A Sustainable and Safe Solution for Managing Swine Waste

A Sustainable and Safe Solution for Managing Swine Waste
Pigs

Tavares Gilmar

Professor at Federal University of Lavras

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Decantation barrels for the swine waste treatment.

It is a simple, safe, low-cost Sustainable SocioEnvironmental Technology from Agroecology, capable of addressing the negative environmental impacts caused by small family farms, which maintain up to 5 sows and one boar in a system of piglet production.


For successful waste management, the process starts by separating solid, and liquid waste is necessary. The solid part (scraped with a hoe) should be taken to a composter, like in the picture below:

A Sustainable and Safe Solution for Managing Swine Waste
On the other hand, the liquid part, which is formed by urine, the water of drinking troughs, pen washings, feed orts, hairs, and so on, is channeled into the barrel system, which should be buried just below the pipe, as shown in the picture. The rainwater should be deviated, and the pens should not be washed more than twice a week.


For the connection between the barrels, one can use plastic mass and/or glue for PVC on the connections and pieces of pipes. It is important that there is an extension of the pipe inside the barrels, allowing differentiation of the portion of the dense wastewater where there is an occurrence of anaerobic bacteria and the portion of the supernatant water. This length is more or less 2/3 (two-thirds of the barrel height) (H).
Finally, we have the treatment system installed.

A Sustainable and Safe Solution for Managing Swine Waste

For more information concerning swine waste management, please contact Dr. Gilmar Tavares.

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