Stjernholm A/S received one of the prestigious awards for the environment when the Danish Society of Engineers, IDA, gave out the EU’s Danish awards for the environment for 2020
For many years, it has been known that sand is an ideal bedding material for dairy cow cubicles. It increases the productivity of the cows – it reduces the risk of mastitis – it reduces the risk of injuries from slipping and in general provides a very high degree of animal welfare.
The only drawback of using sand in the cubicles is the mixing of sand and slurry. That presents a number of obvious problems with wear on pumps and pipe systems – sedimentation in tank installations – a need for continuous purchase and transport of new sand – rejection of sandy slurry for biogas production.
Since 2009, Stjernholm A/S in Ringkøbing has been working to develop a sand washer installation that can separate slurry from the sand and wash it free from dry matter so that it can be reused in the cubicles.
Stjernholm currently has several installations in operation in Denmark and abroad which function so well that 99 % of the sand is separated and reused! The slurry is also free from sand so that it can be used for biogas production.
Stjernholm A/S receives the award based on the following reason:
Stjernholm A/S is given the award for the environment for sustainable Products and Services for the development of the Stjernholm Sand Separation Installation for the separation of slurry and sand. The sand washer installation has primarily been developed for cattle farms where cows use sand in their cubicles. In terms of animal welfare, using sand in the cubicles is an advantage as the animals avoid slipping and develop far less hoof lesions and mastitis. The sand washer installation separates the slurry from the sand – and 99 per cent of the sand can then be reused in cubicles. The separated slurry can be sold for gasification at biogas plants. One cow uses between 4.8 and 6.8 tonnes a year. In addition to the raw material consumption, transport of new and used sand represents a significant CO2 contribution. Stjernholm’s installation is a nice example of circular economy resulting in large raw material savings and a significant CO2 reduction. The installation can be further developed for use in a different waste treatment context.
WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
The European Business Award for the Environment competition has given out awards for the environment since 1987. In Denmark, the Danish Society of Engineers, IDA, is in charge of the award competition as arranged with the European Commission and the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark.
The award competition has two levels: A national and a European. In each of the participating countries, a nationally put together panel assesses and awards the projects received and recommends select projects for participation in the subsequent competition at national level.
This year, focus was on companies that work with projects that particularly support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
