Fonterra eyes EcoPond pilot to reduce on-farm emissions
Fonterra has invested in a new effluent pond mobile dosing service to support farmers to reduce emissions and make progress towards its on-farm emissions reductions target.
The stirrer, made from high-grade galvanised steel, has a triangular pedestal designed to be bolted to a concrete pad at the edge of the pond.
A deep, square-section support tube 8m long can be tailored to individual situations; it carries a large propeller surrounded by a heavy-duty shroud not unlike an empty oil drum.
The interaction between the propeller and the shroud is designed to increase the velocity of the liquid and simultaneously create a vortex that keeps solids in suspension, helping reduce the build-up of silted areas in the pond.
Designed for a pond of 3.5 million litres, it has depth control achieved by a heavy-duty chain arrangement at the pedestal end, with an integral foot at the business end designed to protect the liner from damage.
Also at this end of the unit a mechanical linkage can be adjusted to alter the angle of the propeller/shroud to ensure thorough mixing.
Power comes from a shore-mounted electrical supply from 4 - 7.5kW, and gearbox reductions at the propeller end can be tweaked to give a range of speeds and power requirements.
The company’s skid-mounted powerplant, seen at Fieldays, can replace a tractor for pumping duties, useful at busy times of the year.
Housed in a sound-insulated box, a 4-cylinder Cummins powerplant delivers 115hp and via an external coupling powers a PD27 or PD35 effluent pump with, respectively, outputs of 180,000 or 225,000L/hour.
Standard equipment includes an LED lighting panel to illuminate the work area, and an integral engine protection system that looks for excess temperatures or low fluid levels and will shut down the powerplant if thresholds are exceeded.
