PANTA RHEI – everything flows

Floating layers or crusts are a well-known issue in digesters and storage units alike. They can form as a result of long storage times of digestate and, coupled with insufficient mixing, this can lead to them being several metres thick at the time of spreading on land. Agitators are no longer able to break up the crust to mix it in. Result: the roof has to be opened for the floating layer to be mixed in with expensive, external agitators causing high cost, further increased by reduced ROI due to operational downtime, and coupled with the risk of ex-zones and reformation of the crust.

The cause

High proportions of farmyard manure in a digester’s diet can promote phase separation as cattle or poultry manure often contain long-fibred straw while poultry manure or chicken litter are characterized by high amounts of nitrogen. Converted to ammonium, nitrogen drives up the pH value slowing down the activity of bacterial, fibre-degrading enzymes in the process. The resulting fibre accumulation causes buoyancy and crust formation.

The solution

PANTA RHEI - everything flows. The product PANTA RHEI combines cation exchangers, emulsifiers, flow improvers and enzymes. The active ingredients attach themselves to the fibre components present in the fermenter, intensify the degradation process and reduce the buoyancy of the fibres. The continuous use of PANTA RHEI keeps the digestate’s viscosity under control and flowable, stirrable and pumpable.