The RECycle System for Hog Waste Management

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TheRE-Cycle Systemfor Hog Waste Management

• Jeanne B. Koger Preston Burnette
• Theo van Kempen

Funded by State Energy Office
Smithfield Agreement APWMC
Presented January 5, 2005 San Antonio, TX.
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The RE-Cycle System
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Housing
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The belt-based housing system
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Dry matter is highest before pigs rise in the am

• Collections every 27 h to determine time-of-day
  effects on dry matter

• Conclude
• Collections at 6 am (n12) result in 494 dry
  matter (41-69)

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Excellent feed efficiency and low ammonia with
belt
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Thermochemical processing of feces
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Swine feces as a fuel

• Energy equivalent to wood on a mass basis
• Lower in ash than poultry litter

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Thermochemical processes
Gasification pros and cons

• Clean less noxious air emissions
• Flexible possibility of generating liquid fuels
• Big bonus if there is a limited market for
  electricity
• Safe destroys all bio-active compounds!
• It is not fully commercial

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COH2CO2(C)(H)
Basic chemistry of gasification
Electricity generation or liquid fuel production
NH3? trapped in gas cleaner
C2H4O
Heat 800C
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NCSUs first BGP gasifier
Brookes Gasification Process (BGP) Gasifier
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RE-Cycle Nutrient Balance
a Ash is from fecal output only.
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Gasification trials

• Successfully gasified hog waste, poultry litter,
  pig and poultry mortalities.
• Ash composition varies with feedstock
• Energy efficiency not satisfactory (20 of input
  energy from non-feedstock)

• Gas composition in the primary chamber varies
  with reaction course

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Comparison of Ashesfrom different feedstocks and
processing technologies
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Schematic of the 2nd generation BGP gasifier
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Ash digestibility
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Digestibility similar to commercial mineral
sources

• Test diet accidentally overformulated with P
• Mg2SO4 in control diet was not digestible

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Commercial considerations
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Business model

• Centralized Processing facility
• Co-op or integrator with gt500,000 GF pigs in 20
  km radius

• On-farm processing
• Simplicity provides superior, safe and
  sustainable method for mortality disposal

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Economics tentative
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RE-Cycle Technologies for a sustainable
future