Composting with Big Hanna – this is how it works

Simple and practical

It is simple and practical because the most unpleasant fraction of the waste stream – the food waste, is being dealt with hygienically on a daily basis. You empty your food waste into Big Hanna Composter every day. The average process time inside the machine is 6-10 weeks. The aeration and turning is done automatically which means that the natural decomposition process works perfectly from start to finish. The finished compost is automatically fed in to a bag or bin ready to be mixed with soil or put on maturation bay. The composting process takes place in an in-vessel composting unit so there are no unpleasant odours on-site. Our customers have all high demands on an economical and functional handling of food waste. We have a vast experience from our many installations and can make sure that the whole chain, from food waste to compost, works as smoothly and simple as possible.

100 kg food waste becomes 20-30 kg peat free, high-grade compost

’Natural process’ – gives you the most mature compost

The product that comes out from Big Hanna has been in the cylinder for 6-10 weeks. It is not heated up, the heat is generated naturally – we only aerate the material. No chemical or biological additives are used – only sawdust, wood chips or pelletized sawdust. It is not accelerated in any way, it is not done in 5 minutes – it is a natural process – which will give you a mature high quality compost. Because we keep the material inside the cylinder for so long the compost that comes out is stable (not smelly) and does not need further aeration or turning like the product from many other systems need. This is one reason the Big Hanna is well suited for use in highly populated areas. The compost is used as a soil amendment which means there is no need for chemical soil additives (chemical fertilizers) or peat. Compost from a number of Big Hanna’s has been analysed according PAS 100, the UK standard for compost quality, surpassing the quality requirements.

Touch screen with easy navigation and connection to internet

The operating system works with symbols making navigation easy and straight forward even if there are many different nationalities working with feeding the composter. Three password-protected user-levels prevents any unauthorized tampering with the settings or use of the machine.  The machine can be connected to the internet and send alarms by email or SMS. Temperatures and settings are logged hourly, alarms are logged on occation. It is possibility to register input and output and save this to a database. Logfiles can be downloaded to a USB stick or sent by e-mail. Machine can be accessed simply by logging in to a web site where you can see current temperatures and settings. It is also possible to adjust settings through the website and monitor alarms.

What about smell

The material is aerated when the air is pulled through the cylinder by the fan. The ventilation system makes it possible to take care of and avoid bad smells. In many cases the air from the machine is led in to the sewage. When this is not possible the Hanna Biofilter is an excellent option for the treatment of odours generated by the composting process. Manufactured in stainless steel the Hanna Biofilter is a simple, trouble free option that can be sited in interior and exterior locations. Exhaust air including smells, steam and condensation are lead into the bio filter where smells are neutralized through a layer of bark that is treated with enzymes. This allows the air from the biofilter to be let out to open air in densly populated areas.

Temperature sensors

Temperature sensors make it possible to monitor the composting process from the touch panel. All models(with the exception of the T40) are now equipped with temperature sensors inside the cylinder. The temperature is measured at minimum three locations in the cylinder, the front, middle and back. The temperature is shown in the touch screen at all times showing the current temperature. Easily accessed daily temperatures for the last four weeks in the touch screen gives an excellent overview of the biological process. A complete log file can also be downloaded or emailed showing the hourly temperatures since first day of operation. 

Electricity consumption is very low

The cylinder is usually rotated 1 minute every hour only. The biological process generates a temperature of 55-65ºC and this is why the energy consumption is low even if the machine is installed outdoors. When the temperature between the hood and cylinder drops below 0ºC there is a heater that pre heats the air before it goes into the cylinder.

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