Thermal Dehydration for the Disposition of Poultry Mortalities

Purpose

In the past 50 years, the poultry industry has made tremendous advancements in production performance, resource utilization and environmental sustainability. However, mortality disposal remains a major challenge as traditional methods of carcass disposal such as burial, incineration, composting, and rendering pose significant risk (biosecurity, environmental pollution, odor, cost, etc.) to the future of the poultry industry.

In North America, approximately 1,500,000,000 pounds of broiler and 187,500,000 pounds of layer hen mortalities must be disposed of in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner without jeopardizing the biosecurity of the production facility nor the financial success of the producer.

What Did We Do

In response to growing concerns and regulatory requirements, an advanced thermal dehydration system has been developed for the disposition of poultry mortalities. This process utilizes simultaneous mixing and heating of the carcass materials in an enclosed drum to 194 F, which results in a 60% reduction in volume over a 12-hour cycle time.

Thermal Dehydration Process

This program was designed to understand the effectiveness, impacts, and opportunities of utilizing Agritech Thermal Disposal Systems thermal dehydration technology for the disposition of poultry mortalities in commercial poultry production facilities in the western United States.

TDS1300 Installation TX, USA
TDS1300 Installation TX, USA

What Have We Learned

Thermal dehydration technology has proven an effective, efficient, and easy method to manage poultry mortalities in commercial poultry production systems. Agritech Thermal Disposal Systems currently offers two models, a smaller single phase unit with a maximum capacity of 1300 pounds and a larger 3 phase unit with a maximum capacity of 2000 pounds per cycle.

The units are simple to operate, as all that is required is to load the mortalities and initiate the thermal dehydration process. There is no requirement for additional materials (carbon), mixing the materials nor manual cleanout, etc.. On average the unit requires 1 kilowatt of electricity per 9 pounds of mortalities processed. An economic analysis comparing thermal dehydration technology with currently used poultry mortality methods is presented below.

 

Mortality Disposal Comparison
20 Year Analysis
Based on processing 1000 lbs mortality per day
Rendering Traditional Incinerator High Efficiency Dual Burner Incinerator Rotary Composter TDS 1300
Fuel Source LPG LPG Wood shavings Electrical
Amount 2.5 gph 2.5 gph 3:1 ratio 1kW/9 lbs
Fuel per cycle 30 gallons 11.24 gallons 3000lbs 111kW
Cost per cycle $75 $75 $28 $42.5 $12.5
Cost per week $526 $525 $197 $298 $88
Cost per year $27,300 $27,300 $10,238 $15,470 $4,565
Cost per 20 year $546,000 $546,000 $204,750 $309,400 $91,291
Annual service cost $1,200 $835 $200 $200
Lifetime Service $20,400 $15,675 $3,800 $3,800
Replacement time (yr) 5 6.67 20 20 20
Purchase cost $1,000 $12,000 $32,972 $65,000 $55,000
20 year equipment cost $5,000 $36,000 $2,972 $65,000 $55,000
500G propane tank $2,000 $2,000
Building $75,000 $75,000
Installation cost $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $6,000 $3,000
Total investment $553,500 $606,900 $257,897 $459,200 $148,591
Per lb/cost $0.076 $0.083 $0.035 $0.063 $0.020
Assumptions
Handling Carcass handling cost equal
Fuel Cost 2.50$/gallon; 11.30 cents per KWh
Rendering Cost $0.75 per pound rendering pickup
Woodshavings: Average 37 lbs/cubic foot
Utilize 3 cubic yards per day
1500$/100 yard load delivered ($15/yd)
Recycle 50% from produced compost
Plus 30 minutes additional handling per day-20$

Based on industry performance statistics, a 100,000 head broiler facility would produce approximately 3 supersacks/totes of “meat powder” per flock. The resultant “meat powder” is a stable, odor free, sterile byproduct which can be field applied, integrated into commercial fertilizer or utilized in further processing. Compositional analysis has consistently demonstrated a moisture content of approximately 20%, a nitrogen level of 10%, phosphorus of 0.5% and potassium of 0.6%.

“Meat Powder” Produced from Thermal Dehydration Technology

The range in particle size of the resultant “meat powder” was determined through sieve testing in accordance with ANSI/ASAES319, with an average particle size of 560 microns with a standard deviation of 5.06.

Environmental impact analysis of the thermal dehydration process of poultry mortalities has demonstrated that there are no visible emissions from the thermal dehydration unit, other than water vapor.

Further emissions testing has shown total particulate emission rate averaged 0.0066 lb./operating hour, semi-volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) were all below the minimum detectable limit and the total combined speciated Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emission rate averaged 0.0067 lb./operating hour, with all individual compounds below regulatory thresholds.

Future Plans

The long-term evaluation program of thermal dehydration technology for the disposition of poultry mortalities continues, with special emphasis on understanding the opportunities to utilize the “meat powder”. These efforts include conducting amino acid profiling, understanding the impacts on quality from long-term storage and determining the optimal handling system.

Thermal dehydration technology has gained international approval for the disposition of animal mortalities, has recently been permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and is currently undergoing regulatory review in numerous jurisdictions throughout the United States.

Authors

Jeff Hill, President, Livestock Welfare Strategies
Jeff@LivestockWelfareStrategies.com

Additional Authors

Danny Katz, Agritech Thermal Disposal Systems, Anissa Purswell, Eviro-Ag Engineering, Inc.

Additional Information

www.thermaldisposal.com

Acknowledgements

H and R Agricultural Solutions LLC 1592 Southview Circle Center, Texas 75935

Videos, Slideshows, and Other Media

AgriTech Thermal Disposal Systems – YouTube

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2022. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Oregon, OH. April 18-22, 2022. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

Waste Disposal by the Veterinary Community

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The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) offers several resources to its members and the public regarding various disposal issues encountered by the veterinary community and animal owners.  With its veterinary medical expertise, the veterinary profession can be a valuable resource for clients, the general public, regulators, and other stakeholders on carcass and other animal waste disposal issues, especially those involving potential health risks to other animals or the public.  The purpose in developing these resources is to further increase awareness by the veterinary profession and its stakeholders of the value, potential hazards, and legal restrictions concerning disposal of animal waste and carcasses.

What Did We Do?

The AVMA has established policies related to the disposal of animal waste and carcass disposal.  Three key policies include “Appropriate Animal Carcass Disposal,” “Animal Carcass Risk in Natural Disasters,” and “Animal Agriculture Waste Management.”  All of the AVMA policies related to waste issues can be found at https://www.avma.org/PracticeManagement/Administration/Pages/AVMA-Policies-Relevant-to-Waste-Disposal.aspx.

  1. Appropriate Animal Carcass Disposal

The AVMA advocates safe and environmentally responsible disposal of animal carcasses, whether on an individual animal basis or during mass mortality events. As such, the AVMA supports increased research and education towards the development of appropriate methods and guidelines for animal carcass disposal.

  1. Animal Carcass Risk in Natural Disasters

Consistent with current scientific literature and the conclusions of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the AVMA recognizes that animals that die from injuries, including massive animal deaths in cases of natural disasters, generally do not represent a health hazard for humans. The presence of dead bodies that result from a disaster, without the presence of another risk factor, is not the cause for the spread of infectious diseases. (1PAHO Manual, Ch 3, Conclusions; p. 81)

1 Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations, Disaster Manuals and Guidelines Series, number 5. Pan American Health Organization, Area on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief, and the World Health Organization, Department for Health Action in Crisis. Washington, DC, 2004.

  1. Animal Agriculture Waste Management

The AVMA supports the basic premises of current federal and state legislation and regulations enacted to prevent negative environmental impacts from wastes generated by terrestrial or aquatic animal productions. Veterinarians should be aware of the value, potential hazards, and legal restrictions concerning animal waste.

Therefore the AVMA supports the following:

  • Education, outreach, and extension programs to assist producers in meeting or exceeding current federal and state requirements. This includes aid in establishing and implementing nutrient management plans as well as design and construction of effective waste management facilities to prevent contamination of the environment.
  • Science based research on animal waste management systems and procedures to allow animal waste materials to be utilized as nutrient sources for sustainable agriculture systems.
  • Scientific studies of the impact of pathogens and chemicals from animal/human waste sources on the environment.

Additionally, the AVMA has developed the microsite, www.avma.org/wastedisposal.  Sections of the microsite addressing topics such as “Federal Regulations of Waste Disposal,” “State-based Waste Disposal Resources,” and “AVMA Policies Relevant to Waste Disposal,” are accessible by the general public.  Specific “Clinical Resources” pages, such as “Animal Carcass Disposal,” “Animal Waste Disposal,” “Recordkeeping,” and more are accessible only by AVMA members.  On a similar note and because of its expertise, the Association was consulted during the development of the Veterinary Compliance Assistance (VetCA) website (www.vetca.org) by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences under the National Compliance Assistance Centers program. Funding for this latter project has been provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition to the pharmaceutical disposal information within the aforementioned resources, the AVMA has partnered with the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce to combine efforts and develop a joint outreach and educational campaign for veterinary clients regarding proper pharmaceutical disposal.  Information and products associated with the collaborative effort are available at www.avma.org/unwantedmeds.

The “Green Veterinary Practices” microsite has also been developed by the AVMA.   The web pages provide AVMA members and the public information on sustainable practices.  Not only does the site discuss what the AVMA is doing, it also provides resources for integrating eco-friendly features into veterinary practices as well as opportunities for including eco-friendly practices in facility designs.  The microsite is available at https://www.avma.org/green-veterinary-practices

In addition to policy and resource development, the AMVA is active in advocacy.  Related to waste issues, the Association has weighed in on Federal Register items such as Docket Number [EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0188], the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Reporting Rule and Docket Number [EPA-OW-2011-0466], Draft Recreational Water Quality Criteria and Request for Scientific Views.  To see additional topics as well as the AVMA’s comments, please visit https://www.avma.org/advocacy/national-advocacy.  In 2012, the AVMA joined the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition urging Congress to support the $325 million for the AFRI in the President’s Fiscal year 2013 budget proposal.  To view all of the AVMA’s advocacy information, please click on “Advocacy” from the AVMA’s home page, www.avma.org.

What Have We Learned?

Integrative efforts of multiple disciplines and stakeholders are needed to better enhance the science of waste management as well as to help bridge the gaps between such science and sociopolitical opinions.

Future Plans

As stated in its policies, the AVMA will continue to advocate for safe and environmentally responsible disposal of animal carcasses as well as support:

  • Education, outreach, and extension programs to assist producers in meeting or exceeding current federal and state requirements
  • Science based research on animal waste management systems and procedures to allow animal waste materials to be utilized as nutrient sources for sustainable agriculture systems.
  • Scientific studies of the impact of pathogens and chemicals from animal/human waste sources on the environment.

Authors

Kristi Henderson, DVM, Assistant Director, Scientific Activities Division, American Veterinary Medical Association khenderson@avma.org

Additional Information

http://www.avma.org

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2013. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth: Spreading Science and Solutions. Denver, CO. April 1-5, 2013. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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