McLanahan Provides New Sand Separation System Design for Dairy Farm
McLanahan recently designed and installed a new Sand Separation System that provides smaller dairy farms with a solution for recycling sand bedding for their cows.
Sand Separation Systems separate sand from the manure stream for reuse. This new model is specifically designed for smaller dairies or dairies that use recycled water in a flush system. The system’s small footprint and low maintenance are ideal for dairies with fewer than 700 cows.
Rather than buying and bedding on new sand, this system allows for the high recovery of sand, offering a less costly and sustainable option for dairy farms.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS
After the alleyways are flushed, the sand-laden manure and water flow into a reception pit. The mixture is agitated, suspending the sand and manure in the water. The diluted sand and manure mixture is then pumped by a McLanahan Sand-Laden Manure Pump to a Hydrocyclone for separation.
“This Sand Separation System uses the Hydrocyclone as the primary separation part of the system,” explained Dave Swartz, Engineering Field Service Technician at McLanahan.
From there, the sand drops into the sand washer for cleaning and dewatering. The wet sand is conveyed up to a Shaker Screen for further dewatering, which removes a high percentage of the sand’s moisture.
Swartz said, “The dairymen can use the sand a lot faster and put it under the cows a lot quicker and reduce inventory.”
The remaining water and manure are further processed. In this case, the processed manure is used as fertilizer for the farm. The excess water is put in storage or recycled and used to flush the dairy’s alleyways.
This system saves dairies money, while also allowing for sustainable practices through the reuse of sand, water and manure.
BEDDING WITH SAND
Cow comfort is one of the most important factors in producing high quality dairy products. Bedding with sand has various benefits for both dairy farmers and their cows.
Sand provides a clean, dry and comfortable place for cows to rest.
It has lower bacteria counts compared to other bedding materials, reducing the chances for mastitis in cows. Sand also provides good draining, keeping cows cleaner and drier, and it provides traction for the cows as they enter and leave the stalls.
McLanahan’s agricultural solutions provide dairies with equipment that effectively and efficiently processes sand and manure.
The Sand Separation System, when managed properly, has sand recovery rates of over 90%. The system’s low cost and low maintenance saves dairies time and money, while automation allows dairies to cut down on labor costs.
“Labor is expensive, maintenance on lots of equipment get expensive. We designed this system for the smaller dairies that can process certain amounts of sand-laden manure,” Swartz explained.
WHY MCLANAHAN
McLanahan’s experienced agricultural team works with dairy producers to provide the best solution for their operation.
“We know that cow comfort is a very high priority for these dairymen,” said Swartz. “We want to get them the best sand for under their cows.”
McLanahan’s Sand Separation System, like all McLanahan equipment, can be tailored to meet a dairy’s needs.
“Not only can we size it for the amount of volume, we can also size the Hydrocyclone depending on the amount of time that we have to process that sand-laden manure,” said Swartz.
McLanahan’s thorough knowledge of aggregate and mineral processing allows for the application of sand processing in other industries. McLanahan is a leader in the industry of manufacturing equipment for dairy farms.
“This equipment is also aggregate equipment, so it’s designed for sand. It’s a good fit for McLanahan to be in the sand separation business. We can use processes, technologies, and resources that we have developed over many, many years to handle sand-laden manure,” explained Swartz.