With the inclusion of slurry separators for the first time in the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS), Vogelsang is keen to demonstrate the virtues of its own XSplit separator which, the company claims, has a basic design feature which marks it out from the competition.
Now that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has decided to include slurry separators, the time is right to look anew at their operation and benefits.
Fresh format
Farm-scale slurry separation is invariably done by screw presses with the solid digestate phase being allowed to fall freely from the machine while the distillate is returned to a tank.
The majority of the machines on the market have the screw press sitting immediately at the end of the motor shaft, with the solids exiting the far end of the housing.
Vogelsang’s XSplit, on the other hand, has the screw and its housing separated from the motor (which sits atop a gearbox at 90° to the rotor shaft), allowing the solids to flow in the other direction, towards the motor, falling from the gap between the two.
This arrangement is said be quieter, more efficient and with an easier start-up. There is also better access for servicing and there is no need for a heavy duty seal on the drive shaft at the end of the rotor.
40% DM possible with XSplit
Vogelsang has said that the XSplit will produce a digestate of up to 40% dry matter (DM), which is a leading performance for this type of machine.
To show the benefits of the separator and how it may fit into farms and bio-digesters, the company is holding two demonstration days next month.
The first is at Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone on July 5, where it can be seen running alongside an anaerobic digestor, while the second is a farm orientated day at Rathcam, Co. Westmeath on July 11.
At the Co. Westmeath day, the company will be showing other items from its product range and Vogelsang staff will be on hand to discuss the benefits of slurry separation at both events.