Affordable Silage Leachate Filtration System

Affordable Silage Leachate Filtration System

Background

• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is responding to the leachate concerns of small dairy farms
• 2011-2012 Smith College Design Clinic Team
• Team RAZCAS will design a system that will treat silage leachate

Design Requirements

Goal

• Design a silage leachate filter for small dairy farms in Western Massachusetts
• It has to be:
• Effective
• Affordable
• Scalable

• Locally available to farmers
• Scalable on other farms the size of 50-250 cows
• Cannot create an additional waste stream
• Solution cannot utilize a liquid slurry storage
• Maximum initial investment: $40,000
• Maximum yearly maintenance: $600
• Less than 8 hours/month of training
• 5 year life span
• Filter must treat at least 1,000 gal/day of leachate
• pH close to 7

TEAM RAZCAS

Cecilia Aponte

Shelby Richards

Ansha Zaman

Who does it affect negatively?

Plan of Action

Data Collection

Small Dairy Farms: Large farms have ways of managing their leachate, small farms do not.

Communities around Farms: Silage leachate affects the surrounding water bodies and seeps into ground water.

Farm visits

• Leachate samples

• Geographical data

• Questionnaires

Possible Solutions

• On Site Data Gathering
• Feasibility Study of Possible Solutions
• Testing of filter media
• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Design and Implementation
• Feedback

• Biochar
• Biofilter
• Silage storage container
• Constructed treatment wetland

Criteria for cost benefit analysis

• Financial cost in building the system and maintaining the system (per month)
• User friendliness
• Materials used to build the filter and availability
• pH level neutralization
• Toxic content reduction

Gantt Chart

Why is it bad?

Challenges

• Water Quality Concern: The nutrients in silage leachate cause eutrophication leading to depletion of oxygen in water.

• Acidic: Kills vegetation in the area in which it drains

• Timing: Silage Leachate is mostly produced during summer when there is already the lowest oxygen content in water bodies due to high temperatures, as well as more runoff.

• Government shutdown
• Design requirements have to be established
• Lab testing costs
• Transportation to/from farms

Next Steps

• Meet with our liaisons
• Have a general farm visit
• Consult Chemistry Department about testing methods
• Continue research on filter options
• Start vegetation research

What is Silage Leachate?

• Byproduct of ensilage process
• Typical occurrence in a dairy farm
• Corrosive
• Oxygen depleting
• High nutrient content

Questions?

Composition of Silage Leachate

Bunk Silo

References

Cow picture 1: Copyright: smereka

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-95588443/stock-photo-cow-on-a-summer-pasture.html

Cow picture 2:

http://frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/happy-cow.jpg

Biochar picture:

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/169/cache/geoengineering-biochar_16960_600x450.jpg

Testing Picture:

http://www.avomeen.com/services/litigation-support/non-destructive-testing