Now in its second season, the ClearTech effluent treatment system installed at Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) continues to prove its worth, with over 600,000L of fresh water saved in a single month just by using the clarified water from the system for yard washdowns.

To put the water saving in perspective, 600,000L equates to the average daily water use of 3000 people. If adapted across the New Zealand dairy industry, ClearTech effluent treatment systems have the potential to save millions of litres of fresh water. 

Ravensdown’s product manager for ClearTech, Carl Ahlfeld, said the water saving was an impressive achievement. Other efficiencies have been observed too.  

“The volume of coagulant required has been less this spring, specifically because the cow hair and older effluent has been kept out of the fresh effluent, an initiative that LUDF implemented this year. This has kept costs down.” 

ClearTech efficiencies are being duplicated daily with eight other units now operating on dairy farms in Canterbury and the Waikato, and more recently in the transport industry. 

“We are now cleaning livestock transport trucks with recycled effluent wash from ClearTech, saving millions of litres of fresh water in the process as well as dramatically reducing the volume of effluent to be disposed,” says Carl. “This is both environmentally beneficial and a major cost saving for the industry” 

A scientific paper published recently outlined considerable environmental benefits when clarified water from the ClearTech system was applied directly to pasture soil. Compared to untreated farm dairy effluent (FDE), E. coli concentrations leached from the ClearTech-treated effluent and clarified water were reduced by up to 99.99%. Total-P losses from the lysimeters measured 90.5% and 85.7% lower than untreated FDE lysimeters and the dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP) reductions from clarified water and treated effluent were 99.9% and 99.5% respectively. Reductions in any phosphate leaching losses can lessen the impact of agriculture on water quality and help when preparing a farm environment plan. 

The continued innovation and development of ClearTech is the result of a partnership between Lincoln University and Ravensdown, built on robust science with a clear drive to provide smarter farming solutions to reduce environmental impacts in New Zealand. Future innovation for ClearTech is ongoing with the plant undergoing regional testing at the Waikato LIC innovation farm. 

To learn more about the savings ClearTech can create on your farm, call the Ravensdown Customer Centre on 0800 100 123.