Archive for the ‘Effect of Steam’ Category

STEAMING TESTS FOR STRAWBERRY CULTIVATION IN THE KARLSRUHE DISTRICT SHOW IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

Donnerstag, Juni 2nd, 2016

Steaming tests for strawberry cultivation were held on 1.06.2016 and included a tour of inspection, offering consultancy from Karlsruhe district experts on horticulture, fruit and wine cultivation and providing results of tests carried out using soil steaming, outdoors and in tunnels. The event took place at the Böser strawberry and asparagus farm in Forst, Baden.

Steaming tests for strawberries near Karlsruhe
Steaming tests for strawberries near Karlsruhe

Steaming was carried out in summer 2015 by Mr. Steffen Koch from the company Mobildampf. The expert consultant from the Karlsruhe district, Mr. Arno Fried, carried out a steaming demonstration resulting in improvements of up to 500%.

Diagram showing results of steam treatment in strawberry cultivation
Diagram showing results of steam treatment in strawberry cultivation

Steam treatment is the ideal sanitation method for contaminated soils or grounds with a relatively high level of soil fatigue. You can obtain more details directly from Mr. Arno Fried: Contact

SANDWICH STEAMING FOR 0.30 €/SQ.M: SOIL STERILIZING AT EVEN MORE FAVOURABLE PRICE THAN CHEMICAL TREATMENT!

Donnerstag, Dezember 31st, 2015

The MSD sandwich-type steaming hood that is now put into operation in Alicante is the first MSD steaming hood of this type on the Iberian Peninsula. Due to the innovative spiked hood technology allowing both surface and deep steaming at the same time, it is now possible to increase the steam quantity that penetrates into the soil even by 50%.

As the result, the energy cost and steaming time are significantly reduced once more.

At favourable conditions (dry and not too loamy soil, etc.), the new spiked hoods from MSD Corp. allow the temperature to be increased to about 85-90°C at even 20 cm depth in 10 minutes. This requires merely about 8.5kg steam/sq. m. After the treatment, the soil is sanitised without chemicals and residues.

The spiked hood is simply moved by a mini-excavator.
The spiked hood is simply moved by a mini-excavator.

Thus due to the heating oil prices, which currently remain low, 1 sq. m of soil can be treated with steam and completely liberated from pathogens, exhausting and weeds at 20 cm depth for only 30 cents heating cost (or 3,000 euros/hectare).

In Spain, the spiked hood can be easily moved by a mini excavator at low labour expenses. All in all, about 1,800 sq. m are monthly treated with this efficient steaming system. In this way, the company can also sanitise up to 4.000 sq. m monthly using a second spiked hood with the available MSD high-performance boiler of type S 750.

KARLSRUHE AGRICULTURAL OFFICE STEAMS STRAWBERRY FIELDS

Sonntag, August 30th, 2015

The solution to soil-borne problems most primarily with diseases is becoming particularly more urgent for cultivated areas for strawberries. In order to take new routes without chemistry, Karlsruhe Agricultural Office thus decided upon appropriate test areas for sanitising soil using superheated steam to grow strawberries.

The first surfaces were already steamed in May for this purpose. Steam specialist, Mobildampf, carried out the first tests using their own equipment.  The most up-to-date soil steamers come exclusively from the company MSD GmbH with an efficiency of up to 96% when used.

Sheet steaming on strawberry beds. In the front you see treated area which was steamed two months before.
Sheet steaming on strawberry beds. In the front you see treated area which was steamed two months before.

The surfaces were sanitised using the classic sheet steaming procedure. Overall, three 1,000m² sections were sanitised up to and into August using superheated steam up to 20cm deep. It was performed on extremely sandy soil and even incorporated raised beds. The results were rather convincing. Very strong crops are shown in surfaces steamed in May in the foreground of the image shown above. The rows of plants have remained completely weed-free throughout the months. Using an energy efficient procedure, such as hood or sandwich-type steaming, the costs of heating oil can be reduced to around 0.3 euros per m². Steaming consequently lends itself ideally to the sanitisation of surfaces for cultivating strawberries and represents a genuine alternative.

FREIBURG REGIONAL COUNCIL ONCE AGAIN USES STEAM AGAINST JAPANESE KNOT WEED

Sonntag, Juli 19th, 2015

Japanese knot weed remains a major topic of control in Freiburg regional council. The extremely positive experiences using various steaming experiments against the pest introduced has additionally persuaded public providers to now gradually speed up the decontamination of large quantities of cuttings using superheated steam.

Pile steaming against Japanese Knot Weed with MSD steam boiler mounted on a trailor (right)
Pile steaming against Japanese Knot Weed with MSD steam boiler mounted on a trailor (right)

Soil steamin specialist, Steffen Koch, was commissioned with his company, mobildampf, in July 2015 to treat a 500m³ substrate on the River Elz using pure steam and therefore safely killing all germinable parts of plants, most notably the rhizome of Japanese knot weed to ensure that the soil can be moved and deposited.

Special steam injection lances for pile steaming
Special steam injection lances for pile steaming

With a large scale plant, company MSD Corp. was able to treat the entire volume of soil using superheated steam with a steam output of 2,000kg/h within four days, which will be completely free from invasive neophytes. For this reason, approximately 80m³ of substrate was deposited and covered. Using specialised hollow steam injection lances, which can even be driven several metres into the mound of earth awaiting steam treatment, the steam was introduced. In the process, steaming time lasted a maximum of 2.5 hours. Heating oil consumption is an average of ~4 litres per m³.

SANITIZING SUBSTRATES DIRECTLY IN FLOWER POTS. THIS NEW STEAMING METHOD IS APPLYED IDIALY BY A POINSETTIA GROWER IN CENTRAL AMERICA

Freitag, Januar 23rd, 2015

One of the largest American poinsettia growers having many production locations in Central America uses a new steaming system for 50ha area.

The company already used steaming for sanitisation of substrates before. However, labour expenses were high: at first, the soil had to be spilled out from each pot and then collected and treated with steam under a sheet. After the steaming, the pots were re-filled with the soil and re-planted.

Special spiked steaming hood in use
Special spiked steaming hood in use

Mr Marten Barel, a specialist in steaming technology, has developed a quite new method. Using this system, you need not to empty the pots and then re-fill them again.

In this case, 45 flower pots are covered with a special steaming hood. The steaming hood is equipped with special steam injectors, which penetrate into each flower pot filled with cultivation soil.  This method ensures that the substrate is heated up to 95°C within 5-6 minutes steaming time and, thereby, completely sanitised.

Steam boiler from MSD AG (Durbach, Germany) in front of the plant rows; steaming technology expert and adviser Mr Marten Barel (left)
Steam boiler from MSD AG (Durbach, Germany) in front of the plant rows; steaming technology expert and adviser Mr Marten Barel (left)

Thanks to this new technology, the large horticulture company has doubled the steaming capacity. The energy consumption was reduced by 70% to mere 16 l/h, in particular, due to the use of a state-of-the-art high-performance steaming boiler. Using two steaming hoods in turn, the company can treat 450 flower pots with steam per hour.

Steam is also a hot thing for vine plants

Montag, April 30th, 2012

Last year the Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Rheinlandpfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) has steamed vineyards for the very first time, in order to research the effects of this soil sterilization method on young vine.

Recently the results were presented. It was shown, that steam significantly increases the growth of plant shoots:

Steaming significantly increases the growth of vine shoots (Source: DLR Rhineland-Palatinate, Schifferstadt)
Steaming significantly increases the growth of vine shoots (Source: DLR Rhineland-Palatinate, Schifferstadt)

Steaming significantly increases the growth of vine shoots (Source: DLR Rhineland-Palatinate, Schifferstadt)

It remains to be clarified, if hot steam significantly improves the sprouting of vine. In particular where soil is both highly contaminated with diseases (such as fungus, bacteria, nematodes) and highly affected by soil fatigue, steaming could be developed to a profitable sanitation method for vine nurseries.

Under the leadership of Matthias Zink the DLR in Schifferstadt started a research study together with the steaming specialist MSD (Möschle-Seifert-Dämpftechnik – Steaming Technology) this year. Results are expected next year.

More research trials with steam at DLR & Agroscope

Freitag, März 9th, 2012

Also in 2012 renowned research institutes plan to do more research on hot steam..

The Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Rheinlandpfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) will do more field studies in tree nurseries in the end of March 2012. In the process the focus will be on the optimization of steaming methods, in order to find out the most effective use of steam.

The preferred method is Sandwich-steaming. Hereby steam is injected simultaneously from the surface and in the depth through a steaming hood with pikes. The goal is the efficient use of hot steam at cost less than 5,000 EUR per hectare.

Besides the DLR, the Agroscope Institute of the University of Wädenswil in Switzerland will do another study on steaming. Hereby hot steam is used to kill a special kind of grass.

This grass has become a pest in Switzerland and causes increasing problems in agriculture as it hampers the growth of cultures. Hot steam shall help to sanitize these infested areas.

Hot Steam Against Parsites in Bark Substrate

Dienstag, Februar 21st, 2012

Mediterranean countries are the suppliers of bark substrates which is much sought-after. This nutritious plant material which is the preferred choice for cultivation of beet, balcony and indoor plants often already gets infested with parasites at the tree and hence becomes useless.

Steam boiler S 2000 made by MSD AG with an output of 2000kg steam/h
Steam boiler S 2000 made by MSD Corp. with an output of 2000kg steam/h

Recently a well known supplier started to use the power of steam, in order to fully free bark from pest, with considerable suscess.

Operating steaming container on a tipping trailer with a volume of 25m³, connected to a vacuum system.
Operating steaming container on a tipping trailer with a volume of 25m³, connected to a vacuum system.

In special steaming containers 25m³ of bark granulate is steamed via a vacuum system for about half an hour und hence gets completely sterilized. For steam generation a steamboiler is used with an output of 2.000 kg steam /h. The steaming container gets filled and unloaded with a tipper within just a couple of minutes.

Steamed bark substrate
Steamed bark substrate

In the future the system shall be continuously filled with a special conveyor band, in order to work quicker and more efficiently.

More information on request. Please write an email to info@msd-ag.de

DLR intensifies tests on hood steaming

Freitag, Juli 15th, 2011

End of May 2011 the Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Rheinlandpfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) has continued its last years‘ successful test series at the research center “Queckbrunner Hof”.

In 2010 two steaming tests were already made to examine the killing effect of steam on weed seeds in particular in comparison to the use of herbicides. The results were impressive: In contrast to chemical means of weed control, steam showed a weed killing effect of 100%. Furthermore yield increased by up to 30%.

The DLR wants to find out which steaming times bring optimal results. The longer the steaming time the deeper the soil gets cleaned by steam and the hotter it becomes – however, the higher the costs. The shorter the steaming time the more economical hot steam can be used.

The results of this study will shortly be published in this blog.

Hot steam proves effective against neophytes

Samstag, November 13th, 2010

The decontamination of large areas from Japanese knotweed by steaming is further advancing. After the association for sewage treatment Offenburg and the regional board Freiburg have successfully used hot steam to control knotweed in 2009, the regional board Karlsruhe follows their example.

At the beginning of November three large areas close to the city of Sinzheim were steamed by the steaming specialists MSD Corp., Durbach and Mobildampf, Waiblingen.

Although the regional board Freiburg had had the contaminated areas excavated down to 20 cm depth and the material steamed in specially prepared tipping trailers, the regional board Karlsruhe decided to treat 2 of the 3 areas with the classic method of sheet steaming.

Sheet steaming against neophytes at Sinzheim
Sheet steaming against neophytes (Japanese knotweed) at Sinzheim, Germany

For this purpose the soil was loosened down to 30 cm depth before steaming. After that the area was covered with heat resistant sheets, weighted at the edges and steamed for three to four hours. The soil of the third area was excavated down to 20 cm depth, steamed and put back to its original location.

Container-steaming with tipping trailer
Container-steaming with tipping trailer

In case that the positive results in 2009 can be achieved as well, more areas will be treated in the same way.