Electricity costs can account for 15%-20% of fertilizer production costs. As a high-energy-consuming component, controlling the energy consumption of pulverizing equipment directly impacts a company’s cost-saving efforts. Many companies overlook the potential for energy optimization in horizontal crushers. In fact, through structural and operational logic design, these pulverizers can be a reliable tool for reducing energy consumption.

1.Load Adaptation of Variable Frequency Motors

Traditional pulverizing equipment often uses fixed-speed motors, operating at full capacity regardless of the hardness or moisture content of the raw material. This results in a “big horse pulling a small cart” pattern of energy waste. Horizontal crushers equipped with variable frequency motors, however, can adjust their speed based on raw material characteristics, reducing motor energy consumption by an average of 15%-20%.

2.Resistance Optimization of Blade Structure

The optimized horizontal crusher reduces air resistance. The staggered blade arrangement allows the material to enter the shear zone more smoothly, avoiding ineffective impacts. This allows more electrical energy to be converted into crushing kinetic energy rather than resistance losses, reducing energy consumption by an additional 8%-10%.

3.Load balancing reduces energy consumption fluctuations

Uneven feeding of the crusher can cause the motor load to fluctuate (a sudden surge in current during an overload), increasing overall energy consumption over time. A horizontal crusher can be equipped with an “intelligent feed controller” that monitors the motor’s load current in real time and automatically adjusts the feed speed to avoid additional energy consumption caused by load fluctuations.

In the fertilizer production process, raw material crushing is a critical step in determining the quality of the final product. This is especially true for organic fertilizer production, which often processes a variety of materials such as straw, cake meal, and fermented livestock and poultry manure. Chain crushers, due to their unique advantages, have become a common equipment in the industry.

Unlike traditional crushing equipment, the core working component of a chain crusher is a high-strength chain. When the equipment is started, the motor drives the drum to rotate at high speed, and the chain on the drum moves in a circular motion. The impact and shear forces generated by the high-speed chain tear and crush the fertilizer raw materials entering the crushing chamber.

For high-fiber materials such as straw, the chain can penetrate deep into the fibers and sever the structure. For hard materials such as cake meal, the impact force of the chain effectively breaks up clumps, avoiding the problem of material jamming that traditional equipment often encounters.

More importantly, chain crusher can adapt to the diverse raw material characteristics of the fertilizer industry. Whether it is wet materials with a moisture content of 15%-25% or dry block raw materials, stable crushing can be achieved, and the particle size of the crushed materials is uniform, without the need for secondary screening, and can directly meet the requirements of subsequent granulation and mixing processes, greatly improving the production efficiency of organic fertilizers.

Organic fertilizer production lines require flexible design based on the scale of the farming entities. Given the dispersed nature of smallholder farming, small-scale organic fertilizer production lines must offer the advantages of low investment, ease of operation, and portability. For example, modular equipment combinations can be used, with a single line’s daily production capacity limited to 10-50 tons. These lines also support on-site assembly and commissioning, adapting to smallholder farmers’ space and funding needs. Operational processes are streamlined, and one-click control systems lower the technical barriers to entry. Some small-scale lines also feature mobile crushing units, allowing for direct processing of straw in the field.

Large-scale farming (such as 10,000-acre orchards or contiguous farmlands) requires continuous production lines equipped with automated batching, intelligent fermentation monitoring, and large-scale cooling and screening systems to achieve 24/7 uninterrupted production, with daily production capacity reaching hundreds of tons. These lines also require supporting raw material warehousing and a cold chain for finished products to meet the continuous demands of large-scale fertilization.

In addition, to meet the “customized small batch” needs of small farmers, the organic fertilizer production line needs to support rapid switching between multiple recipes, while large-scale production lines focus on “standardized large batches” and ensure that the quality error of each batch of products does not exceed 5% through stable process parameters. This differentiated design enables the organic fertilizer production line to meet the needs of different planting entities.

Many small and medium-sized organic fertilizer plants often face the problem of “small batches and a wide variety of products.” Traditional granulators are prone to material waste and time-consuming when changing materials, but new type organic fertilizer granulators offer greater flexibility in this regard.

First, the new type organic fertilizer granulator features a simpler granulation chamber design with fewer dead corners. Before changing recipes, there’s no need to disassemble complex components. Simply empty the chamber of any remaining raw materials and blow compressed air through the feed port for 3-5 minutes. This will completely clear the chamber, preventing the previous material from mixing with the new. For example, switching from straw to mushroom residue can be completed in 10 minutes, saving half an hour compared to traditional machines.

Second, parameter adjustment eliminates the need to start from scratch. The control panel can store 3-5 commonly used recipe parameters. The next time you need a corresponding recipe, simply select the mode and the machine will automatically adjust the speed and pressure, eliminating the need to experiment with parameters step by step. For example, if you’ve made organic fertilizer from chicken manure before, you can simply start the machine directly next time by selecting “Chicken Manure Mode,” making it easy for even beginners to avoid errors.

Finally, there’s “small production capacity, no waste.” Traditional machines tend to idle and consume a lot of power during small batch production. The new type organic fertilizer granulator features a “low-load adaptation” function, allowing it to operate stably even when producing only 3 tons of material at a time. This eliminates the problem of loose or tight pellets caused by low material volume, making it easy for small factories to handle a wide variety of production.

Many small organic fertilizer plants initially used manual compost turning, requiring three people to turn only 20 tons of compost a day. This was tiring and slow. Switching to a windrow compost turning machine can save significant time and reduce waste.

First, it saves labor. A windrow compost turning machine can turn 50-80 tons of compost a day, equivalent to the work of 5-6 workers. Furthermore, there’s no need to carry hoes or push carts. Workers simply operate the machine and follow its route, eliminating the need to run back and forth in the stinking compost yard. This significantly reduces the physical workload and eliminates the worry of heatstroke in the summer or frozen hands in the winter.

Second, it saves time. Manual compost turning requires digging up and stacking the pile piece by piece, taking half a day to complete. A compost turning machine, turning as it goes, can turn a 10-ton pile in 10 minutes, and the turning is more even. Previously, manually turned piles often had “dead corners,” requiring 30 days for fermentation. With a machine, fermentation is complete in 20 days, shortening the production cycle by one-third.

It also saves on raw materials. Manual compost turning can easily miss large chunks of raw materials or spill them outside the pile, wasting about 10%. The windrow compost turning machine’s blades break up large chunks of raw materials and “sweep” spilled materials back into the pile, increasing raw material utilization to over 95%.

The differences in production capacity among BB fertilizer companies (small-scale with daily production capacity below 50 tons, large-scale with daily production capacity above 100 tons) directly influence the choice of BB fertilizer mixer operating mode. Choosing the right mode can improve efficiency by over 30%.

Small-scale companies often operate in batch mode, making the “batch mixing + staged feeding” mode suitable: the single mixing volume is set at 70% of the equipment’s capacity, and feeding is carried out in three batches: 60% base granular fertilizer is added first, followed by 30% powdered raw materials after three minutes of mixing, and finally 10% trace additives. The total mixing time is kept to 10-12 minutes. This mode avoids energy waste caused by idling equipment for small batches of raw materials and facilitates flexible switching of fertilizer formulas.

Large-scale continuous production companies require a “continuous mixing + flow linkage” model: raw materials are continuously fed into the BB fertilizer mixer in proportion via a conveyor belt. The raw material flow rate is linked to the mixing speed. An online detection device is installed at the BB fertilizer mixer outlet to monitor mixing uniformity in real time. If the coefficient of variation exceeds 5%, feedback is immediately provided to adjust the feed ratio. Furthermore, continuous production requires cleaning of the drum wall every four hours to prevent long-term accumulation that can affect the quality of subsequent batches.

During winter in northern China or in low-temperature workshops (temperatures below 5°C), ring die granulators are prone to low pelletizing efficiency and poor pellet formation due to decreased raw material viscosity and insufficient lubrication of equipment components. Targeted adjustments are required to ensure proper operation.

During raw material processing, an electric heater can be added to the conditioner to preheat the raw materials to 15-20°C. This increases raw material molecular activity and viscosity, preventing low-temperature conditions that can lead to agglomeration and difficulty in extrusion.

Also, the steam saturation can be appropriately increased (from 80% to over 90%) to utilize steam heat to assist in heating the raw materials and prevent moisture from freezing at low temperatures, which can affect pelletizing. During raw material storage, insulation should be installed in the silo to prevent the raw materials from cooling too low during storage and avoid wasted energy from secondary heating.

Before operating the ring die granulator, preheat the ring die and rollers for 30 minutes. This can be done by running the machine at no load to allow frictional heating, or by wrapping the outer ring die with an electric heat tracer. The temperature should be set between 25-30°C to prevent the raw material from solidifying and clogging the die bore due to low temperatures. The lubricant should also be replaced with a low-temperature-specific lubricant (viscosity grade 46#) to prevent freezing and potentially blocking transmission components. The lubricant fluidity should be checked every two hours to ensure proper lubrication.

These adjustments can effectively mitigate the effects of low temperatures on the ring die granulator, ensuring a pellet formation rate above 95% and preventing material waste due to low temperatures.

Proper routine maintenance of fertilizer coating machines can reduce downtime and extend the coating machine life, with particular attention paid to key components.

First, maintain the conveyor belt. Fertilizer pellets easily accumulate. After daily downtime, clean the conveyor belt surface with a soft-bristled brush, especially around the edges to prevent residual pellets from clumping and scratching the belt coating. Check the conveyor belt tension weekly. If slippage occurs, adjust the tensioner immediately. Also, check the conveyor belt joints for cracks. Repair any cracks promptly to prevent uneven conveying and film shifting. For coating machines that frequently handles high-humidity pellets, apply anti-rust lubricant to the conveyor belt bearings monthly to prevent rust and seizure.

Second, clean the heat seal assembly. The heating tubes in the heat-sealing tunnel are prone to film residue. Wipe them every three days with a heat-resistant cloth. If the residue is hard, gently clean it with a small amount of alcohol. Be careful not to scratch the surface of the heating tube with hard objects to prevent damage to the temperature control sensor. Check the sealing performance of the heat-sealing tunnel weekly. If the tunnel door seal strips are deteriorating, replace them promptly to prevent heat loss that affects the heat seal and reduce energy waste.

Third, inspect the cutting blade. Check the cutting blade for sharpness weekly. If burrs appear, sharpen them with a whetstone at a 45° angle to ensure a smooth cutting edge. Also, clean the cutting blade holder to prevent film debris from getting stuck and causing deviations in cutting dimensions, which could affect packaging consistency. Check the cutting blade’s fixing screws monthly for looseness. Tighten them immediately if loose to prevent blade deviation during cutting, which could pose a safety hazard.