Posted on 12/23/2014, 8:22 am, by Farmscape.Ca

The Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative (MLMMI) plans to investigate the operating effectiveness and economics of air flotation and belt filter press manure separation technology.

The MLMMI has issued a call for proposals for research into the economics and operating effectiveness of air flotation and belt filter press manure separation technology.

The MLMMI uses a multi step process to separate manure into two streams, a nitrogen rich liquid stream and a solid stream which typically contains most of the phosphorus.

MLMMI executive director John Carney says by separating the two streams producers can use the nitrogen where it’s produced and transport the phosphorus from areas high in phosphorus to areas that have a phosphorus deficit but this technology tends to be expensive.

For producers in the southeast part of the province, they are looking for answers in terms of how can they comply with phosphorus regulations.

So it certainly makes sense to me and I think to many that we have an independent research organization like MLMMI that can scan the horizon for alternatives, collaborate with subject matter experts at the universities, local engineering firms and others and listen to the industry to come up with technologies that we need to understand.

Then we are able to do a deep dive on an objective basis on those technologies and provide that information back to producers in the province.

Carney says research proposals are being accepted until January 9, the hope is to see the project start in January and be completed with results available by mid-2015.

For more information visit the MLMMI web site at manure.mb.ca.