Advances in Windrow Turning: Part II
Excerpt from the August, 2001 edition of BioCycle Journal
10/12/2001

Original article by Robert Rynk and Nora Goldstein. Visit BioCycle Journal online at www.biocycle.net.
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Windrow turners, along with front-end loaders, grinders, screens, conveyors, blowers and rotating drums, are the workhorses of the composting industry. While the function of some of this equipment is fairly specific - e.g., materials handling, particle size reduction, separation - the role of turners is a bit more multifaceted, overcoming a number of factors that inhibit the composting process.

Turning accomplishes the following: Provides fresh air to the oxygen-starved materials in the interior of the windrow; Agitates and mixes materials, making passive aeration easier; Releases heat, water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gases trapped within the windrow; Breaks up clumps of feedstocks and breaks apart individual particles; and Disperses nutrients, moisture and microorganisms from locations where they are scarce. The overall effect of turning is to invigorate the composting process - in the short term with a burst of air, and in the long term with more homogeneous conditions.

DOUBLE T WINDROW TURNERS

Double T Equipment Ltd. started designing and manufacturing composting equipment primarily for the mushroom growing industry in 1978. In 1993, the self-propelled straddle type Model 10D was introduced to the municipal solid waste and commercial composting marketplace, including various sectors such as feedlots, food processors, municipalities, forestry and bioremediation.

Model 10D produces windrows up to ten-feet wide and six-feet high; Model 13D produces windrows up to 13 feet wide and seven-feet high.

The basic design of the machine has not changed since it was introduced. New options include a hose reel, pile gauge, all-wheel drive (for operations with a muddy, non-graded, soft surface), and a custom transport trailer. Other features include a vertically adjustable spinner (drum); reversible spinner; easy to replace steel teeth; North American standard components; and water spray bar.

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