Applications

Beef/Dairy

  • Slurry Stores
  • Manure Piles

Poultry

  • Bedding/Litter Pack
  • Slurry Stores
  • Manure Piles

Swine

  • Pits
  • Slurry Stores

Equine

  • Stalls
  • Corrals

Slurry Stores

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER offers a comprehensive solution for beef and dairy slurry stores, significantly improving manure management practices. By accelerating the decomposition of organic waste, it reduces the volume of stored manure, minimizing the need for frequent emptying and disposal. This process also helps to control unpleasant odors associated with slurry, creating a more pleasant environment for both animals and farm workers. SHAC MANURE DIGESTER enhances nutrient availability in the slurry, making it a more effective and valuable fertilizer for crop application, promoting sustainable agriculture practices.

Manure Piles

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER provides a valuable solution for managing beef and dairy manure piles, accelerating the natural decomposition process and improving overall efficiency. Its unique formula helps break down organic matter, leading to a significant reduction in pile volume and associated odors, thereby enhancing environmental conditions. By promoting the breakdown of complex compounds, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER also increases the availability of essential nutrients, transforming the manure into a more effective and valuable fertilizer for land application, ultimately supporting sustainable farming practices.

Bedding/Litter Pack

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER offers a beneficial solution for chicken bedding/litter packs by actively accelerating the composting process. This leads to a reduction in the volume of the litter, minimizing the need for frequent removal and disposal, which can save labor and costs. It also helps control ammonia and other unpleasant odors often associated with poultry houses, contributing to a healthier environment for both the birds and farmworkers. Furthermore, by promoting the breakdown of organic matter, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER enriches the compost, making it a more nutrient-rich fertilizer for crop application, thus supporting sustainable waste management practices on poultry farms.

Slurry Stores

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER is an effective tool for managing poultry slurry stores by enhancing the breakdown of organic materials and mitigating the buildup of solids. This results in a more homogeneous and reduced volume of slurry, which simplifies storage and transportation. By minimizing odors and harmful gas emissions, such as ammonia, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER creates a healthier environment for farm workers and surrounding communities. Additionally, its ability to release essential nutrients during digestion transforms the slurry into a more valuable resource for fertilizing crops, promoting sustainable agricultural practices while contributing to improved farm efficiency.

Manure Piles

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER significantly improves the management of chicken/poultry manure piles by accelerating the composting process. This rapid breakdown of organic matter reduces pile volume, minimizing storage needs and associated handling costs. The digester also helps control unpleasant odors and harmful gases, such as ammonia and methane, making the manure piles less offensive and reducing environmental impact. By converting the manure into a more stable, nutrient-rich compost, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER provides a valuable soil amendment for agricultural use, contributing to sustainable waste management and improved crop yields.

Pits

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER is highly beneficial for managing swine pits by enhancing the breakdown of organic waste and reducing the accumulation of solids. This process minimizes the volume of manure and wastewater, which helps in maintaining cleaner and more manageable swine pit conditions. Moreover, it significantly lowers odors and harmful gases like hydrogen sulfide, improving air quality for both livestock and farm workers. By promoting the release of valuable nutrients through the digestion process, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER transforms swine manure into a nutrient-rich resource that can be safely reused as fertilizer, thereby supporting sustainable farming practices and promoting environmental health.

Slurry Stores

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER offers significant advantages for managing swine slurry stores by facilitating the efficient decomposition of organic matter within the slurry. This technology aids in reducing both the volume and the nutrient load of the slurry, which not only helps to prevent overflow and management issues but also improves the storage capacity. By minimizing the release of noxious odors and harmful gases such as ammonia, the digester enhances the working environment for farm personnel and reduces the environmental impact of swine waste. Additionally, it converts the slurry into a more stable and nutrient-rich product, allowing for safer application as fertilizer on crops, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural practices and resource recycling.

Stalls

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER provides effective solutions for managing waste in equine or horse stalls by facilitating the breakdown of manure and bedding material, which helps in maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment for the horses. By accelerating the decomposition process, the digester reduces the buildup of waste, decreasing the frequency of stall cleaning required and lowering labor costs for stable management. Additionally, it minimizes unpleasant odors and harmful pathogens, contributing to improved air quality and overall horse health. The end product of the digestion process can also be repurposed as nutrient-rich compost, providing a sustainable option for fertilizing pastures or gardens. This eco-friendly approach not only supports horse welfare but also promotes environmentally responsible practices in equine care.

Corrals

SHAC MANURE DIGESTER plays a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of equine or horse corrals by efficiently managing manure and bedding waste. The digester’s ability to break down organic matter reduces the accumulation of waste, minimizing the risk of disease transmission and fly breeding, which are common issues in unmanaged corrals. By controlling odor and flies, the digester creates a more comfortable environment for horses and reduces stress, promoting better overall health and well-being. Furthermore, the digester’s process also helps to prevent the spread of diseases and parasites, protecting both the horses and the people working in the corral. By maintaining a clean and healthy environment, SHAC MANURE DIGESTER supports optimal horse care and welfare in equine corrals.

10 Litre, 205 Litres

SHAC Manure Digester

Decreases ammonia gas and odors, and aids manure management in livestock production operations.

SHAC Manure Digester™ (MD) stimulates resident microbes present in manure to enhance the decomposition of organic material.

  • • Decreases harmful ammonia gas and offensive odors for a safer, healthier, more pleasant environment for workers and livestock.

    • Loosens, liquefies, and reduces organic solids for easier pumping.

    • Aids in removing and preventing crusts for easier manure management.

    • Reduces overall volume to minimize hauling frequency, pumping and spreading – save time and money.

Swine Industry

Reduces ammonia volatilization and retains more N in manure.Loosens, liquefies, and reduces solids for easier pumping.

Poultry Industry

Improves breakdown of waste materials.Can be applied directly into pens containing animals.

Cattle/Feedlot Industry

Save up to 45% on manure handling costs. Spreadable manure in as little as 90 days. Retains available nutrients in manure.

Other Industries

Helps decompose bedding. More available nutrients retained in manure. Can be applied directly into pens containing animals.

Average odor reduction of 83% (Iowa State University)

Ammonia gas reduction of 63% within barns (Iowa State University)

Nearly 100% reduction in depth of organic solids in pits. Treated pits also maintained a thin liquid consistency and a complete absence of crusting. (AURI – Agricultural Utilization Research Institute)

Initial applications of Manure Digester are generally based on volume of the presently stored waste. Maintenance rates are based on the rate of inflow of waste from confinement operations. Variable rates are used according to the severity of the problems related to the waste (eg. high solids to liquids ratio, offensive odors, dry-crusting, solids accumulation, lack of percolation, pest infestation).
Rates are as follows: Lagoon/pit stored waste can be treated at any rate ranging from 10L to 30L per 100,000 gallons of waste. Adequate moisture must be present in the waste for treatment to be effective. Minimum moisture for biological decomposition is 30%. Minimum moisture for waste which must flow is 80%. Therefore, water application and upkeep is often required along with Manure Digester treatment.

To estimate volume, first determine total cubic area:For lagoons, calculate the total cubic area using the following equation: Length x Width x Depth x 0.7 (or appropriate slope factor*) = cubic area (ft³ or m³) For barn pits, calculate the total cubic area using no slope factor: Length x Width x Depth = Total Cubic Area (ft³ or m³) For round slurry stores (cylinder-shaped), calculate the total cubic area using the following equation: Depth (height) x 3.14 x Radius2 = Total Cubic Area (ft³ or m³) Then multiply total cubic area by one of the following: 6.25 to convert cubic feet to Imperial gallons 7.5 to convert cubic feet to US gallons 1000 to convert cubic meters to Litres * To calculate the slope factor, simply divide the elevation change in feet by the length of the actual slope. A slope factor of 0.7 (for a 70% slope) may be used for steep sided lagoons. It is important to properly determine the slope value at a site in order to accurately estimate volume.

Yes, Manure Digester has been developed to assist the biological decomposition of all organic matter. For crust applications the crust must first be agitated. This procedure ensures that the solids forming the crust are moist and are broken sufficiently to allow the transfer of oxygen into the lagoon/pit slurry. Oxygen is required as a necessary element in the complete decomposition of organic matter. A depletion of oxygen in the slurry was likely a determining factor in the original cause of the crust formation. That said, continuous artificial aeration is not recommended, (though it can be a useful tool in odor control) as excessive oxygenation of the slurry will prevent the necessary anaerobic biodigestion of organic solids and cause the accumulation of solids in the bottom of a lagoon or pit.
*Excessive disposal of chemicals, cleaners, heavy metals or salts (from feed or water sources) and antibiotics will limit results of Manure Digester application and should be limited as much as possible.
**In barns with sub-floor fans above the pits, maintaining moisture in the slurry is crucial to optimal biodigestion of organic solids, as air drawn past the pit contents tends to dry the waste and perpetuate crusting.
***During periods of drought, it may be difficult to manage moisture in lagoons. Under these circumstances, artificial chemical oxygenation or dry storage of the manure may be satisfactory alternatives to moisture intensive biodigestion.

Yes, solids accumulation in the bottom of the pit is a signal that either biodigestion is being dominated by aerobic microbes or that all forms of microbial activity are being limited for some reason. Manure Digester can assist by binding to toxins (eg. salts/heavy metals) via the activated carbon present in the product while stimulating and balancing the microbial populations that encourage organic decomposition.

Manure Digester has been independently tested for this purpose and findings have indicated reductions in odor as high as 83% and ammonia by as much as 43.1%.

Foaming pits are generally the result of high phosphorus rations and/or excessive cleaning product disposal in the pits. Although Manure Digester can reduce the tendency for pits to foam, this particular situation has not been well studied and optimal application rates/procedures have not been determined. Reducing phosphorus sources in the ration will also reduce foaming.

Independent research and customer testimonial have indicated that applications of Manure Digester to pits and lagoons increase the total nitrogen in manure by 22.5-39.1%. This increased nitrogen content of treated manure can significantly offset crop fertilizer costs.

This varies relative to the pre-treatment conditions, the user’s ability to reduce or eliminate mitigating factors, and the required result. Generally odor reductions from pits and lagoons can be measured in 2-4 weeks after initial applications are made. Solids reduction and flow-ability are improved in 3-6 weeks. A minimum retention time of 3 weeks (eg. shallow pits) is required for any product applications to be effective. With regular monthly maintenance applications, pits/lagoons can be treated for up to six months consecutively before being flushed.

In pits, changes in any part of the barn operation pre-assessment conditions may potentially affect the result of Manure Digester application (eg. feed ration alterations, medication applications, cleaning procedures, abnormal humidity and/or temperature changes, genetics, etc). Lagoons are similarly affected; however, they are under additional exposure to changes in local weather changes (eg. heavy precipitation, drought, extreme cold/heat, etc). If this occurs, a SHAC certified distributor or technical representative will be able to help you determine what may have occurred to cause the change.

If corners or areas furthest from the plugs or agitators are not draining well, but the remainder is, the problem may be the solids to liquids ratio (>80% moisture is required for sufficient biodigestion to maximize flow-ability). Also, individual pit drainage design may require a specific procedure to be followed in order to properly flush the pits clean (eg. hairpin pits – two drain plugs and a semi-complete wall dividing two pits). This design requires that a single plug is pulled; alternating sides each time the pit is flushed. Past solids accumulations in a single pit may be affecting and perpetuating poor overall drainage. Inadequate drainage piping may cause outflow pipes to slow and/or back-up to the degree that solids remain in the pits while liquids are removed (eg. two 8 inch pipes collecting into a single 10 inch diameter pipe will create back pressure and not allow free flowing of the slurry from the pit to the lagoon).

Two to three days after treatment of a lagoon or pit the liquids should be bubbling and biologically more active than prior to treatment. If no activity is observed cease treatment and contact a SHAC technical advisor to assist you in determining what factors in your operation may be adversely affecting the biological activity in the slurry (eg. excessive amounts of antibiotics, heavy metals, salts, cleaners/sanitizers, etc)

It is not recommended because new concrete has a tendency to leach lime based minerals which can negatively impact microbial activity in general. Try to use the pit for at least two flushes before applying Manure Digester.

Manure Digester must be applied at numerous locations within a pit or lagoon to achieve adequate dispersal of the product. If the manure being treated is fairly solid (no standing water above solids) it is recommended that water is also added during the application of Manure Digester. Enough water should be added to maintain a minimum of one inch of liquid standing above the accumulated solid matter. The water ensures a minimum of adequate moisture throughout the slurry and maximizes the ability for Manure Digester to stimulate viable populations of aerobic and anaerobic microbes which is crucial to achieve odor and solids reduction.

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Manure Digester Safety Data Sheet (SDS-2022)
English /
French
Manure Digester Application Guide
Application Guide 2022
Manure Digester Technical Bulletin
SHAC research information 2022
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SHAC manure digester

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