Development of ensiling equipment for mixing, moisture absorbing materials into raw grass with high moisture content
2004
Matsuo, M. (National Inst. of Livestock and Grassland Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)) | Amaha, K. | Kida, T. | Ichito, K. | Murai, M. | Shigeta, K.
Ensiling equipment which reduces moisture content of grass was developed in order to process high moisture grass into high quality silage. The developed equipment consists of two conveyers and a device that measures the mass-flow rate of grass and adds moisture absorbing materials on grass. Moisture absorbing materials are added proportionally to the mass-flow rate of grass by using an ultrasonic distance sensor. Grass and added moisture absorbing materials are mixed continuously by using a double-shaft increasing pitch screw conveyer. The throughput and the power consumption of the developed equipment were 17.9 t/h and 1.5 kW, respectively. The Sudan grass silage processed by the developed equipment showed better fermentative quality and lower dry matter disappearance rate than the non-processed silage without wilting. The developed equipment was able to dispense with wilting work and process high quality silage in an underground square silo (about 50 cubic m).
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