Sheep Cow Dung Granule and Powder Fertilizer Production Line in Kazakhstan

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Why Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan has a massive livestock sector but underdeveloped organic fertilizer production:

The problem: Decades of intensive grain farming (wheat, barley, sunflowers) have degraded Kazakhstan’s soils. Wind erosion (“black storms”) is a serious problem. Farmers need to rebuild soil organic matter.

Target customers:

The client’s price is 30-50% cheaper than imported organic fertilizers.

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Raw Materials: Sheep and Cattle Manure 

The client’s raw material is exclusively sheep and cattle manure — no pig or chicken manure (which have higher nitrogen and can be too “hot” for some applications).

Wait, 54,000 tons manure input for 50,000 tons fertilizer output? Yes. The difference (4,000 tons) is:

• Water evaporated during fermentation and drying (manure is 50-55% moisture → fertilizer is 30% moisture for powder, 10% for granules)
• Loss of organic matter as CO₂ during aerobic fermentation
• Dust collected in filters (returned to product)

The client’s raw material quality advantage: The manure is pre-composted (partially dried) by farmers before delivery — approximately 50-55% moisture, no free liquid. This avoids the leachate problems associated with fresh manure (70-80% moisture).

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The Site and Building

The client’s site is on former agricultural land (reclassified as industrial use) in the North Kazakhstan Region, about 300km west of Petropavlovsk.

Building layout:

Fermentation building layout (1,440m², enclosed):

• Two-stage fermentation: active fermentation (20-25 days) + aging/curing (10 days)
• The building is enclosed with negative pressure ventilation to capture odors
• Air is pulled through UV photolysis + biofilter before exhausting (15m stack P1)

Production building layout (3,870m², 8m ceiling):
The client chose a single-story layout with multiple processing zones:

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Equipment Configuration 

The client chose a dual-line configuration: one line for powder fertilizer (20,000 tons/year), one line for granular fertilizer (30,000 tons/year), with a common fermentation stage.

Equipment cost (FOB Qingdao): $385,000 USD

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Process Flow

This 10t/h Sheep Cow Dung Granule and Powder Fertilizer Production Line in Kazakhstan produces both powder and granular fertilizer from the same fermentation batch. The split happens after the initial crushing. Powder fertilizer bypasses the granulation, drying, cooling stages.

Step 1: Raw Material Receiving

Sheep and cattle manure (50-55% moisture, pre-composted) arrives in sealed trucks (to prevent odor). The driver unloads directly into the fermentation building — no outdoor storage.

The client’s receiving system: 6 receiving hoppers (4m×1.5m) inside the fermentation building. Manure is dumped into the hoppers, then conveyed to the fermentation bays.

Vehicle washing: Manure trucks are washed at the entrance; wash water (containing manure residue) flows to a settling pond, then is reused in the disc granulators.

Step 2: Fermentation (Aerobic Composting)

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

The manure is stacked in long rows (Windrow Aerobic Composting) inside the enclosed fermentation building. A compost turner turns the material daily.

Fermentation parameters:

Fermentation starter addition: The client sprays diluted fermentation starter onto the manure at a rate of 25L of diluted starter per ton of manure. The starter promotes rapid heating (60-65°C) which kills pathogens (E. coli, Salmonella) and weed seeds.

Turning frequency: Once or twice daily when temperature reaches 60-65°C.

Moisture reduction: During fermentation, moisture drops from 50-55% to 30-35%.

Step 3: Post-Fermentation Handling

After 30-35 days of fermentation + aging, the material is moved to the production building.

The split (powder vs granular):

• 40% of material (about 20,000 tons/year) → powder fertilizer line
• 60% of material (about 30,000 tons/year) → granular fertilizer line

Step 4: Powder Fertilizer Production (powder fertilizer, 20,000 t/year)

4a. Crushing: The fermented material is fed into two horizontal crushers (30 kW each).

Crusher parameters:

• Output size: <5mm
• Throughput: 4-5 t/h each (8-10 t/h total)

4b. Screening: Crushed material passes through a screener to remove oversize particles (>5mm), which are returned to the crusher.

4c. Bagging: Powder fertilizer is conveyed to a bagging scale and packaged in 40kg bags.

Powder fertilizer specifications:

Step 5: Granular Fertilizer Production (granular fertilizer, 30,000 t/year)

5a. Crushing (same as powder line): Fermented material is crushed to <5mm.

5b. Ring Die Granulation (4 units):

Granulator parameters (each):

• Diameter: 3,50mm
• Angle: 40-50° (adjustable)
• Speed: 15-25 RPM
• Capacity per unit: 2-2.5 t/h (8-10 t/h total)

Water addition: The client sprays water (2160 m³/year, 7.2 m³/day) into the granulators. The water helps form spherical granules (2-5mm diameter).

5c. Primary Drying (2.2m×20m rotary dryer):

• Temperature: 160-180°C
• Residence time: 10-30 minutes
• Moisture reduction: 35% → 25%
• Heat source: Natural gas-fired hot air furnace (2.4 million kcal/h)

5d. Primary Cooling (2.0m×20m cooler):

• Method: Ambient air (forced air)
• Outlet temperature: 30-40°C

5e. Secondary Drying (2.0m×20m rotary dryer):

• Temperature: 200°C
• Residence time: ~10 minutes
• Moisture reduction: 25% → 10%

5f. Secondary Cooling ( 1.8m×18m cooler):

• Outlet temperature: ambient + 5-10°C (25-30°C in Kazakhstan summer)

5g. Screening: Dried and cooled granules pass through a screener:

• Acceptable: 2-5mm diameter → packaging
• Oversize (>5mm) → return to crusher
• Fines (<2mm) → return to granulator

5h. Bacteria Addition (optional): For premium products, the client adds bio-bacteria to the granules. This enhances the fertilizer’s soil health benefits.

5i. Bagging: Granular fertilizer is packaged in 40kg bags.

Granular fertilizer specifications:

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Utilities and Consumption

Natural gas usage detail: 1,080,000 m³/year. At 108 m³/ton of product, gas cost is about $4.50/ton — significantly less than coal or diesel. Kazakhstan has abundant natural gas reserves, and CNG is delivered to the site by tanker.

Electricity breakdown (annual, 300 days, 16 hours/day = 4,800 hours):

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How RICHI Customized This Line for Sheep/Cattle Manure

The client had specific requirements that shaped the equipment design:

Requirement 1: Raw material is sheep and cattle manure (50-55% moisture, pre-composted). The client didn’t want to handle fresh manure (70-80% moisture) because of leachate issues.

RICHI solution: The client sources manure from farms that pre-compost it for 2-4 weeks before delivery. This reduces moisture to 50-55% (no free liquid). The manure is delivered in sealed trucks and unloaded directly into the enclosed fermentation building — no outdoor storage.

Requirement 2: The client wanted to produce both powder and granular fertilizer from the same line. Powder fertilizer is cheaper to produce (skip granulation, drying, cooling), but granular fertilizer has higher value (easier to spread with machinery).

RICHI solution: Designed the organic fertilizer production line with a split after the initial crushing:

• 40% of material → powder line (crusher → screener → bagging)
• 60% of material → granule line (granulator → primary dryer → primary cooler → secondary dryer → secondary cooler → screener → bacteria addition → bagging)

Requirement 3: The client’s facility has natural gas available (via CNG tanker). They wanted to use gas for drying (cheaper than electricity or diesel).

RICHI solution: Two gas-fired hot air furnaces. Natural gas contains 60mg/m³ of sulfur, but at 1.08 million m³/year, the SO₂ emissions are negligible.

Requirement 4: Odor control is critical. The facility is near agricultural villages (about 500m away).

RICHI solution: Two-stage odor control:

• Fermentation building: enclosed with UV photolysis + biofilter (P1 stack)
• Production building: enclosed with baghouse + UV + biofilter (P2 stack)

Requirement 5: The client has 8 staff (very few for a 10 t/h line). They needed a highly automated line.

RICHI solution: Centralized PLC control. The line runs with only 2 operators per shift:

• 1 operator monitoring the fermentation turner and receiving hoppers
• 1 operator monitoring the production line (granulators, dryers, coolers, bagging)
  The client has 2 shifts (16 hours/day), plus 1 maintenance person.

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Product Specifications

Powder fertilizer, 20,000 t/year:

Granular fertilizer, 30,000 t/year:

Pricing (as of August 2025):

Comparison with imported organic fertilizer:

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Market Outlook for Organic Fertilizer in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s organic fertilizer market is growing at about 10-15% annually. Key drivers:

1. Soil degradation. Kazakhstan’s wheat soils have lost 50-60% of their organic matter over 50 years. Wind erosion (“black storms”) is a serious problem. Farmers need to rebuild soil health.

2. Export requirements for organic grain. The EU requires organic certification for imported grain. Fertilizer is part of that certification.

3. Government support for organic agriculture. Kazakhstan’s “Green Economy” concept paper targets organic farming on 1 million hectares by 2030.

4. Cost savings. Organic fertilizer improves soil structure, reducing the need for expensive irrigation and chemical fertilizers.

Competition: There are 10-15 organic fertilizer producers in Kazakhstan (5,000-20,000 tons/year). The client’s 50,000 tons/year makes them one of the largest.

Challenges the client is managing:

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Why a Sheep/Cattle Manure Fertilizer Line Makes Sense in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has 28+ million cattle and sheep, abundant natural gas, and degraded soils requiring organic matter. Here’s why you should consider this market:

Manure is abundant and cheap. The client pays 1,000 KZT/ton ($2.08) for cattle manure — farmers are happy to get paid for something they used to have to dispose of.

Natural gas is available. Kazakhstan has the 12th largest natural gas reserves in the world. The client uses CNG tankers for drying (no pipeline needed).

The government supports value-added processing. Kazakhstan wants to export finished goods (fertilizer), not raw materials (manure).

Kazakhstan is close to large markets. Russia and China are both significant importers of organic fertilizer. Rail transport is economical.

If you’re considering an organic fertilizer line in Kazakhstan (or any country with cattle/sheep farming), RICHI can help. We’ve designed lines for cattle manure, sheep manure, horse manure, and other livestock wastes. We understand the challenges (odor control, fermentation management, two-stage drying) 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 products (powder, granules, or both), site conditions, and budget. We’ll prepare a customized process flow, equipment list, and budget estimate — no obligation.

RICHI Machinery – Organic fertilizer plants from 1 t/h to 60 t/h, designed for livestock manure. Shipping from Qingdao to Aktau port (Kazakhstan): 25-30 days. Installation support available in Kazakhstan within 2 weeks.