Aerated Drying Drum for Manure Sanitization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Animal manure, with its high liquid content and unhygienic nature, poses challenges for transportation and processing, as existing methods are energy-intensive and inefficient in sanitizing and drying, limiting its utilization as a nutrient for soil.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a stationary frame with an elongate drying drum divided into infeed, processing, and outfeed parts, equipped with displacers and a stationary aerator, which rotates to aerate and dry the manure, allowing for natural composting and sanitization by maintaining temperatures above 60°C, thereby reducing pathogens and ammonia emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional drying methods (rotating drying drum heated to 300°C) are used to process animal manure, then the manure can be dried and sanitized, but the energy consumption is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from conventional high-temperature drying (300°C) to low-temperature aerobic composting (50-70°C). This is achieved by introducing air through aerators to maintain aerobic conditions, allowing biological decomposition to generate heat naturally while keeping the temperature within the optimal range for pathogen elimination and organic matter stabilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/thermal drying system with a biological system. Instead of using external heat sources and mechanical drying, the system utilizes aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter, generating heat through metabolic processes. This biological substitution eliminates the need for high-energy thermal processing while achieving similar sanitation and drying effects.
2Reliability
If high-temperature drying is used to sanitize animal manure, then pathogens are eliminated, but the process becomes energy-intensive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the temperature parameter to the specific range of 50-70°C, which is sufficient for pathogen elimination through prolonged exposure (aerobic composting) rather than brief high-temperature treatment. This parameter optimization achieves reliable sanitization while minimizing energy input, as the heat is generated biologically rather than requiring external energy sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-heating through aerobic decomposition, where microorganisms metabolize organic matter and generate heat internally. This self-generated heat maintains the temperature within the sanitization range without requiring external energy input, making the process energy-efficient while ensuring reliable pathogen elimination through sustained thermal exposure.
3Quantity of substance
If animal manure is processed and dried to reduce liquid content, then it becomes suitable for transport and use as fertilizer, but conventional methods require excessive energy input
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical drying systems with biological aerobic composting. The aerobic microorganisms consume organic matter and produce water as a byproduct, effectively reducing the liquid content of manure through biological metabolism rather than evaporation. This substitution achieves moisture reduction without the high energy consumption associated with thermal drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerobic composting process continuously reduces moisture content through ongoing microbial metabolism. As long as oxygen is supplied and the process continues, water is progressively removed through biological activity, providing continuous drying action without the intermittent high-energy input required by conventional drying methods.
4Reliability
If animal manure is to be used as nutrient for soil, then it must be processed to reduce liquid content and eliminate pathogens, but conventional processing is energy-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes temperature, oxygen, and moisture parameters to create ideal conditions for aerobic composting. By maintaining temperature at 50-70°C with continuous aeration, the system simultaneously achieves pathogen elimination, organic matter stabilization, and moisture reduction in a single low-energy process, producing high-quality fertilizer without the energy-intensive multi-step conventional processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple processing functions (sanitization, drying, and organic matter stabilization) into a single aerobic composting process. Rather than separately applying heat treatment, mechanical drying, and composting, the system merges these functions by creating aerobic conditions that naturally accomplish all three objectives simultaneously, significantly reducing total energy consumption while ensuring product quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively sanitizes and dries animal manure, increasing its dry matter content from 30% to 70-80%, making it suitable for use as fertilizer while reducing ammonia emissions and improving animal accommodation climate.
Implementation Method 1
a stationary aerator, extending from the outer side of the drum to at least a position in the processing part of the drying drum, for aerating the material in the drying drum
Implementation Method 2
the system is configured to allow animal manure to compost naturally in the drying drum. During this natural degradation process the manure dries partially, and the manure can reach temperatures of more than 60 degrees Celsius
Implementation Method 3
the supplied air is heated due to the increased temperature and can thus absorb moisture, such as water, from the manure, which dries the manure further
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A system for processing organic material such as animal manure, comprising: a stationary frame; an elongate drying drum which is held by the frame and extends in substantially horizontal direction, and is divided in longitudinal direction into an infeed part on a first end surface of the drum, provided with an infeed opening; an outfeed part on a second, opposite end surface of the drum, provided with an outfeed opening; and a processing part situated between the infeed and outfeed part; a drive connectable to the frame for rotating the drying drum around the longitudinal axis of the drying drum; wherein the infeed part, the outfeed part and the processing part are each provided with displacer's for displacing the material at least in rotation direction of the drying drum; and a stationary aerator, extending from the outer side of the drum to at least a position in the processing part of the drying drum, for aerating the material in the drying drum.