Donald Dejong has been a dairy farmer for more than 20 years. And he was frustrated by the “conventional” way the industry handled manure. “From sourcing organic fertilizer and trucking it all over his acreage to dealing with weeds and issues with the lagoons that dotted his land, the whole system just seemed inefficient. It needed an overhaul.”

Cool, clean water

He figured there had to be a better way to recapture nitrogen and ammonia from cow manure. So he started the hunt for a better mousetrap and discovered Sedron Technologies. “Its Varcor system takes that manure and extracts the valuable nutrients, creating a steady stream of fertilizer and potable water at the same time.” Liquid manure goes in, the high fiber solids are removed and remainder heated to almost the point of boiling. The vapor is collected and one stream becomes potable water and the other stream yields aqueous ammonia. “The solids that are left over from the “bake” are a concentrated mix of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium—the three key components of fertilizer.” He now combines the remaining dry solids with the aqueous ammonia, stabilized with ammonia nitrate and he has fertilizer that he can use on his corn and alfalfa fields.

And he uses the remaining clean water to irrigate his crops.

So what is the draw back? Since this is emerging technology, the upfront costs are high and it is designed around a herd of 3,500 cattle or more. But Dejong sees the potential to design a system for smaller ranches, as well as diversification into poultry and swine operations. In fact, he believes in the potential enough to become an investor in the company as well.

To read the entire article in Modern Farmer, follow this link:

Meet the Modern Farmer Turning Manure Into Water 

For help with your current wastewater systems, visit Irrigation Supply Parts.