Burying Sewage: MA/AG's IDL for Performance
Sewage has long been seen as a basic source of fertiliser thanks to the nitrogen it contains. If treated properly, it contains all the sustenance crops need.
But, as shown by research quoted by MA/AG, a leading light in agricultural technology from Casalbuttano near Cremona in northern Italy, to be absorbed by the plants, the sewage must be buried no deeper than 20 cm and about 35 cm away. It must also be covered immediately so that its ammonia stench does not waft through the air.
At Agritechnica 2013, the company is thus unveiling its IDL burying machine developed to inject sewage into the ground to a maximum depth of 15 cm, even when significant crop residues are still present.
The machine has a front cutting disk to open up the soil and create a sponge effect thanks to which significant amounts of sewage can be distributed optimally.
The furrow's external walls are neither flattened nor compressed, avoiding the formation of a consolidated channel, which would limit dispersion in the soil. At the machine's rear, there is a range of tools to ensure that the furrow is covered almost as soon as the sewage is distributed.
The device can be towed by a tractor or hitched to a towed or self-propelled sewage tanker. It can work on humid or clay soil and does not interfere with subsequent crop operations since the soil is only disturbed minimally. The IDL comes in a fixed and a foldable version, with a working width of 2.5-6 meters.
