A ground-breaking new product that ‘eats’ livestock slurry and turns it into an easy-to-handle and nutrient-rich fertiliser is now available in the UK from Norwich-based distributor Thomson & Joseph (T&J).
Already widely used in Australia and New Zealand, Digest-it offers a radical new way to reduce foul smells, surface crust and the need for de-sludging by creating and maintaining a balanced microbial environment in slurry stores and lagoons.
“Digest-it is an innovative new fermented culture product that is at the cutting edge of environmental standards,” T&J’s managing director, David Atherton, said. “It contains a rich source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, amino acids, carbohydrates, dormant organisms and growth promoters that effectively ‘eat’ the effluent and convert it into fertiliser that can be put back on the land. In effect, Digest-it provides a rich food source for good microbes in the lagoon as well as dormant aerobic bacteria species.”
Slurry lagoons tend to have a persistent surface crusting and foul smell caused by the depletion of oxygen in the water, which combined with lack of sunlight, reduces microbial activity in the lagoon. Diluted and added to slurry, Digest-it naturally increases microbial activity, taking effect within two months of treatment.
“Depending on the thickness of the surface crust, a number of physical and chemical changes can be observed in lagoons within four to six weeks of treatment,” Mr Atherton added. “The slurry will appear to bubble as aerobic microbial activity increases and carbon dioxide is produced, and there will also be reduced surface crusting, less foul smells and a reduction in the sediment and foreign particles suspended in the slurry.”
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Digest-it will reduce surface crusting in slurry stores and lagoons. |
In the longer term, the slurry is converted into a consistent liquid that is easier to mix (which can lead to substantial fuel savings) and pump, as well as being a rich source of plant-available nutrients that can reduce the need for bought-in fertilisers.
In tests carried out during the course of 2009/10, Digest-it was tested on 15 dairy farms across the UK. On average, nitrogen levels in the slurry increased by 33 per cent (thanks to the bacteria in the additive fixing ammonia), while the phosphorus and potassium levels increased by 28 and 34 per cent respectively. In monetary terms, this represented a financial saving of £52.32/ha when a total of 56 cubic metres/ha of slurry was applied in two applications. This translates into a return of £3 for every £1 spent on the product.
Digest-it is available in 20-, 200- and 1,000-litre containers. A dairy herd of up to 150 cows typically needs a weekly application of five litres diluted in 100-200 litres of water.
The product is also suitable for other types of effluent management systems including animal bedding, waste water treatment, septic tanks and composting.
For more information visit: www.tandj.co.uk.
