Separating the liquid and solid portions of slurry has many advantages, not least of which is the extra storage it provides, 30% + being a workable estimate, according to Bauer.
The fluid can be returned to the tanks, while the extracted solids can be kept in above ground storage facilities, or it may even be used as bedding – a common practice on the continent.
However, there is always a catch and in this case, it is the cost of installing the machinery to do so, machinery that will spend a good part of its time idle on a lot of farms.
A mobile separation unit that can be taken from farm to farm is one answer, and this to is a growing practice in mainland Europe, but it has yet to take off here.
Making it mobile
Bauer is one company that already provides such a tool. Its mobile separator package can be loaded on to a flat-bed trailer using pallet forks and consists of a steel frame housing a pump, all necessary pipework and a control panel, with a choice of screw press separators mounted on top.
The company has now taken the concept one stage further, with its new Plug & Play Elevator that lifts the separator 4.3m into the air to allow a a range of discharge options, it being another great advantage that the solids can be lifted and loaded without the need of belts or buckets.
The new machine will be exhibited for the first time at the LAMMA Show, NEC Birmingham on January 15 – 16, 2025.
This new version can also be trailer-mounted and has a parallel lift structure incorporating slurry intake and separated dirty water pipes, so that the separator can be positioned to discharge the solids into a trailer or spreader, or into a large loader bucket.
Bauer believes that like its current mobile unit, the Plug & Play Elevator, is a solution for large farms with more than one dairy unit and slurry storage and handling facilities, only with greater flexibility in terms of how the solids are managed.
Bauer targets contractors
The company also notes that for contractors, both the mobile units provide an opportunity for providing an on-farm service that brings greater control to customers slurry management concerns, without it having to invest in a fixed and inflexible installation.
The Bauer S655 and S855 (and equivalent FAN) screw-and-screen separators are suitable for the new Elevator package, the S655 achieving a typical throughput of 30cm/hour and organic material up to 32% dry matter (DM) using a standard-length screw with single screen.
The same DM performance is achieved with the S855 separator but at throughputs of up to 40cm per hour thanks to an extended screw and double screen; both are powered by a 5.5kW electric motor.
In addition, mobile separation packages require minimal permanent infrastructure, so can be useful in situations where planning restrictions mitigate against a fixed installation.
Bauer also suggest that its FAN separators in mobile form are a useful option for multi-site anaerobic digester (AD) plants.
