The Paygro System

Paygro Enclosed In Vessel Composting System

In Vessel Composting System

The Paygro System was initially developed in 1972 to compost cattle manure from the Ohio Feed Lot. One of the oldest continuously operating enclosed in vessel composting facilities in the U.S., the Paygro System has composted a wide variety of organic materials, including municipal solid waste, animal manure, bio-solids, food and bark.

Products generated at Paygro in South Charleston, OH, including composted cow manure, dehydrated cow manure, composted hardwood bark, potting mixes, greenhouse mixes and bark mulch, are bagged or sold in bulk to horticultural and consumer markets throughout the U.S.

The composting operation for cow manure consists of feeding a mixture of wet manure and sawdust, used as bedding in the cattle pens, to the metering hopper via front-end loader. The metering system consists of a flat bottom hopper and inclined drag conveyor, both hydraulically driven with variable speed controls. An operator controls the feed rate from the metering system to the center conveyor belt. See schematic diagram below:

A center conveyor, tripper car and indexing conveyor transport the feed material and deposit it in the reactors. A rail system mounted on the walls of the reactors permits movement of the tripper car, indexing conveyor and extractoveyor to any point along the reactors. Composting material is normally retained in the reactor for a period of 14-21 days. Air is supplied to the reactors by a series of 7 1/2 hp fans (3000 to 5000 cfm) positioned along the reactor walls. The fans discharge to a plenum and an overlying gravel support bed located in the bottom of the structure.

The hydraulically operated extractoveyor, made up of a rotary breaker, chain and flight table conveyor and trailing conveyor, is used to remove material from the reactor. Once placed back on the central conveyor belt, the material can either be relocated in the tank or discharged to storage. Composted manure or bark can then be bagged for sale or mixed with other constituents to produce potting mixes or greenhouse mixes.

Want More Information?

To obtain more information on the Paygro Composting System, please contact our Agricultural & Environmental Group or call us at 1-800-2GARICK (1-800-242-7425).