| Slurry
Green bedding from Greencrop Greencrop, the official importer of the Sepcom range of slurry separators for farm and AD, is delighted to be able to offer the new Visscher/Sepcom green bedding separator, manufactured by the Italian Wam Group & Visscher Holland. reen bedding is becoming 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 four years and have converted to the system both on mats and deep bedding (80% of all new cubicles in Holland have gone to deep bedding). Visscher have been involved from the beginning, and have developed an automatic separator system and have over 300 working units in Holland (both static and mobile). They also have over 50 in Germany, plus units in Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Lapland and now the UK. The new Visscher/Sepcom green bedding separator is designed to produce recycled bedding material from the separated slurry. The benefits of this system give cows 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. It is fitted with 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
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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 a 3kw Visscher cutting mill and positive displacement pump. The installation is provided with a cutting mill, which is designed to work with the feed pump and all coarse particles in the slurry are finely chopped. Any coarser particles, such as stone and wood are held in the reception area for the cutting mill. This helps to protect the seals in the pump and reduces the risk of failures in the separator. The cutting mill is mounted onto the inlet of the positive displacement pump for the supply of slurry to the separator. The capacity is about 12-20 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. 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.
August 2014 | Farming Monthly | 19