Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment
Inner Mongolia has the largest sheep population among China’s provinces, resulting in the production of a substantial amount of sheep manure. If left untreated, this manure can contribute to environmental pollution. However, sheep manure serves a dual purpose: it can be both a pollutant and a valuab...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| author | Jian Wang Kailin Ren Longfei Zhang |
| author_facet | Jian Wang Kailin Ren Longfei Zhang |
| author_sort | Jian Wang |
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| description | Inner Mongolia has the largest sheep population among China’s provinces, resulting in the production of a substantial amount of sheep manure. If left untreated, this manure can contribute to environmental pollution. However, sheep manure serves a dual purpose: it can be both a pollutant and a valuable source of organic fertilizer. Consequently, there is an urgent need to address the environmental issues arising from manure accumulation and its unused status. In this paper, a viable solution is proposed: the conversion of manure into fertilizer through a composting unit incorporating high-temperature aerobic fermentation technology. This unit, tailored for small farms and individual farmers, integrates critical functions such as ventilation, heating, and turning. Additionally, it boasts excellent thermal insulation, enhancing composting efficiency and enabling precise control over fermentation conditions. This design mitigates heat loss and accelerates maturation, addressing common challenges in traditional composting. The design process encompassed both equipment construction and control systems, with a primary focus on compost fermentation and aeration heating. The components were carefully designed or selected based on theoretical analysis and subsequently validated using simulation software, including EDEM and Fluent. The control system seamlessly integrates a touch screen interface, PLC programming, and control circuits to manage air pumps and electric heaters in response to changes in temperature and oxygen concentration. Furthermore, it controls the motors during the recovery phase. A comprehensive performance evaluation was conducted, revealing notable improvements. Under artificially heated conditions, the maximum temperature of the compost increased by approximately 20 °C, the composting cycle was reduced by roughly 4 days, and the seed germination index (GI) rose by about 9% when compared to natural fermentation. Thus, this device significantly accelerates composting and improves fertilizer quality by increasing the decomposition rate. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-cbdfbd6367ab4fb6bffa25b7d8e020a62025-08-20T02:26:51ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722024-11-011411207010.3390/agriculture14112070Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal TreatmentJian Wang0Kailin Ren1Longfei Zhang2College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, ChinaInner Mongolia has the largest sheep population among China’s provinces, resulting in the production of a substantial amount of sheep manure. If left untreated, this manure can contribute to environmental pollution. However, sheep manure serves a dual purpose: it can be both a pollutant and a valuable source of organic fertilizer. Consequently, there is an urgent need to address the environmental issues arising from manure accumulation and its unused status. In this paper, a viable solution is proposed: the conversion of manure into fertilizer through a composting unit incorporating high-temperature aerobic fermentation technology. This unit, tailored for small farms and individual farmers, integrates critical functions such as ventilation, heating, and turning. Additionally, it boasts excellent thermal insulation, enhancing composting efficiency and enabling precise control over fermentation conditions. This design mitigates heat loss and accelerates maturation, addressing common challenges in traditional composting. The design process encompassed both equipment construction and control systems, with a primary focus on compost fermentation and aeration heating. The components were carefully designed or selected based on theoretical analysis and subsequently validated using simulation software, including EDEM and Fluent. The control system seamlessly integrates a touch screen interface, PLC programming, and control circuits to manage air pumps and electric heaters in response to changes in temperature and oxygen concentration. Furthermore, it controls the motors during the recovery phase. A comprehensive performance evaluation was conducted, revealing notable improvements. Under artificially heated conditions, the maximum temperature of the compost increased by approximately 20 °C, the composting cycle was reduced by roughly 4 days, and the seed germination index (GI) rose by about 9% when compared to natural fermentation. Thus, this device significantly accelerates composting and improves fertilizer quality by increasing the decomposition rate.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/2070livestock manurecompost fermentationorganic fertilizercomposting trialssustainable development |
| spellingShingle | Jian Wang Kailin Ren Longfei Zhang Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment Agriculture livestock manure compost fermentation organic fertilizer composting trials sustainable development |
| title | Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment |
| title_full | Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment |
| title_short | Design and Testing of a Small-Scale Composting Facility for Sheep Manure Utilizing Aeration and Thermal Treatment |
| title_sort | design and testing of a small scale composting facility for sheep manure utilizing aeration and thermal treatment |
| topic | livestock manure compost fermentation organic fertilizer composting trials sustainable development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/11/2070 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jianwang designandtestingofasmallscalecompostingfacilityforsheepmanureutilizingaerationandthermaltreatment AT kailinren designandtestingofasmallscalecompostingfacilityforsheepmanureutilizingaerationandthermaltreatment AT longfeizhang designandtestingofasmallscalecompostingfacilityforsheepmanureutilizingaerationandthermaltreatment |