The objective of the project, the construction of the Crystal Peak fertilizer plant, is to convert hog manure into a high value commercial fertilizer using a process developed and patented by Premium Standard Farms and its technology partners. The first step is that collected manure will be processed through an Internal Recirculation Process (IRP). Separated liquids are acidified with sulfuric acid to minimize odor and ammonia and will be used for flushing fresh manure out of the barn. The concentrated solids will be transferred to a digester, the second step. The digester used is an in-ground digester heated to 90 F using waste heat from the dryer. Organic material is broken down and the resulting methane is captured. The third step is when the effluent from the digester is pumped to a settling basin. The settled solids will be concentrated using a centrifuge, and liquids are pumped to a holding pond where they will be stabilized with sulfuric acid. The fourth step is when these liquids will be transferred to an area where they will be frozen. This allows the pure water to separate as it freezes first and thaws last. While thawing the liquids will be directed to either a brine pond or to a treated water pond for recycling. The fifth step is the brine pond. It will contain a high concentration of minerals and it will be mixed with the solids obtained after the centrifugation. It will then be formed into pellets, dried and charred using methane derived from the digester. The emissions from this process will also be captured and recycled. The pellets will be marketed as high-quality fertilizer. The final step is when the liquid harvested from the freeze-thaw process is stored in a water storage cell and either used as irrigation water or further processed to produce drinking water for the pigs on site.
This process is a combination of technologies for solving environmental issues facing the swine industry. Energy costs are reduced, waste is reduced and there is a marketable product at the end.