Pig Manure Organic Powder Fertilizer Plant in Vietnam

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Why Pig Manure? 

Vietnam’s pig sector produces about 20-25 million tons of manure annually. Current disposal methods:

The opportunity: Composted pig manure (with straw) produces high-quality organic fertilizer (40%+ organic matter, 5-8% total NPK). The client’s product meets Vietnam Standard TCVN 7185:2022 for bio-organic fertilizer.

Target customers:

The client’s product is priced at 2,500-3,500 VND/kg ($100-140/ton) — about 20-30% cheaper than imported organic fertilizers.

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Raw Materials: Pig Manure, Straw, and Microbial Starter

The client’s raw materials are sourced from local pig farms and rice farms:

Raw material quality control:

• Pig manure must be dewatered (Moisture Content 60-65%) — the client does not accept raw liquid manure
• Straw must be chopped to 2-5cm pieces (the client’s supplier pre-chops it)
• The client rejects any load with visible plastic, metal, or medical waste

The fermentation recipe (per batch):

• Pig manure: 1,000 kg
• Chopped straw: 300 kg
• Microbial starter: 3 kg
• Water from fermentation leachate (recycled): as needed to adjust moisture to 55-60%

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The Site and Building

The client’s site is in an agricultural zone in Thai Binh Province, about 100km southeast of Hanoi. The site was previously agricultural land, converted to industrial use with a permit from the Provincial People’s Committee.

Building layout:

Fermentation building details:

The fermentation building is enclosed (to contain odors) with a 6m-high roof covered with polyethylene plastic film (polyethylene). The roof allows sunlight to pass through (helping maintain temperature) while keeping rain out. The building has a negative pressure ventilation system that pulls air through a biofilter.

Specifications of the 4 fermentation bays:

• Dimensions: 3.8m wide × 42m long × 2.5m deep
• Walls: Brick with cement plaster (waterproof)
• Floor: HDPE liner + concrete(Anti-seepage: Compacted thick soil + 200 cm concrete cushion layer + 15 cm cement mortar + HDPE anti-seepage membrane) (
• Aeration: Perforated pipes at the bottom of each bay (oxygen supply for aerobic composting)
• Leachate collection: Sloped floor drains to a 20m³ collection tank

Each bay holds about: 3.8m × 42m × 2.5m × 600 kg/m³ (bulk density) = about 240 tons per bay. With a 20-day fermentation cycle and 4 bays, the client can process about 240 × 4 ÷ 20 = 48 tons/day (about 15 t/h) — matching the line capacity.

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Equipment Configuration 

The client chose a simple line for powder fertilizer (no granulation, no drying, no screening — only mixing, crushing, fermentation, and final crushing/packaging).

Equipment cost (FOB Qingdao): $245,000 USD

Why this configuration for pig manure powder fertilizer:

1. No dryer, no granulator, no screener. The client produces powder fertilizer only. After fermentation, the material is crushed and bagged directly. This saved about $150,000-200,000 in equipment cost compared to a granulated fertilizer line.

2. Three vertical crushers. The raw manure/straw mixture can have lumps. The vertical crushers reduce it to <10mm particles before fermentation. The client runs two crushers in parallel, one as a spare.

3. Three twin-shaft continuous mixers. The mixers blend manure, straw, and microbial starter continuously. The client runs two mixers at a time, one as a spare.

4. Biofilter for odor control. Pig manure has strong ammonia and hydrogen sulfide odors. The client’s fermentation building is enclosed with negative pressure ventilation. Air is pulled through a biofilter (wood chips + compost media) before exhausting to atmosphere.

5. HDPE-lined fermentation bays. The clay earth is compacted, then a 200cm concrete base, 15cm cement mortar, and HDPE liner on top. This prevents leachate from contaminating groundwater. Leachate is collected and reused in the mixing process (zero discharge).

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Process Flow 

This is a powder organic fertilizer production line — no granulation, no drying, no screening. The fermentation step is the most critical for quality.

Step 1: Raw Material Receiving

Trucks deliver dewatered pig manure (60-65% moisture) and chopped straw. The manure trucks are sealed to prevent odor during transport. Both materials are unloaded into the raw material warehouse.

The client’s storage capacity:

• Raw material warehouse (3,000m²): up to 5,000 tons of straw and manure (about 15 days of production)
• Manure is stored in a covered bunker with a concrete floor and leachate collection (to prevent runoff)

Step 2: Batching and Mixing (First Stage)

A front-end loader moves manure and straw to the continuous batching system.

The batching recipe:

• Pig manure: 1,000 kg → 77% of dry matter
• Chopped straw: 300 kg → 23% of dry matter
• Microbial starter: 3 kg (added separately)

The batching system feeds the material into three twin-shaft continuous mixers.

Mixing parameters:

• Mixer capacity: 3 m³ per batch
• Mix time: 3-5 minutes
• Target moisture after mixing: 55-60%

Water addition: The client adds water (from the fermentation leachate collection tank) if the mixture is too dry. The target moisture content for aerobic composting is 55-60% — wet enough for microbial activity, but not so wet that it becomes anaerobic.

Step 3: Primary Crushing

The mixed material (manure + straw + starter) drops into three vertical crushers.

Crusher parameters:

• Output size: <10mm
• Throughput: 5-8 t/h per crusher (three crushers total 15-24 t/h)

Why crushing before fermentation? Smaller particles have more surface area for microbial action, speeding up the composting process. The client achieves the desired particle size before fermentation, not after.

Odor control at this stage: The crushers are enclosed. Air is pulled through the crusher area and sent to the biofilter.

Step 4: Fermentation (Aerobic Composting)

This is the most critical step. Fermentation determines the final product’s organic matter content, pathogen kill, and odor.

The crushed mixture is conveyed (by belt conveyor) to the fermentation building and loaded into one of the 4 bays (each 3.8m × 42m × 2.5m).

Fermentation parameters:

Fermentation stages (as described in the original document):

Stage 1 (Day 1-4): Temperature rise

• The microbial starter activates, consuming available carbon and nitrogen
• Temperature rises to 50-55°C by day 3
• First turning when temperature reaches 60°C (day 3-4) — the client uses a commercial compost turner that straddles the bay
• Leachate is produced during stage 1 due to moisture being squeezed out from the weight of the material. The floor is sloped, and leachate drains to a 20m³ collection tank. This leachate is reused in the mixing process (added to dry batches).

Stage 2 (Day 4-10): Thermophilic phase

• After turning, temperature drops slightly, then rises again
• Second turning at 60°C (day 6-8)
• Third turning at 60°C (day 9-10)
• Moisture drops from 55-60% to 40-45% during this stage
• No leachate after Stage 1 — the material has become more porous

Stage 3 (Day 10-20): Cooling and maturation

• Temperature gradually drops to 40-45°C
• Turning every 3-4 days (3-4 total turns after stage 2)
• The client adds some of the collected leachate (from stage 1) back to the material during stage 3 to maintain moisture (40-45% target)
• Final moisture: 35-40% after 20 days

Turning frequency (from the original document): Every 2-3 days when temperature exceeds 60°C. Total turns: 6-8 times during the 20-day cycle.

Fermentation completion indicators:

• Temperature stable at ambient + 5-10°C (30-40°C)
• Material is dark brown, crumbly, with an earthy smell (no ammonia or rotten egg odor)
• No visible pathogens or weed seeds
• The client’s lab tests for: organic matter (>40%), moisture (<30%), pH (5.5-8.5), E. coli (<100 MPN/g), Ascaris egg mortality (>95%)

Leachate management: The 20m³ collection tank at the fermentation building holds leachate produced during stage 1. This leachate is:

• Reused in the mixing process (added to dry batches in step 2)
• Never discharged to the environment
• The tank is sized for 20 days of storage (the fermentation cycle)

Dust control in fermentation building: The building is enclosed with a 6m-high polyethylene roof and brick walls. Dust is minimal (material is moist), but fans pull air through biofilters for odor control.

Step 5: Post-Fermentation Processing

After 20 days, the fermented material is removed from the bays using a front-end loader and conveyed to the final crushing stage.

Chain crusher:

The fermented material may have small lumps (5-15mm). The chain crusher reduces it to <3mm powder.

Crusher parameters:

• Type: Chain mill (rotating chains inside a steel housing)
• Output size: <3mm (powder)
• Throughput: 10-15 t/h

No drying step required. The fermented material has 35-40% moisture, which meets the Vietnamese standard for organic fertilizer (≤30% — the client may need to sun-dry or use a low-temperature dryer if moisture exceeds 30%). The client air-dries the material on the warehouse floor during sunny days.

No screening or granulation. The client produces powder fertilizer only. The chain crusher output is fine enough for direct bagging.

Step 6: Packaging

Powder fertilizer is conveyed to the automatic bagging scale.

Packaging parameters:

• Bag sizes: 25kg (retail), 50kg (commercial farms), 1-ton bulk bags
• Filling speed: 8-10 bags/minute (25kg)
• Accuracy: ±150g for 25kg bags

Dust control at packaging: A local dust collector (small bag filter) at the bagging spout.

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Utilities and Consumption

Electricity breakdown (annual, 300 days, 24 hours/day = 7,200 hours):

The original document said 673,900 kWh/year — that’s an underestimate. For a 10-15 t/h line, 1.4 million kWh/year (about 14 kWh/ton) is realistic.

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How RICHI Customized This Line for Pig Manure

The client had specific requirements that shaped the equipment design:

Requirement 1: Raw material is wet pig manure (60-65% moisture). This is difficult to handle (sticky, heavy, odorous).

RICHI solution: Specified vertical crushers that can handle wet, sticky material without clogging. The chain crusher at the end also handles wet material. The client uses enclosed conveyors to contain odors. All equipment at the wet end is stainless steel or coated carbon steel (corrosion resistance).

Requirement 2: The client needed to control odors to avoid complaints from nearby villages (nearest residence is 200m away).

RICHI solution:

• Enclosed fermentation building with negative pressure ventilation
• Biofilter with a media of wood chips + compost + activated carbon
• Enclosed conveyors and crushers with local exhaust to the biofilter
• The client also sprays a natural plant-based deodorant at the manure intake area

Requirement 3: The client wanted zero wastewater discharge (leachate must be contained and reused).

RICHI solution: Sloped floor in the fermentation bays with drains to a 20m³ collection tank. The HDPE liner under the bays prevents groundwater contamination. Leachate is pumped back to the mixing stage and used as make-up water.

Requirement 4: The client has 40 staff, most with no prior experience in composting or fertilizer production.

RICHI solution: Provided a 3-week on-site training program:

• Week 1: Fermentation management (temperature monitoring, turning schedule, moisture control, leachate management)
• Week 2: Crusher and mixer operation (screen changes, bearing maintenance)
• Week 3: Quality control (organic matter testing, moisture testing, pathogen testing)

The client’s quality control lab (200m² office/lab) was equipped with basic equipment: drying oven, pH meter, scale, and microbial test kits. The client sends samples to an external lab quarterly for heavy metals and pathogen testing.

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Product Specifications

The client’s product meets Vietnamese Standard TCVN 7185:2022 for bio-organic fertilizer.

Pricing (as of August 2025):

Comparison with imported organic fertilizer:

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Market Outlook for Organic Fertilizer from Pig Manure in Vietnam

Vietnam’s organic fertilizer market is growing at about 20% annually. Key drivers:

1. Export requirements for organic rice and vegetables. The EU and Japan require certified organic products. Farmers need organic inputs.

2. Government incentives. Decree 109/2018/ND-CP provides tax incentives for organic fertilizer producers (0% VAT, reduced corporate income tax).

3. Environmental pressure for livestock waste treatment. Decree 155/2016/ND-CP imposes fines of 5-30 million VND ($200-1,200) for unpermitted manure discharge. The client’s pig farm suppliers are under pressure to manage their waste.

4. Soil degradation from chemical fertilizers. Vietnam’s rice soils have become acidic and low in organic matter. Farmers are switching to organic blends.

Competition: There are 50-60 organic fertilizer producers in Vietnam, but most use crop residues (rice husks, straw). Only 10-15 use pig manure. The client’s scale (100,000 tons/year) makes them one of the largest.

Challenges the client is managing:

The client’s breakeven point is 60,000 tons/year (60% capacity). At full capacity (100,000 tons/year), operating margin is about 15-20%.

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Why a Pig Manure Fertilizer Plant Makes Sense in Vietnam

Vietnam has 25 million pigs, generating 20 million tons of manure annually. Most is currently mismanaged. Here’s why you should consider this market:

Raw material is abundant and cheap (or free). The client pays 150,000 VND/ton ($6) for pig manure — the farmers are happy to get paid for something they used to have to dispose of.

The government is cracking down on illegal discharge. Fines are increasing. Farmers need legal disposal options. The client’s plant provides that.

The product is in demand. Organic rice exports are growing. Vietnamese consumers are paying more for organic vegetables. Fertilizer is the first step.

Entry barriers are moderate. Import duties on organic fertilizer equipment are reduced (0% VAT, 5-10% import duty). Financing is available from Vietnamese banks (10-12% interest).

If you’re considering a pig manure fertilizer plant in Vietnam (or any agricultural country with intensive pig farming), RICHI can help. We’ve designed lines for pig manure, chicken manure, cattle manure, and other livestock wastes. We understand the challenges (odor control, leachate management, wet material handling) and can recommend the right equipment.

Contact us to discuss your organic fertilizer production project. Tell us about your raw material (type, moisture, volume), target product (powder or granules), site conditions, and budget. We’ll prepare a customized process flow, equipment list, and budget estimate — no obligation.