The peat substrate mixing line starts with 2 or more input dosing hoppers, each with a volume of at least 10 m3 . Various types of peat and other materials, e.g. composts, soils, sands, etc., are loaded into these hoppers, usually with a front bucket wheel loader. The hoppers are equipped with a moving bottom and, if necessary, with agitator for better loosening of the stockpiled material. From the hoppers, the material is transported by conveyor belts either to a safety screen, where the coarser impurities are separated or, in winter, frozen pieces of approx. over 30 mm, which would deteriorate the quality of the substrates.
The material then enters the homogenization unit.
From the homogenizing unit, the input raw materials are moved by conveyor belts to the rotary drum mixer. Weighed dosers of additives (micro-components), i.e. fertilizers, limestone, bentonite and perlite, are placed above the conveyors before the mixing unit. The dosers are belt, screw or vibrating type. The fertilizer and limestone dosers are on scales and the dosing of these additives is continuously controlled by a control system according to selected recipe. Dosing of perlite and bentonite is on a volumetric basis. The limestone silo is located outside the production hall and the limestone is conveyed to the doser by screw conveyors. From the mixer, the material is transported by belt conveyors to a loading horizontal belt conveyor, from which it is fed to the buffer hopper of packing line through controlled drop gates.
The mixing technology is equipped with water and liquid fertilizer nozzles.
Substrates and fertilizers layered on the conveyor belt must be mixed properly. Continuous mixing of the substrates is carried out in two steps. The first pre-mixing is carried out by the mixing discs mounted above the conveyor belt, which then conveys material to the drum mixer, where the substrate is then mixed thoroughly.
The entire peat processing line is controlled from a single operator workstation located in an air-conditioned room on an elevated working platform above the conveyor belts. This is also where the additive dispensers and their operating stock are located. The entire line is controlled by software developed by our company AGRO CS, which has 30 years of experience in substrate production in its own substrate production plant.
