Seaweed fertiliser trials are a success
PRM Waste recently helped a client who hoped to maximise the use of a natural product: seaweed. They wanted to explore the possibilities of processing seaweed and turning it into a nutrient-rich, seaweed fertiliser.
As seaweed is washed up on our shores, it is normally collected during morning beach sweeps. This is primarilly to ensure that the beaches remain clean and clear so that they’re pleasant for tourists. The collected seaweed is then often left in large piles on the beach, where it either rots down or is transported to landfill.
Seaweed fertiliser trials
The first part of our trials involved the removal of the excess water. For this process, the seaweed was passed through the Vincent screw press (at nil PSI) in order to remove the bulk of the water. The dewatered seaweed was then loaded into a Bio Processor for 24hrs. Whilst in the Bio Processor, the seaweed was broken down and the volume was drastically reduced by a total of 80.5% (the weight saw a 72.5% reduction).
The dry, densely packed output material was then passed through a screen to remove any plastic particulate that may have been trapped in it. Once the seaweed had been through this three stage process, the overall density had been increased by a total of 35%.
Cost saving fertiliser
Once processed (or ‘cleaned’), the seaweed can be spread on farmland and used as a naturally nutritious fertiliser. Processing seaweed this way is beneficial in a number of ways:
- It’s an environmentally efficient way to use a much overlooked waste product
- It helps reduce unpleasant smells from rotting piles of seaweed on beaches
- It removes the time and cost of transporting it to landfill
Can PRM help with your waste processing?
Would you like to know more about this seaweed fertiliser trial? Perhaps you have a waste product that could benefit from being dewatered by the Vincent, or reduced by the Bio Processor? If so, contact the PRM Waste team for more information – from balers and compactors, to bin lifters and conveyors, we have the technology and expertise to help.