Electrocomposting Animal Droppings
Livestock enterprises need to manage and treat, according to the legal limits imposed, the disposal of wastewater, particularly with regard to animal manure.
The substances present, without appropriate treatment, clearly pollute water and the surrounding environment, impacting ecosystems.
The process adopted involves electrochemically obtaining simple molecular structures derived from the lysis of long-chain organic compounds, i.e., natural polymers such as lignin, albumin and polysaccharides, which are subsequently recombined into ordered compounds of iron, calcium and other metals in ionic form.
The steps of the Electrocomposting process.
- Saturation of the organic components of the slurry with active hydroxides, produced by passing direct, low-voltage electric current through the slurry mass.
In this step, saturation of the slurry by strongly polarized organic molecules occurs, and the reaction takes place in a tank equipped with permanent titanium electrodes. - Formation of organo-metallic compounds of colloidal matrix.
In the second reaction tank there are sacrificial electrodes consisting of a trivalent metal; generically iron or aluminum.
Current applied to the plates causesoxidation of the iron anodes and subsequent dissolution of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions.
Polar organic molecules, formed in the first tank, come into contact with Fe2+ ions and form colloidal retinal complexes.
The result achieved by these processes is the stabilization of sludge and the transformation of organic molecules into unique compounds in the typical weight ratios of a compost.
Sterilization of the influent bacterial load occurs either by direct electrocution of the higher organisms or by rupture of cell membranes due to the passage of current.
The material leaving theelectrocomposter passes through a thickener, which separates the settleable matter present.
Finally, theresulting polluted water can be treated biologically.
The advantages of the Electrocomposting process.
Electrocomposting requires much less space than natural composting, and significantly less overall investment.
Throughelectrolysis andelectrocoagulation at the end of the process, potting soil, suitable for the parameters required foruse in agriculture, is obtained.
The Electrocomposting plants that Coind builds make it possible to track reactions and consequently assess whether and how to intervene in activities in order to reduce the pollutant load and stay within the parameters specified by regulations.
