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Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2011 Publication Date: 10/1/2011 Citation: Miller, D.N., Mcghee, R. 2011. Two new designs for manure solids and liquids sampling from tank, pit, and lagoons at various depths. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 27(5):847-854. Interpretive Summary: Animal manure composition in manure storage structures (lagoons, deep pits, and above ground tanks) varies with depth and over time during storage. One of the most difficult challenges to researchers studying the composition and activities within manure storage systems is obtaining representative manure samples deep within the solids accumulating at the bottom of manure storage. The objective of this research was to design and construct manure sampling systems that could be used to sample manure at various depths (more than 25’) from a variety of swine manure storage systems. Two slurry sampler systems were devised that could be lowered to a variety of depths within the manure slurry and then opened and closed remotely in order to collect a sample from a specific depth with minimal contamination from manure slurry from shallower or deeper depths. Over more than a year, these two samplers were repeatedly field utilized at a four animal production sites. These designs proved to be low cost, robust, and possessed several features (easily transportable, large sample orifice, minimal sample contamination, ample volume collection, and variable depth collection) that proved superior to off-the-shelf wastewater collection systems which were not appropriately designed for animal production systems. Technical Abstract: The wide variety of animal manure slurry storage structures and the spatially heterogeneous nature of manure within the storage structure present a difficult challenge to researchers studying the composition and activities within manure storage systems. The objective of this study was to design and construct a manure sampling system that could be used to sample manure at various depths (more than 25’) from a variety of swine manure storage systems, including deep pit, lagoon systems, and above ground manure slurry storage tanks. Two slurry sampler systems were devised that could be lowered to a variety of depths within the manure slurry and then opened and closed remotely in order to collect a sample from a specific depth with minimal contamination from manure slurry from shallower or deeper depths. Over more than a year, these two samplers were repeatedly field tested at a four animal production sites. These two designs proved to be low cost, robust, and possessed several features (easily transportable, large sample orifice, minimal sample contamination, ample volume collection, and variable depth collection) that proved superior to off-the-shelf wastewater collection systems which are more appropriately designed for sample collection at municipal wastewater plants. |
