The Important Role of Animal Incinerators in Carcass Disposal

Animal mortality is a part of livestock and poultry facilities. Losses are bound to occur due to death of animals and it is important to have a management program that will evaluate the methods of dead livestock disposal to minimize future problems. A farm producer is liable to dispose animal carcasses within 48 hours in an environmentally acceptable way. Safe disposal minimizes the risks to the environment, to other living animals and to the public. There are various options for farm producers on the safe disposal of animal carcasses which includes burial in trenches, composting, rendering and animal incinerators. It is also important to consider compliance with local regulations as to the proper handling and disposal of animal carcasses.

Are animal incinerators a feasible option for the disposal of animal carcasses?

Animal incinerators are either stationary or mobile which reduces animal carcasses to ash. While animal incineration is considered safe since it does not contaminate soil and groundwater, there are many reasons why farm producers do not consider animal incinerators as an economic and viable option.

Incinerators cause pollution and increases health risks – emissions from incinerators have to be monitored continuously but due to technological advances in the industry, animal incinerators are now designed and operated so that the residual emission of pollutants will comply with the emission levels set by the Clean Air Act and EPA. In reality there are actually more hazardous emissions that will put health at risk.

Incinerators produce dioxins – dioxins are unwanted products from a wide range of manufacturing processes like smelting, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp and production of pesticides. Previously animal incinerators were considered to be among the producers of dioxins but with the improvements of technology, the emissions are now considered negligible.

Incinerators cause pollution – animal incinerators do not cause objectionable odor or excessive amounts of smoke. It reduces problems with flies and the possibility of the spread of diseases that can compromise the health of the rest of the livestock. Animal incinerators also reduce the likelihood of contamination in the immediate environment since it can reduce the volume of carcasses to about 90% of its original weight and the residual ashes can be disposed off in the landfills or used in the road building.

Fixed facility incinerators

Historically, the fixed facility incineration for animal carcasses has taken various forms as crematoria, as small incinerator for veterinary colleges or as a large waste incineration plant for hazardous medical wastes and safe disposal of animal carcasses. Fixed facility animal incinerators are wholly contained and highly controlled with fitted afterburn chambers designed to completely burn hydrocarbon gases and particulate matter that are exiting from the main combustion chamber.

Air curtain incineration

This technology used to be applied for eliminating land-clearing debris, reducing clean wood waste for landfill disposal and eliminating storm debris. In the wake of natural disasters in the US, air curtain incinerators were used for the disposal of animal carcasses due to the calamity. This system of incineration can be mobile and its size can vary depending on the amount of carcasses that have to be incinerated.