Beer Drobina: composition, application in agriculture

Currently, there are more than 400 factories in Russia specializing in the production of beer. In the process of production of this alcoholic beverage, a large number of various kinds of waste are formed. The lion's share of their mass is beer grains. Unfortunately, at the moment in most cases, enterprises send it for recycling. Meanwhile, the product is very useful and can be used in different areas of the national economy. Particularly useful is the use of grains as feed for animals and fertilizer.

What is a beer pellet?

This product is a well-mixed mass, which includes particles of kernels and shells of grains. There remains a beer shot in the process of producing barley wort. The main feature of this secondary brewing product is that it contains just a huge amount of nutrients and beneficial microelements. Therefore, in agriculture, it is used primarily as a source of protein when feeding animals.

Main characteristics

In its usual state the beer grains contain about 80% water. Keep it in this form for more than three days can not. After a certain time (depending on the temperature of the air), the pellet turns sour and loses its useful properties. Moreover, it starts to accumulate all sorts of toxins. Therefore, it is not advisable to transport this product over long distances. In order to avoid souring and reduce the weight of the transported grains, it is pre-dried. From 3-4 tons of moist weight, one ton of a dry product is usually obtained. There is also equipment intended for the production of granulated beer pellets.

Beer pellet: composition

All sorts of useful substances in beer grains contain very much. Information on what exactly is part of the dried product and in what quantities can be obtained from the table below.

In addition, the composition of beer pellets includes such microelements as:

• Zinc - 105 mg / kg;
• Iron - 205 mg / kg;
• Copper - 15 mg / kg;
• Phosphorus - 0.5 mg / kg;
• Calcium - 0.37 mg / kg.

Also beer grains contain a very large number of amino acids (glycine, alanine, threonine, etc.).

Granulated product

The advantages of such grains include, first of all, a long shelf life and cheap transport. The granular product is produced as follows:

• The crude pellet is dried;
• A hard, dry mass is ground into flour;
• Press the loose product into granules on special equipment.

Main areas of use

In agriculture, beer grains are used most often when fattening pigs, cattle and cattle. Thus, one of the main areas of its use is the production of mixed fodders. Also, grains are often used as fertilizers in growing cultivated plants. Another sphere of the national economy, in which grains are used, is the food industry. Most often it is used for baking flour products for dietary purposes. In this case, it serves as a valuable source of dietary fiber. Sometimes the pellet is used as a biofuel. Most often this way it is used by the breweries themselves.

Application of grains for fattening animals

In its pure form, cows, sheep and pigs do not give this product. Usually the pellet is just a part of various feeds. In terms of positive effects on the animal organism, it is considered even more useful than bran. However, feeding it in large quantities or in pure form is highly discouraged. Dairy cows, for example, usually give no more than 6-8 kg per day.

Abroad, beer grains are often silenced in long narrow trenches. We do not apply this method. However, when pigs are fed into dry grains, a milky ferment is sometimes added. This increases the moisture content of the product, and consequently, speeds up its digestibility.

Application for poultry fattening

A dry beer bead is used when growing not only farm animals, but also birds. Feeding it to hens can increase egg production. When mixing the shot pellets into the broiler feed, the yield of meat increases. In the pure form of a bird, a beer grains, like animals, are not given. Some of the disadvantages of this product may be that it has a bitter taste. Therefore, the bird eats it not very readily. Meanwhile, it is not particularly difficult to correct the situation. In private household plots, small amounts of the grains are added to the mashrooms. In large poultry farms it is fed in the form of granular nutrient mixtures. The production of mixed fodders with the addition of beer beads and their use, thus, increases the income of poultry farms.

Application as a fertilizer

The use of this product for fertilizing plants is considered expedient, since it contains a very large amount of organic substances and microelements necessary for plant development. To the absolute advantages of beer shot as fertilizer is its absolute environmental safety. Moreover, scientists have proved that this product is able to increase the nutritional properties and value of various crops.

Very often beer grains are used as a fertilizer for plants and gardeners. In this case, the bard is usually mixed with the green mass of plants, peat, household food waste, etc. After composting, the resulting mixture is used as an organic fertilizer instead of manure.

Use as an ameliorant

In the years of Soviet power, as a result of the use of ill-conceived methods of management, many previously fertile black earth soils have turned into unsuitable solonchaks for the cultivation of cultivated plants. Currently, scientists are looking for methods to correct this situation and return such areas to their original state. Organic melioration of solonchaks is carried out using the long-stored beer pellet. When introducing it into the soil, first of all, the acidity level of the latter changes. In particular, the beer grains eliminate the high alkalinity of the soil. At the same time, it also saturates its essential nutrients necessary for the development of plants.

Beer pellets: price

It is expedient to use this product of processing of brewing production in agriculture not only in the presence of a large number of nutrients and microelements. It determines the profitability of the use of grains and its very low cost.

The agricultural enterprises located near the breweries have the opportunity to purchase it literally for a penny. Plants for the production of alcoholic beverages themselves are trying to get rid of the shot. After all, its disposal is quite expensive (up to 100 rubles per 1 m ^{2 of} landfill). The granulated beer granule costs about 10 thousand rubles. Per ton. The price of a dry product, depending on the region, is about 5-7 thousand rubles. Per ton.

Thus, the use of beer grains makes it possible to cheapen the cultivation of pigs, cattle, MPC, poultry, etc., and significantly increase the yield of agricultural crops. This product has not been particularly widely used so far because of the rapid souring and inability to transport long distances. Meanwhile, it is not difficult to fix the situation simply by installing equipment at breweries to dry and granulate the pellets. Benefits in this case will be obtained by the breweries themselves, and by many agricultural enterprises of the country.