SPOTLIGHT ON THE PROCESS

A large-scale dairy farm is innovating how factory farms do business with the goal of a zero carbon footprint. The farm has been transforming manure into the energy that powers the their operations and vehicle fleet. Now they plan to take it a step further by converting the byproduct of this waste to energy process into a high quality, marketable fertilizer. The process of nutrient recovery from manure is described on this page.

THE PROBLEM WITH MANURE

Manure poses significant challenges for large-scale farms. An increasing population has put mounting pressure on the agriculture and livestock industries to provide more food. Herd sizes continue to grow, while prohibitively high land costs and surrounding land development are reducing the available farmland for waste disposal. Additionally, the high cost associated with transporting manure discourages the transportation of manure to land farther than a few miles from the farm.

Recent research and news articles have shown that nutrient runoff from manure application has caused ground and surface water contamination in certain areas. When nutrient runoff occurs, the farmer is not able to reap the full nutrient benefits from his fertilizer, resulting in a loss of value.

GRANULATION: A SOLUTION WITH MANY BENEFITS

Transformation of manure into a granular fertilizer product alleviates all of the issues mentioned above, offering numerous benefits to the soil and delivering value back to the farmer.

FEECO is a leader in process design and equipment manufacturing and offers a unique approach to the granulation of manure, which is highly customizable to the manure source being processed and the desired end product characteristics. The end result is a cutting edge fertilizer production system that converts manure into a premium granular fertilizer product** that minimizes odor and has little attrition.

The technologies mentioned here are proven, and backed by our international reputation in providing the best in fertilizer production equipment and complete process systems. Nearly every major player in the fertilizer industry trusts FEECO for their equipment and process design needs, some of which include:

MIXER-DRYER PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

Click the image to view the larger process flow diagram.

A Note on Capacity: While FEECO can accommodate nearly any capacity, typical capacity ranges from 5 to 10 TPH of product, or 20 to 40 TPH of raw cake feedstock.

BENEFITS TO GRANULATION

Improved Product Handling

Granules are more easily handled, transported, and applied.

Reduced Waste Management Costs

Dry granules can be stored on-farm and are much less costly to transport than raw manure.

Reduced Runoff

Dry granules aid in the prevention of runoff, because they are used only as needed, and do not add additional moisture to the soil, which can increase the opportunity for runoff to occur.

Premium Product

Additives can be included in the process to create custom products and fertilizer blends, allowing the product to be tailored to specific soil needs and nutrient management programs, or to be sold as a premium product.

Enhanced Nutrient Management

Granular fertilizer makes it easier to effectively follow and monitor application rates for a nutrient management program. It is also a valuable tool in precision agriculture applications, where a granular product provides improved dispensing capabilities.

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IN THE NEWS

Washington Times:
Cincinnati wants to use human waste to fertilize farms