Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Process
A. T.
SOBEL*
The use of carbonaceous additives to increase handling ease, alter the physical appearance and
reduce the pollution potential of animal manures presents itself as an approach to solving many
waste management problems. The results of pilot scale studies concerned with the addition of
wood shavings to laying hen manure indicate that the resulting product is storable and has an
altered appearance.
Introduction
A horizontal batch mixer was adapted to process laying hen manure by the addition of wood
sawdust. This mixer had a capacity of 0.5 m3 and was powered by a 2 hp, 3-phase electric motor.
The motor was controlled by a time clock to run a preset time each hour. The mixer was insulated
with 5 cm of polyurethane.
The mixer was initially filled with approximately 9 1 kg of previously hand-processed material.
At 3-4 day intervals approximately 22.7 kg of material was removed and 22.7 kg of manure and
sawdust was added. The theoretical retention time was 14 days. The sawdust was a coarse
material of mixed woods and had a moisture content between 20 and 40% on a wet basis (wb).
The manure was from caged White Leghorn laying hens housed at the Agricultural Waste Management Laboratory, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University.
The manure had been partially dried using the slot-outlet system of undercage drying. The
manure produced from this system had a moisture content of 30-50 % (wb).
The oxygen content of the air within the manure-sawdust mixture was measured using an
oxygen probe. The probe was placed within the material just after the material had been mixed
and periodic measurements were taken. While this was a unique use of equipment designed for
measuring the dissolved oxygen of a liquid, the information obtained indicated the uptake of
oxygen by the microorganisms within the system. Fig. 2 shows such an oxygen uptake study and
indicates that in 30 min the oxygen within the mixture had been reduced to 25 7: of that in the
surrounding air. The mixing sequence was therefore set for the mixer to be on 10 s every 30 min.
Temperatures were taken inside the mixer during operation. Fig. 2 shows this temperature for
several cycles of feeding and weighing plus a time when the mixer was accidentally left switched
on. The temperature reached an average maximum of 125F.
Mass balance
After the mixer had been in operation for 20 days and after conditions had been established
within the mixer, a detailed record was kept of the parameters of the process for a 35-day period.
The operating procedure was similar for that followed in the initial period. The amount of sawdust added was calculated to produce an approximate 20% sawdust : 80% manure ratio by
weight for 30% moisture manure. This is equivalent to 0.36 kg sawdust per kg of total solids.
Adjustment was made for changes in moisture content of the manure added but not for changes
in sawdust as this all came from a common supply. Water was added to the mixture in the mixer
to replace evaporation. To keep an approximate equal amount in the mixer, during each feeding
the entire contents of the mixer were removed, weighed, and a constant weight (68 kg) was placed
back into the mixer. Tables I and II present the various parameters for this study including a
*Department
Received
of Agricultural
19 December
1978;
Engineering,
New
accepted
in revised
York
State
form
College
10 May
of Agriculture
and
Life
Sciences,
Cornell
University,
Ithaca,
New
York
1980
315
OW-8634/80/040375
t-06
SOZ.OO/O
British
Society
for
Research
in Agricultural
Engineering
376
TREATMENT
OF HEN
4Ol
0
I I I
20
40
I
60
I,
f::
00
100
120
Tame (h)
I40
160
180
MANURE
Average
30 Nov. 197 1
3 Dec. 1971
7 Dec. 1971
10 Dec. 1971
14Dec. 1971
17 Dec. 1971
21 Dec. 1971
24 Dec. 1971
28 Dec. 1971
31 Dec. 1971
Date
92.26
94.80
99.34
87.54
100.24
95.26
94.35
96.16
92.99
72.58
89.36
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
68.04
0
Left in
mixer
____~
I-
24.14
26.76
31.30
19.50
32.20
27.22
26.31
28.12
(92.99)
4.54
21.32
Removed
from mixer
Total in
mixer
Wet weights, kg
TABLE
30.28
31.28
68.02
68.59
30-45
27.02
30.94
30.07
30.07
31.48
30.82
30.71
29.99
Ash,
%
66.24
68.45
65.69
67.87
66.85
72.35
70.68
69.7 1
70.06
Total
solids, %
mixer
47.36
51.97
39.56
41.34
40.31
45.13
49.15
45.31
48.39
50.46
62.03
Organic-N
14.74
16.09
15.20
14.35
13.94
13.88
15.32
13.23
14.42
14.74
16.27
NH,-N
Nitrogen mg/g ts
Mixture removedfrom
67.03
63.27
69.19
69.04
65.95
66.44
67.01
63.10
70.53
68.73
Total
solids, %
25.37
2544
21.00
24.34
27.71
27.16
24.42
26.96
25.78
25.53
Ash,
%
54.41
57.95
57.19
52.25
63.41
54.41
46.28
41.40
49.00
67.80
Organic-N
.___
9.20
9.92
7.79
8.38
12.38
9.49
7.80
8.99
7.60
10.42
NH,-N
Nitrogen mg/g ts
24.14*
- 9.34
Mixture
Change
68.59*
66.19
67.03 *
60,OOt
0y
/lJ
solids
7.58
- 3.74
16.56
- 5.60
Nitrogen;
NEG-Negligible
in
- 25.3
out
11.32
22.16
equals ash
9.71
1.61
19.75
2.41
kg
Moisture
kg
30.28*
22.61
25.37*
1.00*
/,
ash
5.01
0
5.01
5.01
NEG
Ash,
kg
- 32.6
11.55
-5.60
__\-___.
17.15
14.74
2.41
Volatile
solids,
kg
Solids,
other
values
are calculated
ash remains
constant
and ash
- 27.9
33.48
Total
A Change
29.46
4.02
Manure
Sawdust:
* Measured
values--all
: ~;plations
assume
0 by weight
TKN-Total
Kjeldahl
OUT
IN
Wet
weight,
kg
TABLEII
92.0
3.5
13.0
35.0
10
62.10
56.68
63.61
NEG
mglg
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
kg
-18.1
1028
- 228
1256
1256
NEG
kg
days
days
days
TKN
294.6
40.2
153.0
241.4
190.4
3.4
~~
Mass
784
- 290
- 27.0
1074
48.46
47.36*
1074
NEG
NEG
g
54,41*
mglg
Organic-N
14.74*
8.21
NEG
9.20*
mglg
NH,-N
244
+62
+ 34.1
182
NEG
182
A.
T.
379
SOBEL
The comparison
was made based on the
mass balance on the solids and forms of nitrogen.
assumption that the fixed solids (ash or inorganic matter) remained constant and did not accumulate within the mixer, i.e. equal amounts of fixed solids were added and removed during each
feeding.2
The mass balance indicates that there was a loss of nitrogen and a substantial conversion of
organic nitrogen to ammonia.
This was apparent during the operation of the unit by a strong
ammonia odour. Considerable
evaporation
occurred with 3.4 kg of water evaporated per kg of
volatile solids lost. Assuming all the heat for evaporation
to come from the decomposition
of
manure solids, the energy used for the evaporation
of water was approximately
2000 kcal/kg
organic matter destroyed.
The energy potential of laying hen manure is 4000 kcal/kg of volatile
solids3 The portion of the released energy used for evaporation
was therefore 50;.
Location
Centre of pile
Centre cross section, dry portion
10 cm from surface, high manure content
18 cm from surface, high sawdust content,
some fly larvae
Outside edge, very wet
Average
Moisture
content,
% (wb)
__~_
34.48
31.06
67.54
66.94
70.77
______
54.16
Total
solids,
0,
0
solid.s,
I
0
Fixed
65.52
68.94
32.46
Nitrogen,
rng/x t.v
TKN
___~~
NH,-N
21.30
28.88
42.35
25.66
39.11
54.41
IO.81
15.48
34.60
33.06
29.23
35.27
41.28
47.92
34.38
31.68
13.37
45.84
33.82
39.90
21.19
TREATMENT
380
TABLE
OF
HEN
MANURE
IV
Overall concentrations and losses for laying hen manure treatment system
As produced
Predrying
Treatment
100~00
35.28
75.004
32.97
25.004 (4.167)
67.03 (3.942)
76.00 (3.167)
74.63 (2.942)
24.004
25.37
7.5005 (0.3 125)
6.361 (0.2507)
6.97S (0.2906)
5.441 (0.2145)
0.5255 (0.0219)
0.920 (0.0368)
_
_
Storage*
28.89
31.41
68.59 (3.302)
69.72 (2.302)
30.28
6,210 (0.2051)
4.736 (0.1564)
1.474 (0.0487)
___._
38.70
54.16
45.84 (2.957)
66.18 (1.957)
33.82
3.990 (0.1180)
1,871 (0.0553)
2.119 (0.0627)
_--__-
Wet weight
- 64.72
- 5.40
- 7.10
0
- 19.78
-26.19
+ 65.75
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total solids
Volatile solids
Fixed solids
Nitrogen: TKN
Organic-N
NHS-N
71.11
- 20.76
-27.31
0
- 34.37
-46.18
+ 122.37
-61.30
- 29.04
- 38.21
0
- 62.24
- 80.97
+ 186.30
constant
The major losses occurred during the storage portion of the system. There was a great increase
in ammonia during the treatment and storage portions resulting in the ammonia being released.
Whilst these losses resulted in a stable material, the decrease in nitrogen (62 7:) represented
a
significant nutrient loss.
Conclusions
A manure treatment system was investigated that provided a storable product.
This product
had the advantages
of granular nature making it easy to handle, low pollution potential, and
altered appearance,
making it more acceptable as a soil conditioner.
The product had the disadvantage of being low in nitrogen due to losses during treatment and storage.
REFERENCES
Sobel, A. T. Undercage
drying
Proc.
Cornell Agricultural
Waste Management
investigations.
by moisture
Waste Management
of chicken
manure
removal-results
of several
by incineration.
Management
of farm
No. SP-0366. Proc. nat. Symp. Animal Waste Management, 1966 95-98
of animal manures associated with handling.
ASAE Pub]. No. SP-0366.
Proc. natn. Symp. Animal Waste Management, 1966 27-32
Hashimoto, A. G. Characterization
of White Leghorn
manures.
Proc. Cornell University Agricultural
Waste Management Conf., Ithaca, New York, 1974 141-152