Comparison of Dry Mater Content of Pig Faeces in Two Belt Separation Systems

The average production of slurry per animal per day lies between 3 and 7 kg during a period of swine fattening. Spain is the world’s fourth largest producer of pork. The size of farms and their density are growing faster and faster. Therefore, slurry management is becoming an environmental problem due to air and soil pollution. Separating faeces and urine improves waste management and reduces the levels of environmental pollution. Since 1999 different systems aimed at this separation have been developed. In 2001, Vazquez et al. designed and patented a new integrated system for waste management in pig housing, based on a special, adjustable floor conveyor belt under a partial slat, to avoid slurry production. A fullsize system has been built and installed at the Pig Welfare Laboratory, a pig fattening facility for a maximum of 240 animals located in Madrid, Spain. The separation system is based on the direct harvest of faeces and urine by means of a belt placed under the partial slats of the pen. Two types of belt were made for two types of handling. One of them is a flat belt of 0.6 m x 14 m with the possibility of up to 8° slope side to side and up to 2° lengthways. The other is a conventional belt with longitudinal inclination from 0o to 8o. The aim of this study was to analyze the performance of both belts comparing the characteristics of solids collected during a fattening period. Every fortnight samples of 250 cm3 were taken and the percentage of dry matter was measured. This assessment took into account the interior and exterior temperatures registered in the laboratory. This study shows the technical feasibility of the patented system. Keywords. Environmental, Swine, Manure, Separation system, Belt.