A joint project between the UK Agri-Tech Centre and Oxi-Tech Solutions Ltd aims to improve efficiency for farmers and reduce the dairy industry’s carbon footprint.
Part of the UK Agri-Tech Centre, the South West Dairy Development Centre (SWDDC) and its farming partner Steanbow Farms has been exploring technologies including chemical-free water cleaning and disinfecting.
Funded by Defra and the Innovate UK Transforming Food Production Challenge, the project has reportedly shown that chemical-free disinfection can be used to replace the traditional cleaning solution in robotic milking systems.
The Pulse Oxidation system from Oxi-Tech is a patented technology that creates charged oxygen within water with small amounts of electricity, which can disinfect water. During a trial, the system was temporarily installed at SWDDC in a Lely Astronaut A5 robot.
The water will remain charged for 30 minutes, enabling it to clean the entire delivery line before returning to water. According to the company, this could save as much as five tonnes per year of carbon dioxide, primarily through the reduction in hot water usage, and the elimination of waste, as well as the transport and disposal of plastic chemical containers.
Paul Morris, Chief Executive at Oxi-Tech Solutions, said: “With Pulse Oxidation we have a robust and reliable platform that has consistent output.
“We are seeing significantly improved performance in comparison to conventional disinfection, with the added downstream carbon and environmental benefits.
“We have also assisted the Lely robotics team with testing different parts of their system which aren’t normally looked into in such detail.
“This has helped us to absorb a significant amount of knowhow and experience from running the programme, and we are working with a world class team of experts who are really supportive and share their knowledge freely.”