Best separation of nutrients
What is a manure Decanter?
A manure decanter is a specialized decanter centrifuge designed for the continuous solid-liquid separation of liquid manure and fermentation residues (digestate) from dairy farms, breeding farms, and biogas plants. Unlike gravity separation or screening technology, a decanter centrifuge uses centrifugal force to efficiently remove solid particles from manure slurry, achieving superior separation efficiency compared to conventional screw press separators or filter presses.
The GEA manure Decanter is a horizontal solid-wall bowl centrifuge specifically engineered to address the challenges of modern manure management: reducing phosphate and nitrogen content to comply with fertilizer ordinances, minimizing storage capacities, and transforming waste into valuable resources such as natural fertilizer, compost, or feedstock for biogas plants.
How does a Decanter work?
Decanter centrifuges operate on the principle of centrifugal separation. Here's how the separation process works in a GEA manure Decanter:
- Feed: Manure slurry or digestate is continuously fed into the rotating bowl via a stationary feed pipe.
- Centrifugal force: The bowl rotates at high bowl speed (typically 3,000–4,000 rpm), generating centrifugal forces up to 3,000 times gravity. This force drives heavier solid particles to the bowl wall.
- Solid conveyance: A scroll inside the bowl rotates at a differential speed relative to the bowl, transporting the settled solids toward the conical discharge end.
- Liquid Clarification: The clarified liquid phase (centrate) flows in the opposite direction and is discharged over adjustable weirs, ensuring optimal liquid-solid separation.
- Discharge: Dewatered solids exit as a stackable cake (20–35% dry matter), while the liquid phase – now significantly reduced in suspended solids – can be reused for irrigation, returned to storage capacities, or further treated in wastewater treatment plants.
The entire process is PLC controlled, enabling fully automated operation with minimal manual intervention. The GEA manure Decanter requires no chemical flocculants or polymers for standard applications, reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
GEA manure Decanter
Features and benefits
- Highest separation efficiency of N (40%) and P2O5 (70%) using g-forces
- No chemicals required
- Closed material flow
- No filtration system, therefore no blockages
- Minimum space requirement (m3/h per m2)
- Easy to install and operate
- PLC controlled and therefore a completely independent operating system
- Adjustable bowl speed and automatic differential control via VFD
- Can be built on a mobile unit, complete with pumps and other equipment
Standardized machine configuration
GEA manure Decanter pro
- Standardized machine configuration for plug & play integration into processes with little need for customization
- High performance, low investment and lifecycle costs
- Resource efficient product that carries the Add Better label
- Low energy consumption
- Inline secondary motor (no belts) for high efficiency and low maintenance
Customizable machine configuration
GEA manure Decanter prime
- Flexible configuration for highly complex preparation processes with individual requirements and large capacities
- Excellent performance
- Resource efficient product that carries the Add Better label
- Lowest energy consumption
- GEA summationdrive® for automatic torque measurement and differential speed control
GEA manure Decanter
Resource efficient solution
As one of our most resource-efficient solutions, our GEA manure Decanter series carries the Add Better label.*
Depending on the machine size, the GEA manure Decanter pro series offers energy savings of 15 to 60 percent, while the prime series achieves savings of 22 to 53 percent.
The Add Better label is validated by TÜV Rheinland and based on a calculation and documentation process that meets ISO 14021.
*The Add Better label relates to the serial product GEA manure Decanter pro (released between 2018 and 2022) and GEA manure Decanter prime (released in 2018). The comparison refers to the predecessor models.
Mobile decanter systems
Moving from farm to farm
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GEA environmental Decanter lines
Safeguarding our resources to protect, feed and power the world
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Mobile decanter systems from GEA are designed for flexible process integration. They have a modular, plug-and-play design – as lorry trailers or standardized sea containers.
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