Tag: disc granulator

Key points for retrofitting organic fertilizer production lines under environmental compliance requirements

With increasingly stringent environmental protection policies, environmental retrofitting of organic fertilizer production lines has become an industry imperative, focusing on the treatment of “three wastes” and compliance upgrades.

For waste gas treatment, organic fertilizer production lines must be equipped with sealed fermentation chambers and ammonia collection systems. Biofilter technology is used to control ammonia concentrations generated during the fermentation process to within standards. Some areas also require VOC monitoring equipment to ensure real-time upload of emission data.

For wastewater treatment, production lines must establish a recycling system to sediment and filter wash water and condensate before reusing them for raw material moisture conditioning, achieving zero wastewater discharge.

For solid waste treatment, optimized screening processes are employed to re-crush fermentation residues before mixing them back into fermentation, achieving full solid waste utilization.

Furthermore, the environmental impact assessment process imposes stricter requirements on production line site selection and capacity planning, such as requiring them to be at least 500 meters away from residential areas and designing production capacity to match the regional environmental carrying capacity. Although these transformations increase initial investment (usually the transformation cost of a single production line accounts for about 15%-20% of the total investment), the energy consumption of the organic fertilizer production line can be reduced by 12%-18% after the transformation.

How do new type organic fertilizer granulators adapt to different organic fertilizer raw materials?

New type organic fertilizer granulators are more flexible than traditional models. Whether it’s straw, manure, mushroom residue, or distiller’s grains, they can be adapted with minimal adjustments without having to replace equipment.

If using fermented straw for granulation, this raw material is fibrous and somewhat loose, making it difficult to produce compact pellets. Add 5%-8% bentonite (a common binder) to the raw material, mix it thoroughly before feeding it into the new type organic fertilizer granulator, and increase the roller pressure. This will ensure compact pellets without breaking them up and damaging the organic matter in the straw.

For wet, sticky raw materials like chicken manure and pig manure, the biggest concern is clogging the granulator. Instead of adding too much binder, add about 10% dry mushroom residue to reduce moisture. Also, slow the new type organic fertilizer granulator’s feed rate to allow the raw material to fully form in the granulation chamber. The resulting pellets are smooth and less likely to stick to the machine.
When it comes to fine raw materials such as mushroom residue and wine lees, they have moderate viscosity and do not require additional adhesives, which saves materials and time.

How can you use new type organic fertilizer granulators more efficiently and save energy and materials?

Many organic fertilizer plants are concerned about costs. However, when using new type organic fertilizer granulators, paying attention to two small details can significantly save energy and materials.

To save energy, most new type organic fertilizer granulators are equipped with variable-frequency motors. Avoid running them at maximum speed all the time. For example, when initially feeding, use a low speed of 15 rpm. Once the raw materials have stabilized in the granulation chamber, gradually increase the speed to 20-25 rpm. This prevents the motor from exerting sudden force, saving 10%-15% of energy per hour. Additionally, avoid idling the machine. Do not start the machine until the raw materials are ready. The energy wasted in idling for one hour is enough to generate granules for 20 minutes.

To save materials, the key is to reduce waste. New type organic fertilizer granulators have a return device. Instead of discarding the crushed granules, they are directly returned to the granulation chamber through the return port, where they are mixed with new raw materials and granulated again. This can reduce the waste rate from 10% to less than 3%. Also, do not mix impurities such as stones and iron wire into the raw materials. Impurities will wear out machine parts and crush good particles. Use a sieve before feeding each time to avoid a lot of material waste.

The Difference Between Organic Fertilizer Production Lines and Bio-Organic Fertilizer Production Lines

While both organic fertilizers fall under the category of green fertilizers, their production lines differ significantly in terms of technical logic, process design, and product positioning. These differences directly determine the fertilizer’s function and application scenarios. Specifically, they can be distinguished in four key areas:

First, there are core definitions and raw material differences. Organic fertilizer production lines use agricultural or domestic organic waste, such as livestock and poultry manure, straw, and food waste, as raw materials. They achieve “reduction and harmlessness” through natural composting, eliminating the need for the addition of functional bacteria. Bio-organic fertilizer production lines, on the other hand, require the precise incorporation of specific functional microorganisms (such as Bacillus and Trichoderma) into the raw materials. The raw materials must also be selected with highly active carriers (such as soybean meal and humic acid) to provide nutrients for bacterial growth. The core goal is to leverage microbial activity to enhance fertilizer efficacy.

Second, there are key process differences. Organic fertilizer production lines rely on naturally occurring microorganisms for fermentation, resulting in large temperature fluctuations (typically 40-60°C) and a long composting cycle (1-2 months). Further processing primarily involves crushing and granulation, requiring no specialized temperature control. Bio-organic fertilizer production lines, on the other hand, require an additional “strain inoculation” step. During the fermentation phase, an intelligent temperature control system maintains a stable temperature of 55-65°C to ensure the raw materials are fully composted while preventing high temperatures from killing the functional bacteria. Subsequent low-temperature drying (≤60°C) is required to ensure the viable bacterial count in the finished product meets the national standard of ≥200 million/g. This process requires greater complexity and precision.

Secondly, there are differences in product characteristics. The core value of organic fertilizer products is to replenish soil organic matter and improve soil physical structure. They release nutrients slowly but lack specific functional properties. Bio-organic fertilizers, in addition to replenishing organic matter, also utilize functional bacteria to achieve specific benefits. For example, phosphate and potassium-solubilizing bacteria activate soil nutrients, while disease-resistant bacteria inhibit soil-borne diseases. Products must be labeled with the strain type and viable bacterial count, and quality standards are more stringent.

Finally, there are differences in application scenarios. Organic fertilizer has a wide range of applications. It can be used as base fertilizer for field crops and to improve poor soil. Bio-organic fertilizer is more suitable for cash crops (such as vegetables and fruit trees) or facility agriculture. It can specifically solve soil continuous cropping problems and improve the quality of agricultural products. It is more widely used in green agriculture and organic farming.

Why choose a disc granulator for granulation?

Disc granulators have always held a crucial position in granulation production in industries such as fertilizer, metallurgy, and building materials, becoming the preferred equipment for many companies. They offer numerous irreplaceable advantages.

In terms of granulation performance, disc granulators are considered “precision granulation experts.” The rotating disc drives the material in a circular motion. The combined effects of centrifugal force, gravity, and friction evenly coat the material with water or binder, resulting in a finished product with uniform size and high roundness. Compared to other granulation equipment, disc granulators produce granules with moderate strength and resistance to breakage. These granules maintain excellent condition during subsequent storage, transportation, and use, effectively improving product quality and market competitiveness.

Another key advantage of disc granulators is their ease of operation. With a simple structure consisting solely of a rotating disc and transmission mechanism, routine operation requires no complex technical skills and can be mastered by workers after a short training period. Furthermore, its operation is stable, with a low failure rate. Even if minor issues do occur, repairs are relatively simple, significantly reducing downtime, ensuring continuous and efficient production, and minimizing losses caused by equipment failure.

Disc granulators also offer significant advantages in terms of cost and energy consumption. Their relatively low manufacturing cost allows small and medium-sized enterprises to install advanced granulation equipment without a high investment. Furthermore, their low energy consumption during operation significantly reduces electricity, fuel, and other energy consumption compared to other granulation equipment with the same production capacity. Long-term use can help companies reduce production costs and increase profitability.

Disc granulators are also widely applicable, effectively adapting to fertilizer production lines such as organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer, as well as granulating industrial materials such as ore powder and coal powder. This “one machine, multiple uses” feature eliminates the need for companies to purchase separate equipment for different materials, further reducing equipment investment and improving resource utilization.

With its outstanding comprehensive performance, disc granulators are an ideal choice for granulation production, helping various industries achieve high-quality and efficient granulation operations.

How should a windrow compost turner be adjusted for different organic fertilizer raw materials?

Organic fertilizer raw materials vary greatly, such as straw, chicken manure, mushroom residue, and distiller’s grains, and their properties can vary greatly. When using a windrow compost turner, a few adjustments can ensure smoother fermentation.

If you’re turning dry straw, it’s fluffy and porous, but it’s prone to “lifting.” The blades of a windrow compost turner tend to only scrape the surface, failing to thoroughly turn the bottom. In this case, you can steepen the blade angle to allow it to penetrate deeper into the pile. At the same time, slow down the compost turner’s speed to 2-3 kilometers per hour. This ensures that both the top and bottom of the straw pile are turned loosely, breaking up any large clumps and facilitating subsequent fermentation.

If you’re turning wet, sticky raw materials like chicken manure and pig manure, they tend to clump and stick to the blades, and the pile may become compacted after turning. At this time, the blade angle should be adjusted to a gentler angle to reduce sticking, and the forward speed can be increased slightly to allow the turned manure pile to quickly disperse and breathe. Additionally, before turning the pile, sprinkle some dry sawdust on the surface. This will automatically mix the material as the compost turner turns, reducing moisture and preventing clumping.

When turning fine ingredients like mushroom residue and distiller’s grains, the main concern is “missing” them. If the pile is too loose, they can easily leak through the gaps between the blades. By reducing the blade spacing on the windrow compost turner and maintaining a moderate speed, the fine ingredients can be turned over, ensuring even mixing and accelerating fermentation by about 10 days.

Solutions to Production Difficulties in Bio-Organic Fertilizer Production Lines

Bio-organic fertilizer production lines often encounter challenges in raw materials, fermentation, equipment operation, and quality control. Through targeted, simple measures and process optimization, bottlenecks can be effectively overcome, ensuring stable production.

The core challenges of raw material pretreatment are uneven composition and excessive impurities. A “stratified sampling + manual blending” approach can be adopted: raw materials are sampled strata by stacking area. Moisture content is measured using a drying method (the sample is dried and then weighed to calculate moisture). The auxiliary materials are then mixed based on experience. If feces is wet and sticky, add pulverized straw at a ratio of 10:3; if it is dry, add an appropriate amount of water. Furthermore, workers are assigned to sort impurities such as plastic and stone from the raw materials. A small magnetic separator (low-cost and easy to operate) is used to remove metallic foreign matter. Samples from each batch of raw materials are sent to a third party for testing for heavy metals and antibiotics, mitigating risks at the source.

The difficulty in controlling temperature and humidity during fermentation, as well as exhaust gas pollution, can be addressed through “manual monitoring + process optimization.” Dedicated personnel are assigned to monitor different points in the stack with thermometers and hygrometers every morning, noon, and evening. A two-step process of “high-temperature composting + low-temperature aging” is employed: the high-temperature period (55-65°C) lasts approximately eight days, with the compost turned every two days to kill pathogens. During the low-temperature period (25-35°C), the materials are moved to a cool, shaded area and covered with film to insulate and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. To address waste gas emissions, a shallow pond is dug next to the fermentation workshop and filled with a mixture of straw and soil. This is used to direct the waste gas into the pond for absorption and odor reduction.

Issue of unstable equipment operation and disconnected quality control can be addressed through “equipment fine-tuning + manual spot checks.” The crusher’s screen is changed based on the hardness of the raw material (a fine-mesh screen is used for higher hardness), and the feed rate is manually controlled to ensure that the crushed material passes through a 20-mesh screen. The granulator‘s heating knob is manually adjusted, and the temperature is gradually adjusted during pilot production until the pellets are non-sticky and non-fragile. For quality control, samples are taken daily during the fermentation stage to measure organic matter using the incineration method (weight loss after incineration is calculated). pH test paper is used to measure pH after granulation. Finished products are sampled and tested by batch, avoiding quality control vulnerabilities that can arise from reliance on complex equipment.

These methods are simple to operate and low-cost, effectively addressing challenges in bio-organic fertilizer production lines and helping small and medium-sized bio-organic fertilizer manufacturers improve product quality and production efficiency.

How does a disc granulator granulate?

As a key piece of equipment in fertilizer production lines, the disc granulator, with its efficient and stable granulation capabilities, has become a core device for granular material production. Its granulation process follows the scientific logic of “agglomeration – growth – shaping,” achieving precise conversion of raw materials into granules through precise control.

The first step in granulation is raw material pretreatment. Powdered raw materials (such as fertilizer raw materials) are mixed with an appropriate amount of binder (water, starch solution, etc.) to form a wet material with a moisture content of 15%-25%. The mixed wet material is evenly transported by a conveyor belt to the inclined granulation disc. The disc’s tilt angle is typically controlled between 35° and 55°, a value proven through numerous experiments to balance material tumbling efficiency and pellet residence time.

In the core granulation stage, the disc rotates at a constant speed of 10-20 rpm. Under the combined effects of centrifugal force, gravity, and friction, the wet material spirals upward along the inner wall of the disc. During the rotation, the fine powder continuously absorbs surrounding materials, gradually forming small particles with a diameter of 1-3 mm, known as “master particles.” As the disc continues to rotate, the master particles continuously “engulf” the surrounding powder through collision and compression, growing larger like a snowball. The operator monitors the particle size in real time through an observation window. When the particle diameter reaches the target value of 3-8 mm, the disc’s tilt angle and rotational force are used to automatically cause mature particles to overflow from the disc edge, completing the initial granulation process.

The overflowing particles are not immediately finished products; they undergo subsequent optimization steps. The overflowing wet particles first enter a dryer to remove moisture in a hot air environment of 80-120°C. They are then screened by a sieving machine to separate the broken particles from the larger particles that do not meet the particle size requirements. The broken particles are then returned to the raw material system for re-granulation.

The disc speed, tilt angle, and material moisture content are three key parameters throughout the granulation process. Too fast a rotation speed can easily lead to particle breakage, while too slow a rotation speed results in low granulation efficiency. Too large an angle can cause premature overflow, while too small a rotation angle can result in excessive retention time. By precisely controlling these parameters, the disc granulator can achieve a granulation success rate of over 90%, providing an efficient and stable granule forming solution for organic fertilizer production lines.

What are the environmental protection measures of organic fertilizer production line?

As an important part of agricultural production, its environmental protection measures are of great significance to reduce environmental pollution and improve resource utilization. Here are some effective environmental measures:

  1. Dust control: In the process of mixing, crushing, granulation, etc., dust is collected by sealing equipment and air Collector, and treated by equipment such as Cyclone Dust Collector, bag dust collector or scrubber to reduce dust emission.
  1. Waste Gas treatment: The gas from Gas/Oil Hot Air Stove in the production line needs to be dedusted and desulphurized. Cyclone Dust Collector and water film dedusting technology are adopted to ensure that the exhaust gas meets the emission standards.
  1. Wastewater management: Domestic sewage and production wastewater should be pre-treated through septic tanks, etc., and then appropriate treatment technologies, such as biochemical treatment, physicochemical treatment, etc. should be selected according to the nature of the wastewater to achieve recycling of wastewater or discharge up to standard.
  1. Solid waste treatment: For the solid waste generated in the production process, such as waste packaging bags, dust, etc., should be classified and collected and treated. Recyclable solid waste should be disposed of by the material recovery department, and non-recyclable solid waste should be disposed of safely, such as used as agricultural fertilizer.
  1. Noise control: Through the selection of low noise equipment, plant sound insulation, key parts of the rubber pad and other measures to reduce the noise pollution in the production process.
  1. Odor control: Organic fertilizer may produce odor during the drying process, and the generation and diffusion of odor can be reduced by strengthening ventilation and adopting biological filtration.
  1. Resource recycling: Promote the use of by-products and waste in the Organic Fertilizer Production Line, such as using the hot blast furnace slag generated in the drying process as agricultural fertilizer to realize the recycling of resources.
  1. Enhance environmental awareness: strengthen environmental education and training of employees, improve environmental awareness, and ensure the effective implementation of environmental protection measures.
  1. Environmental monitoring and emergency plan: Regularly monitor the environment around the production line to ensure that pollutant emissions meet standards. At the same time, formulate emergency plans for environmental emergencies and improve the ability to respond to environmental accidents.

 
Through the implementation of the above environmental protection measures, Organic Fertilizer Production Line can not only effectively reduce the impact on the environment, but also improve the efficiency of resource utilization and promote the sustainabl

Key factors affecting BB fertilizer mixer mixing uniformity

The core quality indicator of BB fertilizer (blended fertilizer) is nutrient uniformity, and the mixing performance of the BB fertilizer mixer directly determines the quality of the final product. This process is influenced by several key factors and requires targeted control.

First, the raw material pretreatment stage. BB fertilizer raw materials are mostly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium single granular fertilizers or powdered organic fertilizers. If the raw material particle size varies greatly, stratification due to different densities is likely to occur. Screening is required to control the raw material particle size deviation to within 2mm. At the same time, the raw material moisture content must be maintained at a stable 12%-15%. Too high a moisture content can easily cause the particles to stick together, while too low a moisture content can cause the powdered raw material to generate dust.

Second, the mixing parameter setting is important. The speed of the BB fertilizer mixer should be adjusted according to the raw material type. When mixing granular fertilizer, the speed can be set to 15-20 rpm to avoid particle collision and breakage caused by high speed. When mixing raw materials containing powder, the speed can be increased to 20-25 rpm. The mixing time also needs to be controlled. Typically, 8-12 minutes per mixing cycle is sufficient. Too short a time will result in uneven mixing, while too long a time can easily cause excessive friction and loss of the raw materials.

Finally, the compatibility of the equipment structure is important. The impeller design of the BB fertilizer mixer must balance convection and shearing. If the raw materials contain a small amount of fiber (such as when adding straw powder to organic fertilizer), impellers with scraping functions should be used to prevent the raw materials from adhering to the cylinder walls. The cylinder should avoid right angles and instead use rounded transitions to reduce dead corners where raw materials accumulate, ensuring that every portion of the raw materials is mixed and ensuring uniformity from a structural perspective.

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