From Coop to Crop: Energy Saving Solutions for Manure Drying Operations

(By Lei Gommers, Global Business Development Manager, ABB Drives)

The challenges facing European and global agriculture are growing every day. In Europe, farmers are grappling with falling sale prices and rising costs, stringent regulations, and competition from cheap imports, all while needing to transition to more sustainable farming practices, stretching the budgets and the patience of farmers, with many pushing for change.

Events over the past few years have caused demand for fertiliser increase, and the supply cut. Farmers are now facing countless supply chain issues, increased energy costs, price inflation and higher interest rates, the sum of which has led to skyrocketing fertiliser prices. This has left farmers searching for new solutions. Manure, already a fundamental part of the farming industry, has become an even more crucial tool in the financially conscious farmer’s toolbox.

The dirty work

Manure can be used as a natural fertiliser as it contains nitrogen and other useful minerals essential for soil health, and it can even be sold on to consumers. One of the best ways to ensure that this potential is maximised is through drying. It’s a process which not only enhances the manure’s utility as a fertiliser but also offers significant energy saving and pollution reducing benefits.

Wet manure is extremely heavy, leading to higher operational and transport costs. The drying, crushing, and pelletising process leads to a reduction in weight and volume by as much as 30%. This greatly reduces the associated costs.

However, currently this drying process can be energy intensive and expensive.

Nuggets of gold

The process to dry and pelletise manure requires three steps and is a continuous process that needs to be highly controlled and monitored – especially in the egg layer farms where manure has to be removed on a daily basis.

1. Manure is collected by conveyors or scrapers and transported away from livestock to drying facility.
2. Using high pressure fans, a drying machine, and air scrubbers the manure is cleaned and dried – this removes dust and odours.
3. Dried manure is ground and pelletised, further reducing volume and dust so that is ready to be packaged, transported, and used.

The energy used to continuously run this process can be high, especially if the manure is particularly wet. Fortunately, there is a solution.

By pairing highly efficient motors with variable speed drives, also known as variable frequency drives, or simply drives, farmers can reduce energy consumption and have the highest quality product. The drive works by controlling the different motor speeds and monitoring the moisture of the manure to ensure that the manure is dried correctly. This way creating a better-quality product where the machine is working efficiently but not prematurely worn from over-use, reducing maintenance and replacement costs. Electronic devices such as drives need protection against harsh environments, that can be found in the agriculture sector. Printed circuit boards in ABB drives are protected with C4 conformal coating that protect the drive and secures its longevity. 

All dried out

The agriculture industry is a crucial industry for society. However, it is highly intensive, both from an energy consumption and environmental point of view. By adopting efficient technology, such as high-efficient motors paired with drives, farmers can exponentially reduce energy usage.

This will allow them to lower their costs and fight climate change.

More information please visit: https://new.abb.com/drives/segments/food-and-beverage