of Nitric acid with an Ion composed of one Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms
It is estimated that there is only enough phosphorus from current resources to last about 30 years. [2] This is a problem as vast volumes of phosphorus are needed to produce fertilizer, as it is an essential plant macronutrient. Guano is rich in phosphorus and is an effective phosphorus fertilizer.
Sourcing
The ideal type of guano is found in exceptionally dry climates, as rainwater drains the guano of nitrates. Guano is harvested on various islands in the Pacific Ocean (for example the Chincha Islands and Nauru) and in other oceans (for example Juan de Nova Island). An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Chincha Islands ( Spanish Islas Chincha) are a group of three small Islands 21 km (13 mi off the southwest coast of Peru, to Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. Juan de Nova Island (also Saint-Christophe, French: locally Île Juan de Nova or officially Île Juan da Nova) is a 4 These islands have been home to mass seabird colonies for many centuries, and the guano has collected to a depth of many metres. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International In the 19th century, Peru was famous for its supply of guano.
Bat guano is usually mined in caves and is associated with a corresponding loss of troglobytic biota and diminishing of biodiversity. A troglobite is an Animal that lives entirely in the dark parts of Caves Such creatures have become specifically adapted for life in total darkness and over time Biota is the total collection of Organisms of a geographic region or a time period from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Guano deposits support a great variety of cave-adapted invertebrate species, which rely on bat feces as their sole nutrient input. In addition to the biological component, deep guano deposits contain local paleoclimatic records in strata that have built up over thousand of years, which are unrecoverable once disturbed. Paleoclimatology (also Palaeoclimatology) is the study of Climate change taken on the scale of the entire History of Earth.
The greatest damage caused by mining to caves with extant guano deposits is to the bat colonies themselves. Bats are highly vulnerable to regular disturbance to their roosts. Some species, such as P. aphylla, have low fat reserves, and will starve to death when regularly disturbed and put into a panic state during their resting period. UserPolbot. -->The Jamaican Flower Bat ( Phyllonycteris aphylla) is a species of Bat in the Phyllostomidae Many species will drop pups when in panic, with subsequent death, leading to a steady reduction in population. Research in Jamaica has shown that mining for bat guano is directly related to the loss of bat species, associated invertebrates and fungi, and is the greatest threat to bat caves on the island.
One of the major innovators in guano harvesting was Benjamin Drake Van Wissen. Benjamin Drake Van Wissen (March 17 1892 – November 5 1984 was an Australian Civil engineer.
Guano has been harvested over several centuries along the coast of Peru, where islands and rocky shores have been sheltered from humans and predators. The Guanay Cormorant has historically been the most important producer of guano; its guano is richer in nitrogen than guano from other seabirds. The Guanay Cormorant or Guanay Shag, Phalacrocorax bougainvillii, is a member of the Cormorant family found in South America. Other important guano producing species off the coast of Peru are the Peruvian Pelican and the Peruvian Booby. The Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus thagus, is a member of the Pelican family The Peruvian Booby, Sula variegata, is an endemic bird of the Peruvian current whose distribution is restricted to the west coast of South America from
The high concentration of nitrates also made guano an important strategic commodity, with the War of the Pacific between the Peru-Bolivia alliance and Chile was primarily based upon Bolivia's attempt to tax Chilean guano harvesters. In Inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of Nitric acid with an Ion composed of one Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms Military strategy is a National defence policy implemented by Military organisations to pursue desired strategic goals Derived from the Greek The War of the Pacific, sometimes called the Saltpeter War in reference to its original cause was fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the
References
- ^ What is Guano?. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/world/americas/30peru.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th Peru Guards Its Guano as Demand Soars Again. NY Times, 30 May 2008
See also
External links
- ProAbonos
- Jamaican Bat Guano and Cave Preservation
- Is there Guano in Mascara? - Good Organic Gardening Reference
The Guano Islands Act ( §§ 1411-1419 is federal legislation passed by the U Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the Anus Economic Overview Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of Phosphate rock. Phosphate rock or Phosphorite is a general description applied to several kinds of rock which contain significant concentrations of Phosphate minerals
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic