Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1206

Engineers have started work on the automation of a new chemical based liquid swine manure treatment technology.

The new manure treatment technology was developed by Saskatoon based Systems Ecotechnologies in partnership with the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative.

It's been successfully demonstrated at five barns including three in Manitoba and one each in Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Dr. G. Lakshman says the technology uses proprietary blends of inorganic, non-hazardous chemicals to separate the manure.

"Extremely rapid chemical reactions take place and then the technology producers three streams of byproducts. The first one is, it recovers ammonia as a separate solution.

Then it produces recyclable clear water that can be recycled within the barns as a gray water or it can be used right away on crops and to grow shelter belts etceteras.

Then the third byproduct is the nutrient rich biosolid which dry very quickly to a powder and it contains almost all of the nutrients in the initial non-treated raw manure.

The odor in both the treated liquid and the treated soil solid is extremely low. Actually it eliminates the odors by more than 98 percent.

E. Coli is zero in the liquid and zero in the solids after treatment and it eliminates the production of all greenhouse gases. "

Dr. Lakshman says the technology has been demonstrated in various size barns but the full scale system will be able to accommodate any size operation.

He says proposals from engineering companies with the expertise to automate the system are being reviewed and discussions are underway with potential investors.

He says the goal is to have an automated system available as soon as possible but he isn't able to predict a date.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.