| Muck & Slurry
Green Bedding and Digestate separators from Greencrop
G reen bedding has now become of great interest in the UK after its popularity in the USA and Europe for some years. Our neighbours in Holland have been using green bedding for six years and have converted to the system both on mats and deep bedding( 85 % of all new cubicles in Holland have
Greencrop, the official importer of the Sepcom range of slurry separators for farm and AD, offer the Visscher / Sepcom green bedding separator, manufactured by the Italian Wam Group and Visscher Holland.
gone to deep bedding). Visscher have been involved from the beginning, and have developed an automatic separator system and have over 450 working units in Holland( both static and mobile). They also have over 90 in Germany, plus units in Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Lapland and now a number of units installed in the UK.
After a full review the process has now been accepted in the UK. The Visscher / Sepcom green bedding separator is designed to produce recycled bedding material from the separated slurry. The benefits of this system give cow’ s better comfort in the cubicle, helps keep them cleaner and help to reduce mastitis levels in the heard, whilst also reducing bedding costs. The separator has a lower electrical demand than other machines as it is fitted with a 5.5kw motor. Due to its larger screen area and auto adjusting head, its power requirement is reduced. The Visscher / Sepcom will produce bedding with a dry matter content of 33-37 per cent.
The unique polymer sectional auger as standard, which has proved itself on other Sepcom separators for its cleaning ability during use. As well as significant advantages in keeping the screens cleaner, it aids a higher degree of separation than a steel screw system. The final part of the separation is by a Visscher screen mounted in the centre of the solid core, this allows the moisture from the inside of the solids out through the centre, thus not trying to squeeze all of the liquid to the outside. This works in conjunction with the Patented Visscher automatic press module head which adapts the counter – pressure to the medium`s consistency. This allows the module to automatically apply optimum pressing force. The system will continuously adjust itself to the pre-set value and this has a very close relationship with the dry matter percentage and capacity.
The PLC controller can be adjusted to the dry matter content / mass balance desired for nutrients and dryness. Only about 70 % of the daily produced slurry is needed for bedding, a simple turn of a dial on the panel decreases the amps, saving energy costs and produces a faster standard separation DM for spreading on to the land. This means you don’ t have to climb up and adjust the separator outlet manually every time. Pumps and agitators The consistency and homogeneity of the slurry helps ensure a good result. It is therefore important to choose the right agitation and pump in connection with the green bedding separator.
Greencrop can provide a range of electrical mixers for the reception pits, plus for the most efficient installation we would recommend the Visscher cutting mill and positive displacement pump system.
. The capacity is about 5-20 m3 per hour. The worm pump is characterised by a constant flow of slurry, irrespective of its composition.
The rota is hardened to cope with any small hard particles, which would harm a standard positive displacement pump.
Through the control panel the pump and auto-head work together to feed the correct amount of slurry at any one time, and if there becomes a blockage or lack of product, the system will automatically shut down.
Greencrop can also offer a full range of Sepcom separators for AD plants be it slurry- field crop or food, feed stocks. Horizontal or the unique vertical machines are in use on many UK Plants...
For further information on the Visscher / Sepcom green bedding separator or any other Greencrop products, please visit our website www. greencrop. co. uk. Alternatively, please contact Howard Chantry on 07881 787997 or email howard @ greencrop. co. uk www. farmingmonthly. co. uk February 2017 | Farming Monthly | 27