It took a single day to turn 15 tons of chicken manure and sawdust into 9 tons of nutrient-rich, pathogen-free organic fertilizer, thank to Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion system, a new innovative method of converting the massive quantities of waste products generated by agribusiness and commercial livestock farming into rich, odourless, dark brown loose substrate filled with plant available nutrients.
Singapore biotechnology company Biomax Technologies has developed a system that combines a specially designed digester in which a variety waste is mixed with a specifically formulated enzyme and heated at around 70°C to produce a 100% pure, high grade, pathogen-free, solid organic fertilizer – in only 24 hours.
The system offers a simple solution to the problems faced by many agribusinesses when looking to dispose of waste. One conventional method is to dump agricultural waste into trenches and allow it to decay over a period of months. With rapid thermophilic digestion, any available bulk plant material containing carbon such as sawdust or dry grasses for example is added to nitrogen waste such as manure, offal or livestock mortalities to reduce moisture and balance the carbon: nitrogen ration.
The technology works by combining the waste with Biomax's BM1, a natural blend of healthy bacteria with high heat tolerance capable of acting as powerful enzymes that break down the waste. BM1, which includes keratinase, lipase, cellulose and thermophilic aerobic micro-organisms that accelerates the decomposition and fermentation process, is loaded into a digester along with the waste at a rate of 1 kilogram of BM1 per ton of waste.
The digester uses a thermal oil heater that circulates heat to maintain a steady 70°C temperature that together with the BM1 enzyme is able to reduce fermentation time to 24 hours or less by activating fermenting microorganisms during the thermophilic process. The end product is a pure organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. With its optimum water and organic content, this organic fertilizer provides a healthy environment for the growth of soil microbes that helps restore soil structure and fertility.
In this way, not only does the farmer solve the problem of waste disposal in a safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly fashion, the end product can be marketed and sold to generate a substantial and sustainable additional income stream. The cost of the Biomaxtech system can be recouped within the first two years by saving on the costs of paying third parties to dispose of waste as well the revenue generated by selling the end product organic fertilizer. The Biomax digester can be operated using electricity or an optional boiler powered by a diesel generator to save on operating costs. The system itself is completely enclosed, meaning that from the time the waste is placed inside the digester and sealed, no odours are discernable, pollution is reduced and pests such as flies and other insects are kept to a minimum.
Beside the company's Singapore operation where organic fertilizer is produced from the waste of a 400,000 egg layer farm, the system is fully operational in several other Asian and Middle Eastern countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and Turkey where rich organic soil and plant nutrients are derived from chicken manure as well as entrails, heads and feathers from poultry dressing plant. Expansion into Australia is set in January 2012. The Singapore facility uses just two workers to run the complete operation, from controlling the machine to bagging the organic fertilizer for export.
The systems are available in three capacities, one processing 3 tons per day and producing 2 tons of fertilizer; another processing 15 tons per day and producing 9 tons of fertilizer; and the biggest processing 40 tons per day and producing 30 tons of fertilizer.
For more information, visit www.biomaxtech.com
