A bowl that collects some of the 15 to 20 litres of urine produced a day by housed dairy cows has won the only gold medal in the EuroTier 2021 livestock machinery show innovation awards.
Selected from 80 nominees by an independent jury appointed by the DLG (German Agricultural Society), the CowToilet developed by Dutch manufacturer Hanskamp separates manure and urine at the source to reduce ammonia emissions.
Described as an automatic and voluntary urination system, the collection bowl is integrated into the rear of a specially designed feed box. The front of the free-swinging unit gently stimulates a specific nerve spot just above the cow’s udder, which causes the cow to spontaneously urinate. The liquid runs through a sieve into the bowl and is directly drained via a suction line and stored separately.
Installed at a number of Dutch test farms, the first results show that the system collects at least around 50% (10-litres) of the cow’s urine. Independent research work is looking into the reduction in ammonia levels, and a pilot project is underway with a local fruit grower to use the liquid as a fertiliser.
Other benefits of the early separation of muck and urine, include cleaner floors, which has a positive impact both on hoof health and on the air quality in the building.
Suitable for placing inside any dairy building, the CowToilet will be available in the Netherlands during the second half of next year. Each of the roughly €20,000-costing boxes is suitable for 25 cows. The company is also investigating the possibility of using a system with a milk robot.
“There are approx. 1.5 million dairy cows in NL, which provides access to around 15 million litres of urine a day,” says Henk Hanskamp. “We must be able to do something with this.”
Possible uses include using urine as a fuel or to generate electricity, and the company is currently looking for start-ups, who would like to create business out of it.
Was it not for the pandemic, then the gold medal winner would have been a highlight at the physical trade fair at the Hannover showgrounds from February 9-12, 2021, with all the latest in livestock feeding, bedding, slurry and milking equipment.
There are no changes to the dates, but EuroTier, and the accompanying EnergyDecentral trade fair, will both be digital events. So far, over 1,400 exhibitors (900 from Germany) have entered for the EuroTier digital.
