3 March 2025

4 minute read

By: Kohshin

Europe

Manure: A Farm's Hidden Challenge

Livestock manure — whether from chickens, cows, pigs, or other animals — is one of the most common and significant challenges faced by farmers. While it’s an essential byproduct of farming, its treatment requires expertise and care. For over 50 years, we at Kohshin Engineering have been working with composting and helping farmers navigate this challenge. Let’s explore how you can choose the right equipment for your manure treatment needs and achieve success in this critical area.

Choosing the right approach for your needs

Before selecting equipment, it’s essential to first understand the results you're aiming to achieve. Are you planning to produce organic fertilizer for personal use or for sale? If so, the final product's quality should be your top priority. Manure, however, is rarely just manure — it often contains pathogens, harmful microorganisms, high salt levels, and weed seeds. The key to producing quality compost is eliminating these factors. Without this step, the compost can harm the soil rather than enrich it.

But how do you eliminate these dangers? Some may suggest drying manure in the sunlight. However, while drying reduces moisture, it also concentrates the salts and fails to kill pathogens because the temperatures aren’t high enough. Simply drying manure doesn’t treat it — it only compresses it, and once it gets wet again, the problem returns.

The key to clean, safe compost: Eliminating pathogens

We’ve established that eliminating pathogens is essential for creating safe, high-quality compost. But what’s the best way to achieve this?

The answer lies in heat. Pathogens cannot survive in high temperatures. By exposing manure to specific temperatures for a set amount of time, you can effectively kill the pathogens, ensuring the safety and quality of your compost. The result is a material that is both pathogen-free and ready for further transformation into nutrient-rich compost.

From manure to nutrient-rich compost: The next step

With pathogens eliminated, the next gal is to enhance the quality of the manure, turning it into compost that can enrich the soil. This is achieved through the natural process of decomposition, where organic matter breaks down into simpler, nutrient-dense compounds. The breakdown is driven by aerobic bacteria and fungi, transforming the manure into a valuable resource for improving soil health.

What makes aerobic composting the solution?

This transformation occurs most efficiently through aerobic composting. Unlike anaerobic composting, which happens without oxygen, aerobic composting relies on oxygen-loving bacteria and microorganisms to break down the organic material. These bacteria feed on the manure, converting it into simpler, nutrient-rich compounds while releasing heat. The heat generated by this process not only speeds up decomposition but also ensures that pathogens are eliminated.

Creating the perfect conditions for composting

To ensure successful composting, it’s important to create the right environment for the process to unfold. Proper moisture content and a steady supply of oxygen are vital for bacterial activity and heat generation. By maintaining the right balance of air and moisture, you will provide the ideal environment for bacteria to thrive.

But meeting these requirements can be challenging. That’s why we’ve designed a specialized system to adjust moisture levels, optimize airflow, and ensure consistent temperatures ensuring that all conditions are met for the best possible composting results.

Soilath System: Smart composting on your screen

To kickstart the composting process and create the perfect conditions, it’s beneficial to awaken the bacteria in the manure. Our Soilath System offers a solution by using smart sensors that monitor the temperature, oxygen and ammonia levels in the pile. This data is correlated with the surrounding environmental conditions, ensuring the manure is properly preconditioned for composting. All this information can be accessed and monitored online for your full control.

The system also includes specially set blowers that supply the optimal amount of air to the manure, helping the bacteria thrive without drying out the material. This smart system ensures that the composting process begins smoothly and efficiently.

The final step: Active composting

Once the pre-composting phase is complete and the ideal environment is established, the main composting process begins. Our composting machines, equipped with specially designed blades, continuously mix and break down the material, while ensuring it receives enough oxygen for the bacteria to continue their work.

The machines also feature an aeration system that provides the necessary oxygen to the bacteria, allowing them to effectively break down the organic matter into humus. This results in nutrient-rich compost that is ready for use.

Whether you choose to use it to enhance the soil on your farm or sell it as a valuable product, the outcome is a sustainable solution that benefits your farm and supports a healthier, greener environment.