Lots of birds, lots of manure – and sustainable solutions
What to do about the manure? That’s a question many poultry managers ask themselves when they see the surplus of hen or broiler excrements produced on their farms. A reasonable amount is a valuable fertiliser, but too much may cause problems. An effective method for the sustainable treatment of these residues: composting. Several tried and tested solutions are available from Big Dutchman. The poultry equipment supplier can offer its customers CompoTower and CompoLiner, two complete systems that are ready to be connected upon delivery and that quickly turn excess nutrients into a valuable fertiliser.
Both systems are fully automatic multitaskers. They perform all necessary process steps, from filling and material turning to the discharge of the biomass and control of the system. Since the temperature and oxygen concentration are measured at all times, the ventilation system is easy to manage as required.
The main difference between CompoTower and CompoLiner is a quantitative one: CompoLiner can process much larger amounts of residues. The decision for or against one of the composters therefore mainly depends on the size of the farm.
A common feature of both systems, on the other hand, is that during the composting process, microorganisms degrade organic material in an aerobic environment, i.e. oxygen needs to be added continuously. A higher dry matter (DM) content of the input material generally means shorter residence times. At the same time, the material’s DM content should be no higher than 45 % to ensure it is not too dry for composting.
The final product is compost: a valuable, organic fertiliser that can also be pelletised. This fertiliser has good plant availability and can be used for general soil improvement in horticulture and agriculture.
Air cleaning
Because the composting process emits ammonia, odours and dust, poultry managers may be required to clean the exhaust air from their composters. Big Dutchman has developed ready-to-connect air scrubbers for this purpose. The modules are easy to install, thus lowering assembly costs, and naturally have high separation rates.
The “little brother”: CompoTower
CompoTower is a vertical enclosed tank made of stainless steel. The compact tower is a stand-alone system and therefore requires very little space, allowing for easy integration into the farm layout.
More advantages:
- high input capacity
- easy management
- enclosed system that produces little odour and dust
- stable construction
The “big brother”: CompoLiner
In contrast to CompoTower with its vertical structure, CompoLiner is an elongated composter. The modular system consists of a maximum of eight 40-foot containers that are connected in series and process the residues. Their quantity depends on the size of the house, the number of birds and the amount of material to be composted. The basic version comprises two containers that also serve as end sets.
More advantages:
- variable capacity between 80 and 360 m³ for approx. 50,000 to 200,000 layers
- easy handling
- fully automatic process control
- good resistance to corrosion because the entire system’s interior is lined with stainless steel