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Vogelsang has partnered with Danish firm BioCover to launch its new SyreN acid-dosing system.

SyreN acts to treat slurry and digestate with sulphuric acid as it is applied to the field, which Vogelsang claims results in higher yields, greater conversion of ammonia to ammonium, and increased nitrogen available to crops.

The acid is stored in an 850 litre double-walled IBC tank mounted to the tractor’s front linkage. Two secondary tanks sit alongside it, for additive storage and water.

Vogelsang has assured that the closed system is operator-safe, with special couplings and a no-spill design in place to ensure contact is never made with the acid.

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From the central IBC, a pump system feeds the sulphuric acid into the mixer, where it is combined with the slurry. A pH sensor box constantly monitors and adjusts the amount of acid that is added, ensuring that it stays within an optimum range. For the greatest conversion of ammonia to ammonium, a pH level of 6 is ideal.

These stats, Vogelsang claims, are backed up by a three-year study carried out by the Chamber of Agriculture for Lower Saxony in Germany, which found that acidifying slurry increased yields by 20%.

© Vogelsang

The full system, including the front tank, pump, mixer and pH sensor can be retrofitted to any tractor, and comes with a price-tag of £85,000.

It is worth noting that under the government’s Farming Transformation Fund, farmers can apply for a Improving Farm Productivity Grant, which offers to pay for up to 40% of the costs incurred in the purchase of slurry acidification equipment.

To meet the criteria of the grant, all projects must buy acid storage, dosing equipment, a mixing tank and pump.

Similarly, the grant will cover the cost of upgrading existing set-ups with acidification infrastructure, including installing or adapting pipework and pumps.