Turning slurry into profit with new slurry treatment system

A new slurry treatment system using a unique seaweed-based prebiotic has been installed in an indoor pig breeding unit in Devon, resulting in water that will be clean enough to be returned directly to watercourses – subject to permit.

Ekogea UK's Farm Slurry Management System turns raw pig or dairy slurry into a compact digestate, reducing the volume of slurry to store, while also producing an added value solid product that can be used either as a natural fertiliser with high plant-available nutrients or as a quality feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD).

This process helps build a circular farm economy with the resulting water cleaned through an H2e waste water treatment plant that is clean enough to be released into water courses under permit. As a consequence, the energy-efficient system also drastically cuts on-farm ammonia emissions.

The process has three main stages:

The resulting concentrate (15% by volume) is an easily stored or transportable sludge, which can be further de-watered to produce a dry stackable solid. The process reduces the costs and risks of storage and spreading slurry to land whilst allowing a greater percentage of the nitrogen to be fixed in the solid.

The concentrated solid, high in plant-available NPK, can then be used ‘on-farm’ or sold as a high value bio-fertiliser. Alternatively, it can be sold as a quality feedstock for local anaerobic digestion plants under contract, which helps to resolve the phosphate issues faced by the farm and turns their slurry into a valuable asset, as well as an additional revenue stream.

The H2e process treats the grey water to meet Environmental Agency discharge standards and the polished water can then be re-used on the farm or released into water courses under permit. Alternatively, the process can be altered to allow more of the N to remain in the grey water for a nitrogen-rich fertiliser.

The whole investment, including separator, concentrator and H2e plant, came to just under £150,000, which is estimated to break even within 4-5 years – specifically based on savings on slurry handling and lagoon maintenance and the value of the concentrate as a biofertiliser or AD feedstock.

For more information, a downloadable brochure is available on Ekogea's website at: https://www.ekogea.co.uk/concentrator-for-farm-slurry/

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