AU599461B2 - Pelletized manure - Google Patents

Description

N~ 599461 This document contains the air:;enments made under S~2Ltion 49 and is correct for COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 r Name of Applicant t t t A SCc t cc t:te Address of Applicant TERRAFIRMA FERTILIZERS PTY. LTD.

Lot 173, Enterprise Drive, Beaudesert, QUEENSLAND, 4285,

AUSTRALIA

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C t6 c Cc Actual Inventor PETER TILNEY Address for Service GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 33 Lelide e u 4 3A S~ee BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "PELLETIZED MANURE" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us.

1 n r. i. I 1 I-1 THIS INVENTIO4 relates to pelletized manure.

In particular, the present invention relates to pelletized broiler litter. (The term "broiler litter" will be use*l throughout the specification to include poultry manure mixed with organic material such as shredded paper, bark, woodchips and/or sawdust).

It is an object of the present invention to provide manure manufactured from broiler litter in pelletized form.

It is a preferred object to provide such manure which can also include cow or horse manure, tr• compost and/or mushroom farm waste.

S It is a further preferred object to provide Ct I the manure in crumbed form.

C 15 Other preferred objects will becc;.,e apparent c from the following description.

In one aspect the present invention resides in a method of manufacturing pelletized broiler litter manure including the steps of: 20 composting broiler litter (as hereinbefore tC C C c defined) for at least two weeks.; ecc o C grinding or milling the composted broiler litter to a selected screen size; t sterilizing the litter with steam, the steam also softening the litter to improve its binding characteristics and killing any seeds in the litter; feeding the litter to a pelletizing machine to form pellets of manure; and cooling the pellets.

Preferably, the broiler litter is obtained dry Sfrom broiler poultry farms. Moisture can be added if "1 desired, to ensure that the material will bind.

Preferably, the moisture content is 0.5-1.5% more .Li preferably 1% The litter may be milled in a hammermill to a 2 m 2 -0 y i t I a -raraclrsrruruaaarrra~-~- lr~ l-mu~~- I I I screen size in the range of lmm-4mm, more preferably of 3mm diameter.

Preferably, the manure pellets are cooled in a cooling tower where the pellets are conveyed on a conveyor belt formed by a series of overlapping slats, the slats being carried on a pair of side chains and perforated to allow air to pass therethrough. The air is blown into the cooling tower by one or more fans.

In a second aspect, the present invention resides in pelletized broiler litter manure manufactured by the method hereinbefore described.

rrCr cc V Dry broiler litter is obtained from broiler "4 poultry farms and stored in mounds in a large storage r^ V shed 10 for 2-4 weeks to allow the litter to compost.

r 15 Water may be added to raise the moisture content to 1% v to ensure that the litter, when pelletized, will C, t bind.

When the litter has become composted, it is conveyed by a conveyor 11 to a bin 12, which is discharged onto a belt conveyor 13 which feeds a c hammermill 14 where the litter is ground to a particle C size which wiln pass through a 3mm diameter. screen (Depending on the actual content of the litter, the screen size may be in the range of lmm-4mm diameter.) The ground and screened litter is fed by a S Cbelt conveyor 16 to a bin 17 which has a belt conveyor ctt 18 leading to a bucket elevator 19 which feeds a holding bin 20. The litter from the bin 20 is gravity fed to a variable speed auger 21 which feeds the litter to the pellet mill 22. The litter is fed to the steam chamber 23 of the conditioner, the steam being supplied by a 77 /uA 3 -c -1 C t

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Sc rL I€ boiler In the steam chamber, the litter is softened (to improve its binding characteristics), harmful bacteria are sterilized and any seeds in the litter are killed.

From the steam chamber 23 the litter is fed directly to the pelletizing machine 24 which produces the pelletized manure.

The pellets are conveyed to a cooling tunnel cooled to air temperature and conveyed by a bucket conveyor 26 to either bulk storage bins 27 or the pellets are bagged.

The cooling tunnel 25 comprises an enclosed chamber containing a conveyor belt which has overlapping slats carried on a pair of side chains. The slats are perforated to allow air to be passed through the pellets, the air being sucked through the cooling tunnel by a fan with a plurality of spaced outlet ducts.

To prevent the pellets from "sweating" in the bulk storage bins 27, air is forced through the bins 20 27 to carry away any excess moisture.

For certain applications, crumbed manure may be preferred. To produce such manure, the pellets are passed between crumbing rollers downstream of the cooling tunnel For different plants or crops, cow manure, horse manure, poultry manure, mushroom farm waste and/or other organic materials may be mixed with the broiler litter.

Experiments with the pelletized manure have found it suitable for: broad acre cereal crops, including wheat, barley,

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oats, rye and triticale; vegetabble crops such (ii) pumpkins; (iii) as tomatoes and sugar cane; -I I i ii (iv) (v) (vi) fruit trees; pastures; and lawns and turf.

It has been found to have advantages over existing fertilizers or manures e.g. urea due to the addition of organic matter to the soil and the useful micro-organisms in the manure, not killed by the steam conditioning, appear to unlock existing nutrients in the soil not available using existing chemical fertilisers.

.0 Th -manurc can al I be mi; -with Prp-al M 0- 1 1 Q 4- 4- 4 J- I. -1- ~U -L I r I..i e wr r tr fi I ii c

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~u1~ uputorit ug .iw: The embodiments described are by way of illustrative examples only and various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

'Imi i I ry

Claims (8)

1. A method for manufacturing pelletized broiler litter manure including the steps of: composting broiler litter (as hereinbef ore defined) for at least two weeks; grinding or milling the composted broiler litter to a selected screen size; sterilizing the litter with steam, the steam also softening the litter to improve its binding characteristics and killing any seeds in the litter; feeding the litter to a pelletizing machine to form pellets of man-are; and cooling the pellets.

2. A method according to Claim 1 wherein: the litter is composted for a period of two to four weeks; and water is added to the litter to maintain the moisture content of the litter at approximately 1%

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein: the composted litter is ground or milled to a screen size in the range of 1mm to 4mm in diameter.

4. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein: the pellets are cooled to air temperature in a cooling tunnel comprising an enclosed chamber containing a conveyor belt of overlapping perforated slats carried on a pair of side chains and where air is sucked through the chamber using .fans.

A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein: cow manure, horse manure, poultry manure and/or mushroom farm waste is mixed with the broiler litter. .O 6 I 7A S _i t 1

6. Pelletized broiler litter manure manufactured by the method according to any one of Claims 2 to

7. A method of manufacturing pelletized broiler litter manure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

8. Pelletized broiler litter manure manufactured by the method of Claim 7. DATED this. fifth day of April 1990. t ir r tTt Lctit TERRAFIRMA FERTILIZERS PTY LTD by their Patent Attorneys GRANT ADAMS COMPANY r- (C I- r:t C C t I. I 'ttt 41 .j iZa i,