Casing Separator

The casing separator is the first machine which makes it possible to separate your compost and casing during the emptying of your mushroom shelving. This development was done together with the Dutch grower Sikes Champignons. Besides growing mushrooms Sikes also works as a contractor for emptying mushroom farms and is very much aware of the possibilities of recycling your spent compost / casing.

How is it done?
The casing separator is placed between the emptying winch and your shelving. During emptying the casing is removed from the mushroom compost with an auger. The mushroom compost goes straight ahead to the trailer. The mushroom casing is dropped on a conveyor at the middle aisle, this conveyor transports the separated casing to a container, trailer or similar.

Advantages?
The casing separator brings direct advantages and future advantages. The direct advantage is that the separated mushroom casing is directly suitable as a peat source for potted plants and seedlings. So the separated casing soil can be sold. Other direct advantage for the Dutch grower is less transport costs. Because the spent mushroom compost+casing has to be transported to Germany because it’s not allowed to stay in Netherlands. But spent mushroom casing is allowed to stay in Netherlands. So with the same transport more compost can go to Germany. Now the Dutch grower still has to pay for his spent compost but he earns money with selling separated casing.

Future advantages will get more clear at the end of the year. Maybe one of the biggest advantages will be the possibility to re-use the separated casing as mushroom casing again.

During emptying it was no problem to reach a speed of 17 meters per minute (movie shows a speed of 12m/min). This is a speed which most mushroom growers worldwide don’t reach. But it shows without any doubt that there is no extra limitation in emptying. It actually creates the opportunity to increase your emptying speed.

   
    Specifications:
•    1-arm machine
•    Self lifting by using telescopic arms
•    Compact in transport and storage
•    The casing separator can be placed on every desirable bed height
•    Including support frame to place against the shelving

Advantages:
A summary of some of the advantages of this development:

1. The separated casing is directly suitable as a peat source for potted plants or seedlings.
2. An instant advantage for the Dutch grower (Sikes Champignons) are lower transport costs. The champost and compost is not allowed to unload in Netherlands, the casing is allowed. By separating the casing from the compost the casing doesn’t need to be transported to Germany but just around the corner on the farm. At the same time more space is left in the trailer so more compost can be transported to Germany.
3. The possibility to re-use casing soil. Now this is divided from the compost the road is open for this development. Our partner Sikes Champignons is already far advanced in the development of re-using the casing soil.
4. The compost which is brought to a burning oven has a higher efficiency. Because the wet casing is out the remaining compost burns better which gives more energy then when burning the champost.
5. The possibility to also re-use compost, no matter in what way. An example can be to burn the compost on your own farm. This to raise energy with a waste product.
6. Reduce your carbon footprint.
7. Less sales of champost. The grower gets less dependant on this market. And less sales can become an advantage. Because when there is a shortage of champost on the market then this brings more perspective to get a good price for your champost.
8. Possibility to increase your emptying speed.

Mush Comb directly made the Casing Separator suitable for all worldwide mushroom shelving farms. From now on every mushroom grower has the possibility to separate their mushroom compost and casing.