Pit Digester is a mixture of living microbes that liquefy solid manure in hog confinement units. It is a consortium of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi that liquefy organic matter and help plants absorb nitrogen and phosphorus. Pit Digester contains organisms that function over a wide range of anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The result of the bacterial and fungal fermentation is reduced solids, pit crusting and odors, as well as increased nutrients for crop production.
Along with a mixture of microbes, Pit Digester contains a broad spectrum of enzymes that catalyze decomposition of manure. As producers continue to use higher inclusion rates of DDGS, we have found it very effective to add various fibrolytic enzymes that break down fiber. DDGS contain a high level of fiber that hogs are unable to digest and inevitably pass through the digestive system, ending up in pits. This material is indigestible to many living things and fibrolytic enzymes help unlock these compounds for decomposition.
The benefits of Pit Digester do not end inside confinement buildings. One of the main reasons contract producers raise hogs is to use the manure for fertilizer. When untreated, pits become stagnant and solids accumulate in the bottom. When pits are emptied in the fall (or any other time during the year), this material stays behind, leaving the most concentrated and valuable fertilizer behind. Pit Digester will help carry these solids into liquid suspension and create a more uniform manure consistency. This allows for higher nutrient contents in the liquid, decreased sludge density in the bottom of pits and allows producers to apply less manure per acre. Of course, this increases the number of acres the manure can be used on and reduces the number of acres that commercial fertilizer needs to be purchased for.
Proven by university research studies, Pit Digester also helps control odors in and around confinement buildings. The mechanisms are fairly simple. First and foremost, the organisms in the product continually mix the pit though cellular respiration. This prevents pits from becoming stagnant and septic. Second, the bacteria create a thin biofilm on the surface of the pit, effectively creating a semi-permeable cap. This helps prevent gases from escaping into the building and being transmitted outside the building via the exhaust fans. When the manure is pumped, the control of odor continues. The manure has already been liquefied, so raw solids do not sit in the field, decomposing further and generating odors.
Pit Digester is a liquid product available for purchase in five gallon buckets and 300 gallon totes.
