The physical mechanical properties evaluation of experimental granulated organic compost fertilizer

Abstract

Abstract. Currently, there are searches for new and more rational ways to use biological waste for new forms of energy, creating fertilizers, building materials and other products. One kind of this biodegradable waste management is pelleting as the processing of recyclable materials into organic products. In the EU today only 5 % of bio-waste is recycled. According to estimates, if more bio-waste was recycled, it could replace up to 30 % of non-organic fertilizers. Currently, the EU imports around 6 million tons of phosphates a year but could replace up to 30 % of this total by extraction from sewage sludge, biodegradable waste, meat and bone meal or manure. According to the EU legal requirements manure is considered to be waste that the livestock owner has to account for and eliminate using as crop fertilizer and not polluting the environment. Manure compost pelleting can increase the bulk density, improve storability, reduce transportation costs, and make these materials easier to handle using the existing handling and storage equipment. Granulation process parameters and factors affecting the manure-based compost of organic granular fertilizer physical-mechanical properties were investigated. Manure raw material samples were dried naturally till 42 % humidity. Before pelletizing the samples were dried artificially till 28 % humidity. There were prepared 5 experimental manure samples in laboratory conditions and pelletized mixtures of manure waste with molasses and lime sludge add. For pellet production a small capacity 7.5 kW granulator was used, with a horizontal granulator matrix, the diameter of the pellets was 6 mm. During the researches there were estimated various physical -mechanical characteristics: biometric indicators (dimensions, mass), raw material and pellet volume and density, material and pellet humidity, pellet strength.

Physical mechanical properties evaluation of experimental granulated poultry manure fertilizer

“…Bulk density of poultry manure with litter raw material was 647.1 ± 4.05 kg•m -3 . This is a higher rate compared to cattle manure compost raw material bulk density (556.4 ± 5.81 kg•m -3 ) [13], or composted pig manure raw material (525.8 ± 56.06 kg•m -3 ) [14]. Average moisture content of the prepared mill after artificially drying in the ventilation canal was 11.2 ± 1.4% (Table 2).…”

“…Compared to previous studies of cattle manure compost granules, it may be seen that granules under the force of 425 N in horizontal compression disintegrated totally. Granules with molasses addition reached 491 N in horizontal direction [13], average pig manure compost granule strength was 628.3 ± 38.9 N [14]. Poultry manure with litter granules has shown better results.…”

Perennial forage legume cultivation and their above-ground mass management methods for weed suppression in arable organic cropping systems

“…This could have been caused by uneven weed density, different species composition, and low competition for nutrients. Mieldazys et al [27] found that cattle manure significantly increased the total number of productive stems per plant, making the crop denser and weed suppression stronger. Having compared the total weediness of spring wheat (2016) and winter wheat (2015), we found that the number of weeds (cereal growth stage BBCH 27 and 75) and the dry weight of weeds (cereal growth stage BBCH 75) decreased marginally after the application of plant-based manure.…”

An Integrated Approach to Convert Lignocellulosic and Wool Residues into Balanced Fertilisers

“…In general, the agriculture and food industries showcase several possibilities for their fruitful integration [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. Within the aforementioned framework, we propose an integrated approach that allows valorising both agricultural and wool residues; Figure 1 graphically summarises its logic.…”