High Value Products

from Hatchery Waste

RIRDC Publication No. 09/061

RIRDC

Innovation for rural Australia

High Value Products

from Hatchery Waste

by Phil Glatz and Zhihong Miao

April 2009
RIRDC Publication No 09/061
RIRDC Project No PRJ-000078

 2009 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

All rights reserved.

ISBN 1 74151 863 6

ISSN 1440-6845
High Value Products from Hatchery Waste
Publication No. 09/061
Project No. PRJ-000078
The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion
and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in
this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances.
While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct,
the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication.
The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the
authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to
any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or
omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the
part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors.
The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication.
This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are
reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights
should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on phone 02 6271 4165.
Researcher Contact Details
Dr Phil Glatz
Davies Building
Roseworthy Campus SA 5371
Phone: (08) 83037786
Fax:
(08) 83037689
E-mail: [email protected]
In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form.
RIRDC Contact Details
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
Level 2, 15 National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600
PO Box 4776
KINGSTON ACT 2604
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Web:

02 6271 4100
02 6271 4199
[email protected].
http://www.rirdc.gov.au

Electronically published by RIRDC in April 2009

Print-on-demand by Union Offset Printing, Canberra at www.rirdc.gov.au
or phone 1300 634 313

ii

Foreword
A survey of major chicken meat hatcheries in Australia was undertaken to identify how hatchery waste
is currently managed. In addition a literature review identified alternate methods of handling and
processing the waste which could lead to saleable products.
A weekly average of 10.4 tonnes of waste is produced by chicken meat hatcheries. The cost of
disposal (average $127/tonne) and availability of disposal sites is an emerging issue. The majority of
hatchery waste is sent to land fill or for composting, with some rendered for use as pet food. Hatchery
wastewater is mostly used for irrigation or disposed directly into the sewer. Most of the hatcheries
have no environmental issues with hatchery waste on site but some report odour problems. Some
hatcheries would like to treat the waste on site so that it could be sold as a commodity or to use
methods to separate liquid from solid waste and recycle water.
The review identified that waste can be separated into solid waste and liquid waste by centrifuging or
by using screens. Potential methods for treating hatchery waste on site include use of a furnace to heat
the waste to produce steam to run a turbine generator or to use an in line composter to stabilise the
waste. There is also potential to use an anaerobic digester system at hatcheries to produce methane and
designer fertilisers. Hatcheries disposing wastewater into lagoons could establish a series of ponds
where algae and zooplankton utilise nutrients in waste water. The pond treatment cleans the water
making it more suitable for irrigation. The ideal system to establish in a hatchery would be to
incorporate separation and handling equipment to separate waste into its various components for
further treatment. This would save disposal costs, produce biogas to reduce power costs at plants and
produce a range of value added products. However the scale of operations at hatcheries is small and
development of treatment systems may not be viable.
This report was funded by RIRDC Core Funds provided by the Federal Government and is an addition
to RIRDCs diverse range of over 1800 research publications. It forms part of our Chicken Meat
Program, which aims to support increased sustainability and profitability in the chicken meat industry
through focused research and development.
Most of RIRDCs publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online at
www.rirdc.gov.au. Purchases can also be made by phoning 1300 634 313.

Peter OBrien
Managing Director
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

iii

Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the funding provided by the Chicken Meat Program of the Rural Industry
Research and Development Corporation and the information provided by hatchery managers in
Australia.
We are grateful for the technical support of Mrs Belinda Rodda in compiling the survey data.

iv

Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................................................................ ii
Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................. iv
Contents.................................................................................................................................................. v
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................. vii
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
A Survey of Hatchery Waste in Australia ........................................................................................... 2
Hatchery Solid Waste ....................................................................................................................... 2
Handling of solid waste on site ......................................................................................................... 2
How is solid waste disposed?............................................................................................................ 3
Techniques for processing waste ...................................................................................................... 4
Wastewater........................................................................................................................................ 4
Environmental Issues ........................................................................................................................ 5
Attitudes to waste.............................................................................................................................. 5
Review: High Value Products from Hatchery Waste......................................................................... 7
Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 7
Handling of Hatchery Waste............................................................................................................. 7
Separation of waste at the hatchery................................................................................................... 8
Storage of waste on site; Bio-bins and skip bins .............................................................................. 9
Solid Waste treatments systems ...................................................................................................... 10
Wastewater treatment systems ........................................................................................................ 13
Design of an anaerobic digestion system ........................................................................................ 16
Micro-organisms used in digestion ................................................................................................. 16
Factors affecting anaerobic digestion ............................................................................................. 17
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Implications.......................................................................................................................................... 21
References ............................................................................................................................................ 22
Appendix 1: Hatchery waste survey results ...................................................................................... 27

Tables
Table 1

Total solids capture efficiency for the different solid/liquid separators (NRCS and
NHCP, 2005) ..................................................................................................................... 8

Table 2

Hatchery waste survey results in Australia...................................................................... 27

Figure and Picture

Picture 1

Anaerobic digestion ......................................................................................................... 13

Figure 1

An example of a basic anaerobic digester........................................................................ 16

vi

Executive Summary
What the report is about
This report comprises two parts: one is a hatchery survey to establish how Australian chicken meat
hatcheries handle and dispose hatchery waste; the other was a literature review on current methods and
potential methods of handling and processing hatchery waste. Currently, a weekly average of 10.4
tonnes of hatchery waste is produced by chicken meat hatcheries in Australia. Most of the hatcheries
do not treat the waste before disposal. The majority of hatchery waste is sent to land fill or for
composting, with some being rendered for use as pet food. Hatchery wastewater is mostly used for
irrigation or disposed directly into the sewer.
The review identified that waste can be separated into solid waste and liquid waste by centrifuging or
by using screens. Potential methods for treating hatchery waste on site include use of a furnace to heat
the waste to produce steam to run a turbine generator or to use an in line composter to stabilise the
waste. There is also potential to use an anaerobic digester system to produce methane and to use the
resulting biosolids as designer fertilisers. Hatcheries disposing wastewater into lagoons could establish
a series of ponds where algae and zooplankton utilise nutrients in waste water. The pond treatment
cleans the water making it more suitable for irrigation.
Who is the report targeted at?
This report is targeted at Australian chicken meat hatcheries.
Background
Large quantities of hatchery waste comprising non-fertile eggs, dead chicks and egg shells need to be
disposed every day in Australia from chicken meat hatcheries. Generally this waste is sent to land fill
or composted. This requires storing the waste on site and then transporting to land fill areas or to
compost sites. The costs of disposing hatchery waste to land fill or for composting are increasing. In
addition dwindling waste disposal sites and environmental issues at hatcheries and at land fill sites has
necessitated the need to examine alternative methods of handling and treating hatchery waste at
hatcheries. At land fill areas hatchery waste will break down naturally and release methane into the
environment. Capturing and using the methane to prevent its release to the environment would be a
small contribution by hatcheries to reduce global warming.
Aims/objectives
1) To conduct a survey of major hatcheries in Australia to identify how hatchery waste is currently
managed, to identify potential difficulties faced with management of hatchery waste, and to
identify novel strategies for managing, using or disposing of hatchery waste.
2) To conduct a review to identify potential alternate methods of handling and processing the waste
that are economically viable, environmentally acceptable, comply with regulatory issues, and
preferably which lead to saleable products.
Methods used
Hatchery Survey
A questionnaire was developed by SARDI in collaboration with RIRDC and industry to identify how
hatchery waste is managed, the nature of the waste, current difficulties being faced, new methods of
stabilising the waste, and hatchery manager and/or staff perceptions and attitudes to treating hatchery
waste. The questionnaire was sent to major chicken meat hatcheries in Australia; 15 replies were
received.

vii

Literature Review
An extensive literature search was undertaken using library data bases and internet resources to
evaluate methods of handling and treating hatchery waste (and other similar organic waste) that could
stabilize and/or convert hatchery waste into valuable products.
Results/key findings
Survey
An average of 10.4 tonnes of hatchery waste is produced each week by the major chicken meat
hatcheries. The average volume of water used in hatcheries is 238.4KL/week. The majority of
hatcheries use a vacuum extraction system to transfer the waste into bins; others place the waste
manually into a bin or silo. Some of the hatcheries separate hatchery waste before disposal. About
20% of the surveyed hatcheries believe there is no major problem in handling the hatchery waste,
particularly when using automated systems. Other hatcheries have different problems including cost
of disposal (average of $127.3/tonne), finding disposal sites, odour, high percentage of liquid, high
water use needed to facilitate separation, vacuum system blockages, spillage (at hatchery and during
transport), staff health issues, flies, noise and abrasiveness of the egg shell. Current disposal methods
are land fill, composting, rendering and incineration. Hatchery wastewater is used for irrigation at
38.5% of surveyed hatcheries, and 15.4% of the hatcheries dispose waste water directly into the sewer.
One hatchery used a waste water treatment system, one hatchery used a sewage/treatment system, and
another hatchery disposed waste water into a lagoon. Most of the hatchery managers agreed that
developing alternative methods to manage the hatchery waste is worth the effort.
Literature review
This review has identified alternate methods of handling and processing hatchery waste that could lead
to saleable products. Hatchery waste can be separated into solid waste and liquid waste by
centrifuging. Alternatively, inclined screens and the use of a belt or filter press can separate the
components of the waste. Flexible multi-layer filters can be used to separate liquid wastes from solid
wastes. Another system for separating liquid and solid waste is to use a conveyor with an upper and
lower conveyor roller. Liquid and solid wastes are separated and placed in collectors which are located
near the upper and lower rollers
Shells can be separated from the hatchery waste by using a powerful suction vacuum to remove the
dry, very light shells from the hatchery waste leaving the heavier infertile eggs. Eggshell waste can be
separated by using a vibrating or shaking device and a cyclone forced-air separator to further separate
lighter materials from heavier materials in hatchery waste. Alternatively live chicks and unhatched
chicks or clear eggs from the hatching tray are placed on a moving belt with fixed gaps that only allow
chicks to slide through, while shells and unhatched eggs are retained on the belt while dead embryos
are disposed into a separate container
Sanitised shells separated from the hatchery waste can be used to increased the mineral content of the
compost; spread around plants to deter slugs and snails; mixed with garden soil for use as a fertiliser;
mixed with seeds for using as a feed for aviary birds; added to cement to increase its strength; used by
artists to make mosaics; used to make textured paint for 3D effects in artwork; and to produce collagen
from the membrane.

viii

Methods which can be used for treating the solid waste include the following;

Use of a furnace to heat the mixture of solid and liquid hatchery waste to produce steam to run a
turbine generator to produce electricity;

Rendered, autoclaved, extruded, boiled, ensiled, enzyme treated to produce pet or livestock feed or
composted to produce fertiliser;

On site stabilisation of product could be achieved by using an in line composter.

The most effective method for treating hatchery waste on site is to establish an anaerobic digester
system. It is by far the most popular process used to treat organic wastes in all other organic waste
industries. It has the advantage of being a high efficiency process and produces biogas which can be
used for heating or generating power. The biosolids remaining after the digester process can be sold as
a high quality fertiliser.
Implications for relevant stakeholders
The average disposal cost is $1324/week for a hatchery producing 10.4 tonnes of hatchery waste /week
at a disposal cost of $127.3/tonne. An emerging issue for hatcheries is the availability of sites where
the hatchery waste can be disposed. There is also a need to minimise methane emissions to the
environment from land fill sites. Therefore, cost efficient and environmentally friendly methods are
required to treat hatchery waste to produce valuable products and reduce environmental concerns.
Recommendations
The most effective method for treating hatchery waste on site is to establish an anaerobic digester
system. It is by far the most popular process used to treat organic wastes in all other organic waste
industries. It has the advantage of being an efficient process and produces biogas which can be used
for heating or generating power. The biosolids remaining after the digester process can be used a high
quality fertiliser.
Off the shelf digester systems for purchase by hatcheries are not available and need to be designed by
engineers and built specifically to the requirements of each hatchery. Hatcheries disposing wastewater
into lagoons could adopt the integrated biosystem approach to produce water suitable for irrigation and
other potential products such as ornamental fish; a multi-billion industry worldwide. The ideal system
in a hatchery would incorporate separation and handling equipment to separate waste into its various
components for further treatment. This would save disposal costs, produce biogas to reduce power
costs at plants and produce a range of value added products.

ix

Introduction
The chicken meat industry produces considerable quantities of hatchery waste which includes solid
waste and wastewater. Most of the solid hatchery waste is sent to land fill but some is composted,
rendered or incinerated. At land fill sites hatchery waste breaks down and produces methane which
escapes to the atmosphere. If large amounts of wastes from animal production are directly applied into
the soil, it pollutes the environment, including the ground water.
Hatchery waste is a high protein waste which could be developed into high protein feedstuffs, other
value added products or utilised as an organic fertiliser after appropriate treatment. Given the large
volumes of hatchery waste that needs disposal in Australia a review was conducted to identify
potential alternate methods of handling and processing the hatchery waste.
This project undertook a survey of major hatcheries in Australia to identify how hatchery waste is
currently managed and to undertake a review to identify potential alternate methods of handling and
processing the waste.
The projects objectives were:
1) To conduct a survey of major hatcheries ion Australia to identify how hatchery waste is currently
managed, to identify potential difficulties faced with management of hatchery waste, and to
identify novel strategies for managing, using or disposing of hatchery waste.
2) To conduct a review to identify potential alternative methods of handling and processing the waste
that are economically viable, environmentally acceptable, comply with regulatory issues, and
preferably which lead to saleable products.

A Survey of Hatchery Waste in Australia

A questionnaire was developed by SARDI in collaboration with RIRDC and industry to identify how
hatchery waste is currently managed, the nature of the waste, current difficulties being faced, new
methods of stabilising the waste, and hatchery manager and/or staff perceptions and attitudes to
treating hatchery waste.
The questionnaire was sent to major hatcheries in Australia and 15 replies were received. Answers
received to the survey questions are reported below.
The egg setting capacity of the hatcheries surveyed was 836,197 (range 129,600-1,969,920). The
average number of eggs set/week of the hatcheries surveyed was 603,255 (range 181,440-1,348,000)

Hatchery Solid Waste

Tonnes of waste produced weekly
An average of 10.4 tonnes of waste/week is produced by the hatcheries with a range of 3-22.5
tonnes/week.

Describe the major components of the waste

When asked to describe the major components of the hatchery solid waste 33% of the respondents
reported the waste to be empty shells, infertile eggs, dead embryos, late hatchings and dead chickens;
20% indicated the waste was mainly egg shell and dead embryos; while 13.4% reported the waste was
mainly egg shell. Other descriptions of the main components of the waste were: 1) egg shell and egg
yolk; 2) egg shell and dead chickens; 3) empty shells, infertile eggs, dead chickens (culls); 4) fluid and
egg shell and 5) egg shells, fluff, unhatched embryos and culls.

Separation of Solid Waste

33.3% of surveyed hatcheries separated the waste before disposal. Methods reported were:

Non fertile eggs at 18 day stage of incubation were placed in separate container

Shells and fluid separated

Excess liquid pumped into separate bin

Handling of solid waste on site

How is solid waste handled in hatchery?
When asked about the method used to dispose solid waste 26.7% of the surveyed hatcheries place the
waste manually into a bin or silo. On some hatcheries Veolia bins are used. The majority of hatcheries
use a vacuum extraction system to transfer the waste into bins. Other specific handling methods were:
1) hatchery waste stored in a cool room and then placed in Bio-Bin, 2) waste is crushed before use of a
vacuum or auger system to transfer waste into a bin, or 3) cull chicks macerated and added to the
waste bin.

Time and labour involved in handling waste

53.3% of the hatcheries indicated there is a time and labour cost involved in removing the waste;
33.3% of the hatcheries used an automated system while 1 respondent indicated 2 or more people were
needed to handle the waste. Staff time required to remove the waste ranged from 0.5-15h/week.

Disinfection and treatment of waste before disposal

Most of the hatcheries (86.7%) did not disinfect or treat the waste before disposal. One hatchery held
the waste in a cool room while another hatchery did disinfect the waste. One hatchery crushed the
waste to allow maximum amount of waste to be placed in the bin.

Any major problems associated with handling waste

20% of the surveyed hatcheries believe there is no major problem in handling the hatchery waste,
particularly for the automated systems. The remainder of the hatcheries have different problems
including cost of disposal, finding disposal sites, odour, high percentage of liquid, high water use
needed to facilitate separation, vacuum system blockages, spillage (at hatchery and during transport),
staff health issues, flies, noise and abrasiveness of the egg shell.

How is solid waste disposed?

Where is waste sent?
Four of the hatcheries (38.5%) reported they know where the waste is sent but do not know what it is
used for. Other hatcheries send waste for composting, land fill, processing and rendering.

Cost of waste disposal

The average cost for waste disposal is $127.3/tonne, with a range from $55-$405/tonne.

Frequency of waste removal

The waste is removed on average 4 times/week (range of 2-7 times/week) across all surveyed
hatcheries.

Current treatment methods for hatchery waste

Current disposal methods are land fill (28.6%), both composting and land fill (14.3%), both rendering
and composting (14.3%), through a crusher (7.1%), processing (7.1%) and incineration and recycling
(7.1%). Two hatchery respondents had no idea what happened to the waste and one hatchery manager
did not give a response.

How are waste products used?

When the hatchery managers were asked about how the products are used after treatment, 50% of
surveyed hatcheries said the question did not apply to their waste while one hatchery said the waste
was used for composting and fertiliser, one said it was used to produce poultry meal while another
produced chicken and pet feed.

How is waste water disposed?

Hatchery wastewater is used for irrigation by 38.5% of surveyed hatcheries, and 15.4% of the
hatcheries dispose waste water directly into the sewer. One hatchery used a waste water treatment
system, one hatchery used a sewage/treatment system, and another hatchery disposed waste water into
a waste lagoon. The rest of the hatcheries sent wastewater to land fill, disposing the wastewater in a
similar manner as the solid waste.

Recycling of wastewater
Most of the hatcheries (85.7%) do not recycle water. One hatchery recycled the hatching tray washer
water, while another used the waste water for irrigating paddocks.

Techniques for processing waste

Is there processing of waste on site
80% of surveyed hatcheries did not process waste on site, others kept the waste in the cool room or a
Bio-Bin.

Any new techniques known to manage waste on site

92.8% of surveyed hatchery managers do not know any techniques to manage waste on site; only one
manager suggested waste could be composted on site.

Cost of treating waste on site

None of the respondents knew how much it would cost for a waste treatment system.

If waste is treated on site how is it used?

No responses were received for this question

4.5 What investment would the company make for processing waste?
66.7% of surveyed managers said they do not know what investment the company would be prepared
to make on processing waste. However 16.7% thought that reducing cost of waste disposal to land fill
would be a good investment; others would like an investment on better separating systems and
recycling.

Wastewater
Volume of wastewater used
The average volume water used in hatcheries is 238.4KL/week, ranging from 50-324KL/week.

How is the wastewater treated?

40% of the hatcheries do not treat the waste water. Other hatcheries treat the waste water using: 1)
aerated ponds and then use the water for irrigation, 2) enviroflow water recycling system and 3) solids
separated before irrigation on paddocks.

Is treated wastewater recycled?

Most of the hatcheries (85.7%) do not recycle water. One hatchery recycled the hatching tray washer
water, while another used the waste water for irrigating paddocks.

How is wastewater disposed?

Hatchery managers report that waste water is disposed by irrigation (30% of hatcheries); through an
enviroflow unit (10%), via the sewage system (30%), through a septic system (10%) and via an
evaporation area.

Environmental Issues
Are there any issues having waste on site?
36.4% of the hatchery managers said there are no environmental issues from having the waste on site.
A further 18.2% said they have no major problems, but do have an issue with odour. However 27.3%
of the managers said odour is the major issue; 18.2% said the combination of odour, contamination
and vermin are major problems.

How often is waste removed from hatchery?

The waste is removed on average 4 times/week (range of 2-7 times/week) across all surveyed
hatcheries.

Any complaints from staff or neighbours

Most of the managers said there were no complaints from staff or neighbours. One hatchery reported
that neighbours do complain about odour when it is pick up day for their waste bin. This hatchery was
located 6kms from the CBD of a major city.

Does land fill cause a problem for nearby farms?

When hatchery managers responded to the question does land fill cause a problem for nearby farms,
50% said no, 40% did not answer and 10% said they do not send waste to do land fill.

Does the site have or need an EMP for waste disposal?

57.1% of the managers think there is a need for environmental management practice and 35.7% think
there is no need. One manager reported that waste disposal is regulated by the local council.

Attitudes to waste
(a) Hatch waste is smelly and not easy to manage
When asked if the hatchery waste is smelly and is not easy to manage 35.7% of surveyed managers
strongly agreed; 14.3% agreed while 50% disagreed.

(b) Training of staff required to manage waste

All managers agreed or strongly agreed that staff need to be trained to manage the waste on site.

(c) Developing alternative methods to manage waste on site is worth the effort
76.9% of managers agreed or strongly agreed that developing alternative methods to manage the
hatchery waste is worth the effort.

Would there be interest in investing in a system that treats the waste

When managers were asked if the hatchery would be interested in investing in a system that treats the
waste on site and stabilises the waste, the answers varied, 33.3% said yes to further investment; 20%
said no; 13.3% said it would be worth consideration; 13.3% said only if it was practical and affordable.
One manager indicated they would be interested provided it did not require extra labour while 2
respondents indicated it was not their decision.

Further opinions on how hatchery waste can be managed

Hatchery managers were asked for further opinions on how hatchery waste could be treated. Most of
the managers provided no further comment; other managers had the following suggestions.

treat the waste (e.g. composting) so it could be sold as a commodity

develop a method to separate liquid from shell to produce value added products

recycle water

have a silo to store waste until trucked away.

Review: High Value Products from

Hatchery Waste
Introduction
The poultry industry produces large amounts of hatchery waste (hatchery waste), which includes solid
waste and wastewater. The solid hatchery waste comprises empty shells, infertile eggs, dead embryos,
late hatchings and dead chickens and a viscous liquid from egg and decaying tissue. The wastewater
comes from water used to wash down incubators, hatchers and chick handling areas.
Traditional disposal methods for solid hatchery waste include land fill, composting, rendering, and
incineration (Das et al., 2002). Most of the hatchery waste is sent to land fill or composting, which
costs the chicken meat industry millions of dollars each year in disposal costs (Das et al., 2002). Only
small amounts of hatchery waste are rendered. The methods for wastewater disposal in Australia
include sending it to land fill, using it for irrigation, disposing it directly into the sewer or into a waste
lagoon. Some hatcheries use a wastewater treatment system to treat wastewater. Land fill hatchery
waste will break down naturally and produce methane which escapes to the atmosphere. Capturing and
using the methane to prevent its release to air is beneficial to environment since methane has 21 times
more global warming capacity than CO2 (http://www.epa.gov/methane/).
Hatchery waste is a high protein waste with 43-71% moisture (Hamm and Whitehead, 1982;
Vandepopuliere et al., 1977). Dried hatchery waste contains 33.1% crude protein (CP), 29.0% ether
extract, 12.1% crude fibre, 21.5% ash and 28.8 MJ/kg of gross energy (Sharara et al., 1992a).
Apparent metabolisable energy (AME) of the hatchery waste by-product meal is 23.9MJ/kg (Sharara
et al., 1992b) and the apparent amino acid availability (measured in Dandarawi cockerels) of the
hatchery waste by-product meal is 73.5% (Sharara et al., 1993). Hatchery waste could be developed
into high protein feedstuffs, other value added products or utilised as an organic fertiliser after
appropriate treatment.
If large amounts of wastes from animal production are directly applied into the soil, it pollutes the
environment, including the ground water (Tymczyna et al., 2000; Volterra and Conti, 2000). In
particular high protein waste leads to high nitrogen losses with 50% of total nitrogen lost in a few
months (Williams et al., 1999); resulting in enrichment of ground water, lakes or streams, pathogen
distribution, production of phytotoxic substances, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Bitzer
and Sims (1988) reported that over application of organic waste as fertiliser for cropping can result in
nitrate (NO3) contamination of groundwater. High levels of NO3 in drinking water can result in the
blue baby syndrome, cancer and respiratory illness in humans and foetal abortions in livestock
(Stevenson, 1986; Kelleher et al., 2002).
Given the large volumes of hatchery waste that needs disposal in Australia a review was conducted to
identify potential alternate methods of handling and processing the hatchery waste that is economically
viable, environmentally acceptable, comply with regulatory issues, and lead to saleable products.

Handling of Hatchery Waste

A survey of Australian hatcheries conducted as part of this project indicated that 26.7% of the
hatcheries place hatchery waste manually into a waste bin. The majority of hatcheries use a vacuum
extraction system to transfer the waste into these bins. Some hatcheries store the waste in a cool room
and then place the waste into a Bio-Bin. Other hatcheries will crush the waste first, then use a vacuum
or auger system to transfer waste into the waste bin. In the USA, one disposal option is to transport
the hatchery waste to a facility that separates the liquids from the solids by using a centrifuge

(Cawthon, 1998). The liquid is refrigerated and transported to a pet food manufacturing plant. The
solids are sent to land fill.

Separation of waste at the hatchery

Hatchery waste can be separated into solid and liquid components and then treated separately. For
example the liquid in hatchery waste can be separated from the solid hatchery waste by spinning
(Philips, 1996). In addition inclined screens, followed by the use of belt or filter presses, can be used
for separation of solid and liquid portions of the waste. These methods produce about 45% of solid
materials (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6916426.html). In other industries a flexible multi-layer
filter can be used to separate liquid wastes from sludge wastes. The principle of this process relies on
liquid waste passing through the liner into the container by gravity
(http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5776567/description.html).
Another system for separating liquid and solid waste is to use a conveyor with an upper and lower
conveyor roller and an endless conveyor belt extending around the conveyor rollers. A waste deflector
extends above and along the lowest portion of the upper run. Liquid and solid wastes are separated and
placed in collectors which are located near the upper and lower rollers
(http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7232036.html). The separator can be set up for different solid
separating rates (Table 1).
Table 1

Total solids capture efficiency for the different solid/liquid separators (NRCS and
NHCP, 2005)

Solid/Liquid Separators

Total solids capture efficiency

Static Inclined Screen

10-20%

Inclined Screen with Drag Chain

10-30%

Vibratory Screen

15-30%

Rotating Screen

20-40%

Centrifuge

20-45%

Screw or Roller Press

30-50%

Settling Basin

40-65%

Weeping Wall

50-85%

Dry Scrape

50-90%

Geotextile Container

50-98%

Separating egg shells from hatchery waste

A powerful suction vacuum is used to only remove the dry, very light shells from the hatchery waste,
leaving the heavier infertile eggs (World Intellectual Property Organization-WO/2001/074491
Eggshell waste processing method and device). The shell and non-shell materials can also be
separated by using a vibrating or shaking device (e.g. a shaker-sieve belt), which can separate lighter
parts from heavier parts in the hatchery waste. A stream of gas (such as a cyclone forced-air separator)
also can be used to separate lighter materials from heavier materials in hatchery waste. After hatching,
live chicks and unhatched chicks or clear eggs from the hatching tray are placed on a moving belt with
fixed gaps that only allow chicks to slide through, while shells and unhatched eggs are retained on the
belt. Then the shell is vacuumed up for further separation, with the dead embryos being disposed into
a separate container (World Intellectual Property Organization-WO/2001/074491 Eggshell waste
processing method and device).

Methods to recycle egg shell

Eggs shells can be composted with other organic materials to increase the mineral content of the
compost. Other minor uses for crushed egg shells include; 1) spread around plants to deter slugs and
snails, 2) mixed with garden soil for use as a fertiliser; 3) fine pieces of crushed eggshell mixed with
seeds for using as a feed for aviary birds; 4) added to cement to increase its strength; 5) used by artists
to make mosaics and 6) to make textured paint for 3D effects in artwork. These are small niche uses
and not suited to industrial volumes of eggshells.
(http://www.ehow.com/how_2263098_recycle-eggshells.html;
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/631347/6_creative_ways_to_recycle_eggshells.html).
Complete separation of the membrane and the shell increases the value of the resulting products. One
method is to use a meat processing machine to grind eggshells into a powder, and then mixed the
powder with water to separate the membrane. The shell sinks and the membrane stays suspended in the
water. Another method is to place the egg shells into a tank containing a fluid mixture and use
cavitation (vapour bubbles in a flowing liquid) in the fluid mixture to separate the shell membrane.
The fluid mixture is ideally recirculated to continue the separation process
(http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2006/0159816.html). Egg shell membrane contains about 10%
collagen, which can be used in medicine. The current market price for purified collagen is US$1000/g.
Collagen glue is used as a filling in corneal wounds. It can be also used for skin grafts, dental implants,
angioplasty sleeves, plastic surgery, and treatment of osteoporosis and in pharmaceuticals as well as
food casings and film emulsions. The pure shell powder can be used in the paper industry, or as a lime
substitute (Amu et al., 2005) or calcium supplement in agriculture (Jones and Gittins, 2002).
Other uses of eggshell membrane

Eggshell membrane proteins can be used as components of biodegradable plastic.

Altering food-borne bacterial pathogen heat resistance with an eggshell membrane bacteriolytic
enzyme.

Eggshell membrane can be used as an adsorbent for the removal of reactive dyes from coloured
waste effluents.

Eggshell membrane can be used to eliminate heavy metal ions from a dilute waste solution (Jones
and Gittins, 2002).

Storage of waste on site; Bio-bins and skip bins

Most of the hatchery waste in Australia is stored in dump bins before disposal to land fill or to
composting sites. Some hatcheries use Bio-bins for waste storage. This is a container which enables
initial composting of the hatchery waste (Biobin Technologies Pty Ltd). The contents of Bio-bin are
then taken to the sites for completion of the composting cycle. It can be used temporarily for hygienic
storage of hatchery waste. Bio-bins have the following advantages:

The collecting system satisfies biosecurity requirements;

Odours are removed or significantly reduced; and

No fly and rodent contamination

Solid Waste treatments systems

Power generation
The waste can be placed in a furnace to produce steam to run a steam turbine generator to produce
electricity. Waste is automatically fed by conveyor belts into the furnace which is equipped with a
rotating shredder unit for chopping and grinding solid waste
(http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4619210.html).

Rendering
Rendering involves heating the hatchery waste to separate the fat and protein (Swan, 1992). The
products can be used in livestock feed similar to meat and bone meal or fertiliser (Salminen and
Rintala, 2002).

Outoclaved and extruded

Extruded or autoclaved hatchery waste could be used as livestock feed. Said (1996) reported that dry
extrusion was an effective method to treat hatchery waste. For example Miller (1984) extruded a
mixture of ground hatchery waste and yellow maize meal (25:75kg) at 140C for 10s, while Lilburn et
al. (1997) autoclaved turkey hatchery waste for 15min at 125C and 1.76kg/cm2 and then dried it at
50C for 1 hour. Similarly Verma and Rao (1974) autoclaved hatchery waste (infertile eggs or eggs
with dead embryo) and dried it at 100C for 10h. Ravindra-Reddy and Rajasekhar-Reddy (1985)
autoclaved day old cull male chicks for 30min. The product was dried and powdered and used as
poultry feed.

Boiling
Hatchery waste could be treated in the same way as poultry waste (feathers, heads, feet and inedible
entrails (intestine, lung, spleen) by boiling at 100C with a pressure of 2.2kg/cm2 for 15min; then
boiled again at 100C for 5 hours, followed by boiling at 130C for 1 hour then cooled to ambient
temperature (Kirkpinar et al., 2004). Likewise dead embryos could be boiled for 100C for 30min,
soaked in cold water for 20min to remove shells, sun dried for 4 days and used in poultry feed (Abiola
and Onunkwor, 2004). Cooking hatchery waste with water (2:1) then dehydrating to a dried product
has been used as livestock feed (Ilian and Salman, 1986; Babiker et al. 1991, Rasool et al., 1999).
Nutritive value of the dried dead embryos is 36% CP, 27% ether extract, 17% ash, 10% calcium and
0.6% phosphorus (de Souza et al., 1978).

Ensiling
Kompiang (1994) reported a method of ensiling rejected hatchery eggs. The eggs were mixed in a 1:1
ratio with formic and propionic acids for 8 weeks at room temperature.

Enzyme or NaOH treatments

Kim and Patterson (2000) treated culled birds for 12h at 21C with 25.6mg of INSTAPRO enzyme or
2h at 21C in 0.4N NaOH. The resulting product was fermented (with added sugar) for 21 days. After
fermentation the products were autoclaved at 124kPa and 127C for 90 min, then dried in a forced-air
oven at 60C and the final product was used as poultry feed (Kim and Patterson, 2000).

10

Composting
Composting is a common method for solid organic waste disposal (Imbeah, 1998; Cambardella et al.,
2003). In this process, mesophilic and thermophilic micro-organisms convert biodegradable organic
waste into a value added product (Lau et al., 1992; Liao et al., 1993; Imbeah, 1998). The
decomposition of organic waste is performed by aerobic bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The composting
process kills pathogens, converts ammonia nitrogen to organic nitrogen and reduces the waste volume
(Imbeah, 1998). The product can be used as a fertiliser. Disadvantages of composting are loss of
some nutrients including nitrogen, the land required for the composting and odour problems. Das et al.
(2002) reported that composting hatchery waste with sawdust and yard trimming in a ratio of 3:2:1 or
composting it with sawdust, yard trimmings and poultry litter in a ratio of 2:1:1:2 eliminated 99.99%
of E. coli. Composting with litter also eliminated Salmonella, but Salmonella was present if
temperature was too low.
When hatchery waste is composted with poultry litter it will produce a safe and rich organic product
which is a good organic fertiliser. It is important to control the moisture content and keep raising the
temperature of the compost to eliminate the pathogens. Composting hatchery waste with poultry litter
produces a product that contains 1% nitrogen, 2.5% phosphorus and 0.25% potassium on a dry weight
basis. The product also contains high calcium and other micro-nutrients (MAF, 1996).
A potential method for treating hatchery waste on a hatchery site is to use an in-vessel composting
technique to decompose and stabilize the un-separated hatchery waste obtained directly from the
hatchery. The hatchery waste can be mixed with wood shavings to reduce the moisture then
composted (Cawthon, 1998). There are a number of in vessel composters on the market that could
be used for stabilising hatchery waste. The composter turns manure, litter, sour feed stuffs and
carcasses into compost in 4 days with minimal labour and mechanical devices
(www.xactsystemscomposting.com).

DiCOM
AnaeCo Ltd has invented a composting process called DiCOM which is a novel method for treating
the organic part of municipal solid waste. It combines aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion of
solid wastes in a single closed vessel. The end products are biogas and a stabilised compost material
that can be used in agricultural applications. A commercial-scale demonstration plant was established
in early 2007 to treat 20,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year. This will lead to the
development of a fully commercial plant with an annual processing capacity up to 60,000 tonnes of
waste (www.ebcrc.com.au).
A case study suggests an average poultry hatchery in Australia disposes 500 tonne hatchery waste at a
cost of $70,000/annum. Installation and commissioning of a suitable composter is estimated at
$250,000 and maintenance of plant $30,000/annum. Over a 10 year period capital, maintenance and
marketing costs are estimated at $40,000/annum versus a return of $100,000/annum for composted
hatchery waste (100 tonne) valued at $1/kg on basis of high N and P content. Cost of research is
$150,000 to validate the application.

Anaerobic digestion systems

While anaerobic digestion has not been used to treat hatchery waste it is the most popular process used
to treat organic wastes. It has the advantage of being a high efficiency process and produces biogas
(Lin et al., 1986) for power generation or heating. Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable waste. Anaerobic digestion involves the degradation and
stabilisation of an organic waste under anaerobic conditions by microbial organisms to produce
methane and inorganic products (Kelleher et al., 2002):

11

Organic matter + water (anaerobes) CH4+CO2 +new biomass +NH3 +H2S +heat
This process is commonly used to treat wastewater sludge and organic wastes as it reduces the waste
volume, produces valuable products and reduces the emission of methane and C02 from land fill sites.
The end product of digestion is the nutrient-rich solid which can be used as a fertilizer
(http://www.bionewsonline.com/4/what_is_fermentation.htm).
There are two basic types of anaerobic digesters:
1) Batch: Batch digesters are the simplest. The process involves loading the waste into the digester
and starting the digestion process. The retention time depends on temperature, pH and other
factors. Once the digestion is complete, the residue is removed and another batch started.
2) Continuous: Continuous digesters involve regular feeding of waste into the digester to
continuously produce biogas. This type of the digester is suitable for large-scale operations.
The following examples involve treatment of organic waste which may be adaptable to hatchery
wastewater with various levels of solids.
1) Covered lagoons: The organic waste is covered by a pontoon or other floating cover. This digester
is suited for manure waste with 2% or less solid content and requires high throughput for
providing enough solids for the bacteria to produce gas. It is better for warmer regions, where
digester temperatures can be easily maintained.
2) Complete mix: The organic waste is added into a silo shaped tank, then heated and mixed for
anaerobic digestion. It is suited for organic waste with 2-10% of solids.
3) Plug flow: This method comprises a cylindrical tank in which the end products are released from
one end while fresh organic waste is fed in from the other end. Hot-water is piped through the tank
to maintain the digester temperature. It is suited for organic wastes with 11-13% solids.
4) Fixed film: A tank is filled with a plastic medium that supports a biofilm. It is suited for 1-2%
solids in an organic waste and a short retention time (2-6 days) (Balsam, 2006).
5) Plug-flow type polybag digesters (polydigesters): These are prototype digesters developed by
SARDI for organic waste treatment systems (M. Kumar pers. comm., EBCRC project 6) and
operate on the same principle as a continuous flow digester.

12

Since the 1970s, underground anaerobic digesters at various scales of operation to process rural
organic wastes have been used in China (Picture 1 Henderson, 2001).

Picture 1

Anaerobic digestion

In this system, a cylinder shaped reactor made from concrete and brick with a cement lid are used.
Waste is manually fed into the reactor through a port connected to the base of the reactor The heavy
lid prevents gas leaks (Henderson, 2001) and pressurises the methane produced enabling it be piped to
various areas for domestic or commercial use.

Anaerobic co-digestion
This is a process where various organic wastes are mixed for co-digestion. The advantage of cocomposting and co-digestion is it achieves a better balance of nutrients and can improve the treatment
efficiency (Arvanitoyannis and Ladas, 2008), particularly for pig and poultry waste at land fill sites.
The effect of using various ratios of pig and poultry waste on gas production was studied by
Magbanua et al. (2001). The waste was incubated at 352C for up to 113d. This process produced
high levels of biogas (Magbanua et al., 2001). In another trial best results for methane production
were achieved when 3 wastes were used; cattle and poultry waste and cheese whey (w/w on dry weight
basis). The digesters initially operated at 40C with a 10 day retention time (Desai et al., 1994).
Clearly hatchery waste has the potential to be included as a material for co-digestion.

Wastewater treatment systems

Anaerobic digestion
Digesters can be used for any biodegradable waste. However, for biogas production high organic
levels in the sludge higher are the gas yields from the system. The composition of the waste is a major
factor influencing methane production. More gas is produced if the material has high moisture content,
a large volume and surface area. The optimal C:N ratio for a microbe is 20-30:1 (Parkin and Owen,
1986). The waste contamination level is a key factor affecting anaerobic digestion. If waste has
significant levels of physical contaminants such as plastic, glass or metals then pre-treatment will be
required. The digesters will not function efficiently if these contaminants are not removed. Often the
waste is shredded, minced and mechanically or hydraulically pulped to increase the surface area that is
available to microbes in the digesters and increase the speed of digestion. Reactors/digesters should be
designed according to the waste characteristics to achieve effective digestion results.

13

Reactor with membrane filtration

Membrane filtration improves the stability of the digestion process and reduces hydraulic retention
time for wastewater treatment. It also retains all micro-organisms to improve the efficiency of the
process (Anderson et al., 1986; Nagano et al., 1992).
The membrane bioreactor
This reactor is suited for the treatment of wastewater which contains slowly degradable solids. The
bioreactor uses a ceramic cross-flow membrane (Fuchs et al., 2003).
The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor
UASB is an effective method to treat wastewater from different industries (Dinsdale et al., 1996;
Yamaguchi et al., 1999; Goodwin et al., 2001; Ramasamy et al., 2004). This method is used for
treating waste water in whisky distilleries, coffee processing wastewater, slaughterhouse wastewater
and dairy wastewater. UASB reactor is a compact system for removing and digesting sewage organic
waste. Full scale UASB reactors are operated in India, Colombia and Brazil (Vieira, 1988;
Chernicharo et al., 2001; Wiegant, 2001). These UASB reactors are operated at hydraulic retention
times of 5-19h. The efficiencies of removal of total chemical oxygen demand (CODtot), biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) are 51-74%, 53-80%, and 46-80%
respectively (Vieira, 1988; Schellinkhout, 1993; Seghezzo et al., 1998). The reactors could be
operated at temperatures from 18-32C and organic loading rates (OLR) (0.9-3.55 kg COD/m3/d)
(Halalsheh et al., 2005). Gao et al. (2007) reported that OLR could be 10-25 kgCOD/m3/d. In the
UASB reactor system, the up-flow mode of operation removing suspended solids effectively by
gravity settling and by entrapment mechanism. During the process, the anaerobic micro-organisms
agglomerate to form biogranules. As the liquid passes through this system, the soluble solids will be
biologically oxidated and produce biogas. The biological conversion of the organic matter in the
UASB reactor is processed through three steps (hydrolysis, acidogenesis and methanogenesis steps).
The function of the UASB reactor depends on the physical characteristics and biological processes in
the sludge (Mahmoud et al., 2003).
Sabry (2008) concluded that UASB reactor could treat any type of liquid organic waste sludge. It is
envisaged that the liquid portion of the hatchery waste could be used as a waste stream in these
reactors. The suitability of the UASB process for the pre-treatment of a liquid part of hen manure has
been reported. The OLR is 11-12 g COD/L/day and HRT is 1-2 days with an efficiency of 70-75% on
the basis of total COD reduction (Kalyuzhnyi et al., 1998).
Anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR)
ASBR is used for wastewater treatment and has high efficiency for both COD removal and gas
production and has flexible control. This new technology is used to treat slaughterhouse wastewater,
municipal sludge (Zhang et al., 1996), dairy wastewater (Dugba and Zhang, 1999) and brewery
industry wastewater (Shao et al., 2008).
A sequencing batch reactor enables the same reactor to treat solids with a longer retention time while
the liquid portion has a shorter retention time (Dague et al., 1992; Zhang et al., 1997). The advantage
of ASBR is that it treats more substrate per unit time compared to conventional reactors. The high
nutrient/microorganism ratio initially allows high substrate degradation rates and more biogas
production (Dague et al., 1992, 1998; Zhang et al., 1997). These characteristics make the ASBR
technology particularly suited for the treatment and recovery of biogas from high water content animal
waste that would require extremely large volume digesters (Dague and Pidaparti, 1992; Zhang et al.,
1997; Zhang and Dugba, 2000; Dague et al., 1998).

14

Buoyant Filter Bioreactor (BFBR)

The BFBR reactor has been developed for treating waste water with high lipid content. The reactor
utilises a granular filter bed made of buoyant polystyrene beads. There is no filter clogging in this
system due to an automatic backwash driven by biogas release, which fluidizes the granular filter bed
in a downward direction. During filter backwash, the solids caught in the filter are reintroduced into
the reaction zone and mixed again with the components. This process has no influence on the
hydraulic retention time in the reactor.
The anaerobic film expanded bed (AFEB) process
The AFEB process includes inert, sand-sized particles which expand as a result of the upward
direction of recycle flow. The inert particles provide a large surface (as the particles are small) for the
growth of micro-organisms. The AFEB process is a completely-mixed system and provides excellent
contact between micro-organisms and substrate. The micro-organism can be kept for a long period in
this system (Kelly and Switzenbaum, 1984).
Electro coagulation (EC)
Treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater by EC was studied by Kobya et al., (2006).
Aluminium electrodes could remove 93% of the COD and iron electrodes could remove 98% of oilgrease materials. Combination of both electrode materials in the EC unit may achieve high process
performances in terms of COD and oil-grease removal (Kobya et al., 2006).
Biofilters
Biofilters can be used to convert ammonia nitrogen into nitrate nitrogen, which is a nutrient for algae
(Miller and Semmens, 2002). Drum, disk, bead and sand filters are commonly used to capture and
remove particles as small as 60 microns from the water (Miller and Semmens, 2002).
Leachbed (LB)-up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) to treat dead chickens
In this system, one UASB (35 or 55C) plus 3 LB reactors were used. A closed-loop pair consisting of
a LB and an UASB reactor treated dead chickens in 118 days. This system had better efficiency at
35C than 55C (Chen and Wang, 1998).

Integrated biosystems method

If the wastewater contains high organic materials with high nutrients such as abattoir wastewater, pretreatment is required before discharge to the ponds. Cavitated Air Flotation system can reduce content
of fat, oil and grease and suspended solids through polymeric chemical coagulation and flocculation.
Growing algae in wastewater ponds such as abattoir or hatchery wastewater could be an option if
lagoons are used at hatcheries to dispose wastewater. The wastewater is managed through a series of
ponds to produce algae, zooplankton, ornamental fish and cleaner water that is suitable for irrigation.
(Note that the ornamental fish industry is a mutli-billion dollar industry worldwide with high demand
for various fish species). However, good management and design of ponds are required to optimise
ornamental fish production. Fresh water molluscs are potential species to introduce into the ponds to
filter the waste water and improve algal and zooplankton growth. The zooplankton and micro-algae
are grazed by the fish. Management of sediments in ponds (particularly P levels) is critical if pond
production is to be optimised (M. Kumar, pers. comm. EBCRC Project 6; www.ebcrc.com.au).

15

Design of an anaerobic digestion system

Cost, size, local climate and type of organic waste material should be considered when designing an
anaerobic digestion system. The digesters can be made from concrete, steel, brick, or plastic. They can
be shaped like silos, troughs, basins or ponds, and may be placed underground or on the surface. The
anaerobic digestion system includes a pre-mixing area or tank, a digester vessel, a system for storing
the biogas and a system for distributing the solid residue (Figure 1).

Figure 1

An example of a basic anaerobic digester.

Micro-organisms used in digestion

Bacteria involved in an anaerobic digestion include acetic acid-forming bacteria (acetogens) and
methane-forming bacteria (methanogens). Different species of bacteria survive at different
temperatures. Optimal temperatures for mesophiles or mesophilic bacteria are 35-40C, while
thermophilic bacteria can survive at temperatures between 55-60C. There are more species of
mesophiles than thermophiles. These bacteria are more tolerant to environmental changes than
thermophiles. Mesophilic systems are more stable than thermophilic digestion systems
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion).
Anaerobic digestion kills pathogens such as E. coli and S. Aureus. Likewise P. multocida and S.
enteritidis serovars typhimurium and anatum are killed within 48h at 20-30C, while Salmonella
choleraesuis is eliminated after 72h of digestion (Talkington et al., 1981). Russell et al. (1993)
fermented ground broiler offal with 6% sucrose, commercial silage culture and lactic acid bacteria
(106 cfu/g offal) for 120 h at 37C and found that Salmonella levels decreased from 3.7 to <1.5 log
cfu/g. Deshmukh and Patterson (1997) reported that the product resulting from the digestion of cull
day old chicks and shells did not contain any E. coli or Salmonella after 21d.
High concentrations of active micro-organisms can be used to treat industry waste. There are two ways
to achieve high concentrations of micro-organisms in the process. Using a stirred reactor assists microorganisms to maintain close contact with the waste to improve efficiency of hydrolytic activity. A

16

settler is used in the reactor to recycle the micro-organisms into the reactor. At the methanogenic
reactor phase, immobilization is used to achieve a high density of organisms (Lettinga and Hulshoff
Pol, 1991). During this process, temperature plays an important role (Feitkenhauer and Meyer, 2001).
Bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) can effectively removed soluble organic matter and total ammonia nitrogen
from wastewater (Liu and Han, 2004). Methanosarcina spp. is the main aceticlastic methanogen in
unstable co-digesters with high levels of acetate, while Methanosaeta concilii is the main organism in
stable digestion systems. Syntrophobacter wolinii growth can be improved during stabilization of a codigester with a well-developed population of Methanobacteriaceae, as sufficient levels of these
methanogens increases the syntrophic oxidation of propionate (McMahon et al., 2001).

Factors affecting anaerobic digestion

Temperature, pH and loading rates play important roles on efficient breakdown of the waste materials.
Disturbing a digester can lead to failure. Maintaining the quality of waste to the digesters and
monitoring the process effectively are very important to ensure good performance of the digester.

Temperature
Temperature plays an important role in bacterial digestion. The optimal function temperature for
mesophilic bacteria are 32.2-43.3C and 48.9-60C for thermophilic bacteria. Thermophilic digestion
eliminates more pathogenic bacteria but requires higher energy costs to achieve the higher
temperatures required and may be less stable. Digestion slows down or stops completely when the
temperature is below 15.6C. Maximum conversion occurs at about 35C in conventional mesophilic
digesters. The amount of methane produced decreases with decreasing temperature (Balsam, 2006;
Luostarinen and Rintala, 2007). Maintaining stable temperatures in the reactor is very important.
Fluctuation of temperature inside the digester can cause system failure (Balsam, 2006).

Nutrients
Digestion will proceed well with a C:N ratio between 15:1 and 30:1 (optimum is 20:1). If the system is
over loaded with organic waste, adding low nitrogen content and high carbon materials such as crop
residues or leaves can improve digestion performance (Balsam, 2006). High protein waste will
produce high levels of ammonia nitrogen during anaerobic digestion and result in an unstable digestion
process, reduce biogas production and produce ammonium toxicity (Krylova et al., 1997; Callaghan et
al., 1999; Kayhanian, 1999; Dong and Tollner, 2003). Lipids in the waste could form floating
materials and accumulate long-chain fatty acids in anaerobic digestion (Angelidaki and Ahring, 1993;
Hansen et al., 1998; Salminen and Rintala, 2002).
Trace nutrients are known to influence reactor performance. Whey powder supplemented with
nitrogen and phosphorus was found to be limited by either Ni, Fe or Co, or a combination of those
elements. After the addition of these elements to a reactor, COD removal efficiencies increased and the
level of volatile organic acids decreased (Kelly and Switzenbaum, 1984). The effects of ionic
chromium, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and nickel on the methanogenic UASB have been examined
(Lin and Chen, 1999). The effects noted for metals depend on types of metal, zones of sludge, types of
VFA and HRT. The relative toxicity of the metals to total VFA degradation was
Cu>Cr>Cd=Zn>Ni>Pb for both bed and blanket sludges. However, different levels of toxicity were
found for individual VFAs and sludges. For the degradation of total VFA, the copper toxicity
resistance of blanket sludge was lower than that of the bed sludge (Lin and Chen, 1999).

Loading rate
A uniform loading of waste with 6-10% solids on a daily basis generally works well with retention
time in the digester ranging from 15-30 days (Balsam, 2006).

17

Mixing
The waste in the digester needs to be mixed regularly to prevent settling and to provide contact
between the bacteria and the substrate. The mixing also prevents the formation of scum and facilitates
release of biogas (Balsam, 2006).

Management
Regular monitoring, maintaining the required temperature of the digester is required for the system to
run smoothly. Failure to properly manage the digester can result in poor gas production and take
months to recover (Balsam, 2006).

Safety
Caution should be taken as methane is highly explosive when mixed with air. Heavier digester gas
displaces oxygen near the ground, and if hydrogen sulphide is present, the gas can act as a deadly
poison. It is very important that digester systems have proper venting to avoid these risks (Balsam,
2006).

Storage
The gas can be collected and stored before use. The most common collection method for storing the
biogas is with a floating cover on the liquid surface. Skirt plates on the sides of the pontoon extend
down into the liquid, creating a seal to prevent the gas leak. High pressure storage is an option, but is
more expensive and dangerous and should be used only with the help of a qualified engineer (Balsam,
2006).

Conclusion
This review has identified alternate methods of handling and processing hatchery waste that could lead
to saleable products (see Figure 2).

Hatchery waste can be separated into solid waste and liquid waste by centrifuging,

Alternatively inclined screens and the use of a belt or filter press can separate the components of
the waste.

Flexible multi-layer filters can be used to separate liquid wastes from solid wastes.

Another system for separating liquid and solid waste is to use a conveyor with an upper and lower
conveyor roller. Liquid and solid wastes are separated and placed in collectors which are located
near the upper and lower rollers

Shells can be separated from the hatchery waste as follows.

A powerful suction vacuum is used to only remove the dry, very light shells from the hatchery
waste leaving the heavier infertile eggs

Eggshell waste can be separated by using a vibrating or shaking device and a cyclone forced-air
separator to further separate lighter materials from heavier materials in hatchery waste.

Alternatively live chicks and unhatched chicks or clear eggs from the hatching tray are placed on a
moving belt with fixed gaps that only allow chicks to slide through, while shells and unhatched
eggs are retained on the belt while dead embryos are disposed into a separate container

Products that can be developed from shell include:

18

increase the mineral content of the compost;

spread around plants to deter slugs and snails;

mixed with garden soil for use as a fertiliser;

mixed with seeds for use as a feed for aviary birds;

added to cement to increase its strength;

used by artists to make mosaics;

to make textured paint for 3D effects in artwork; and

produce collagen from the membrane.

Methods which can be used for treating the solid waste include the following

Use of a furnace to heat the waste to produce steam to run a turbine generator and produce
electricity

Rendered, autoclaved, extruded, boiled, ensiled, enzyme treated to produce pet or livestock feed or
composted to produce fertiliser

On site stabilisation of product by using an in-line composter.

The most effective method for treating hatchery waste on site is to establish an anaerobic digester
system. It is by far the most popular process used to treat organic wastes in all other organic waste
industries. It has the advantage of being a high efficiency process and produces biogas which can be
used for heating or generating power. The biosolids remaining after the digester process can be used as
a high quality fertiliser.
Off the shelf digester systems for purchase by hatcheries are not available and need to be designed by
engineers and built specifically to the requirements of each hatchery. Hatcheries disposing wastewater
into lagoons could adopt the integrated biosystem approach to produce water suitable for irrigation and
other potential products such as ornamental fish; a multi-billion industry worldwide. The ideal system
in a hatchery would incorporate separation and handling equipment to separate waste into its various
components for further treatment. This would save disposal costs, produce biogas to reduce power
costs at plants and produce a range of value added products.

19

Separation, Handling and Processing of Hatchery Waste + Value Added Products

Hatchery
Broiler Farms

Furnace to produce steam turbine generator to produce

Pet feed & fertiliser

Live &
Dead
Chickens +
Clear Eggs

Live Chickens

Anaerobic digestion

Vacuum Method

200

Hatchery
Waste +
Wastewater

Manual
Waste
Bin

Cyclone Air Separator

Bio
Bin or in line
composter

Land fill
or
Compost

Vibrator, Shaker

Wastewater
lagoons

Integrated
Biosystem

Furnace
Rendered or autoclaved

Wash down
Water

Sewage

Methane & fertiliser

Methane

Collagen (membrane)

Added to Compost

Algae (biodiesel)

Mosaics

Slug & snail

Plankton (fish

Textured Paint

Ornamental fish

Feed for Aviary birds

Shells

Fertiliser
Cement

Implications
The cost for poultry hatchery industry to disposal their hatchery waste in Australia is high
($127.3/tonne and 10.4 tonnes per week). Disposing hatchery waste to land fill will cause
environmental problems such as releasing methane in the air and possible spread microbial
contamination. Off the shelf digestion systems for purchase by hatcheries are not available and need to
be built and designed by engineers specifically to the requirements of each hatchery. Separating
hatchery waste into different components such as liquid, solid and shell waste to treat them separately
is the most efficient method. Separation methods include centrifuging, inclined screens, the use of a
belt or filter press, flexible multi-layer filters and the use of a conveyor with upper and lower conveyor
rollers to separate liquid and solid. The most effective method for treating organic waste including
hatchery waste on site is to establish an anaerobic digester system. It is by far the most popular
process used to treat organic wastes in all other organic waste industries. It has the advantage of being
a high efficiency process and produces biogas which can be used for heating or generating power. The
biosolids remaining after the digester process can be used a high quality fertiliser. Composting is
another way to treat waste effectively; although it is less efficient than anaerobic digestion.

21

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26

Appendix 1: Hatchery waste survey results

Table 2

Hatchery waste survey results in Australia

Note: The table below shows the questions in the survey (Column 1) and the responses received (Column 2) from hatchery
managers. The results column reports average and range of quantitative data provided or % of categories for qualitative
information reported by hatchery managers.

Question
Hatchery size

Egg set/week

Solid waste
1.1 What tonnage of waste is produced
weekly?
1.2 Describe the major components of the
solid waste? (%)

1.3 Is there any separation of the solid waste

before disposal (e.g. 1. shells removed or 2.
shells removed and fluid removed and solid
waste disposed separately)? (%)

Average
Range

N
13

Average
Range

15

Average

13

10.4

Range
Empty shells, infertile eggs, dead
embryos, late hatchings, dead chickens
Egg shell
Egg shell & egg yolk
Egg shell, dead chickens
Empty shells, infertile eggs, dead
chickens (culls)
Egg shell & dead embryos
Fluid & egg shell
Egg shells, fluff, unhatched embryos,
culls
Yes

15

3-22.5
33.3
13.3
6.7
6.7
6.7
20
6.7
6.7

15

No
2. How is the solid waste handled on site?
2.1 How is the solid waste handled in the
hatchery? (%)

2.2 What is the time and labour involved in

removing the waste from hatchery to the
waste bin?

Results
836,197
129,6001,969,92
0
603,255
181,440134,8000

33.3

66.7

Stored in enclosed & open bin in cool

room
In the bin
Crush the waste into vacuum system
Vacuum hopper
Internal vacuum system
Vacuum extraction to Veolia bins
Chick take off offal, put through a
macerator
Hose, buckets & scoops, vacuum
system
All solid waste goes through a crusher
& is augured into a skip bin
Time involved
Automated
More people involved
Minimal

27

15

6.7
26.7
6.7
6.7
6.7
26.7
6.7
67
6.7

15

53.3
33.3
6.7
6.7

Question
2.3 Is there any disinfection or treatment of
waste before disposal?

2.4 What are the major problems associated

with handling the waste?

Yes
No
Held in cool room
Cost

N
15

Results
6.7

15

86.7
6.7
13.3

Smell, odour & cost

High percentage liquid
Smell & spillage
No major problems
Bin & health hazard
Smell & noise
Smell & sharp edges of egg shell
3. How is solid waste disposed?
3.1 Where is the waste sent? Please specify
the location

3.2 What is the cost of waste disposal

($/tonne)?
3.3 How frequently is waste removed from
site?
3.4 What are the current treatments
(methods) now available for hatchery waste?

3.5 If treated, how are the products used?

3.6 How is wastewater disposed?

3.7 Is there recycling of wastewater?

4. Any techniques used?
4.1 Is there any processing of waste on site
(e.g. temporarily frozen or placed in Biobin)?

Composting

13.3
6.7
20
20
6.7
13.3
6.7
13

15.4

Land fill
Processing
Only know the location
Rendering
Average

10

15.4
15.4
38.5
15.4
$127.3

Range
Average

14

$55-$317
4

Range
Composting & land fill

14

2-7
14.3

Land fill
Processing
Incineration & recycling
Rendering & composting
Through crusher
No idea
N/A
Fertiliser
Composting
N/A
Poultry meal
Chick & pet feed
Disinfection
Not treated
Irrigation
To waste water treatment system
Connected to local sewage/treatment
system
Waste lagoon
Sewer
Land fill
Treated same as solid waste
Treated through waste water system
Yes
No
Cool room

28

14

13

14

15

28.6
7.1
7.1
14.3
7.1
14.3
7.1
14.3
7.1
50
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.1
38.5
7.7
7.7
7.7
15.4
7.7
7.7
7.7
14.3
85.7
6.7

Question

4.2 Do you know any new techniques in

Australia to manage waste on site?

4.3 If yes, what is the cost for treatment of

the waste? (If no, go to question 4.5)

N
Biobin
No
N/A
No
Not on site
Composting
N/A

14

Results
6.7
80
6.7
85.7

7.1
7.1
75

No treatment
4.4 If yes, how is the treated waste used?
4.5 What investment would the company be
prepared to make on processing waste?

5. Wastewater
5.1 What volume of water is used to clean
the hatchery weekly? (KL/week)
5.2 How is the wastewater treated?

5.3 Is treated wastewater recycled?

5.4 How is wastewater disposed?

6 Environmental issues
6.1 Are there any issues (odour,
contamination etc) of having waste on site?

6.2 How often is waste removed from

hatchery?
6.3 Any complaints from staff or
neighbours?
6.4 Does land fill cause a problem for nearby
farms?

6.5 Does the site have or need an

Environmental Management Practice that

25

Unknown, unsure, no comments, not

his position to say
Reduce cost
Better separating system
Recycle for better environment
Reduce cost & not land fill

12

Average

Range
Aerated ponds
Captured plus irrigated
Enviroflow plus recycling water set up
Not
Solids entrapment only
Heavy materials are separated before
irrigating paddocks
Ponded then pumped
Yes
No
N/A
Irrigation
Through enviroflow unit
Sewage
Septic system
Evaporation area
Pumped out in paddock
No

66.7
8.3
8.3
16.7

10

10

10

238.4
50-324
10
10
10
40
10
10
10
10
80
10
30
10
30
10
10
10

11

36.4

No, some odour

Odour
Odour, contamination & vermin
Average

10

18.2
27.3
18.2
4

Range
Yes

11

2-7
9.1

No
No land fill

10

90.9
10

14

50
40
57.1

No
N/A
Yes

29

Question
incorporates waste disposal?

N
No
Governed by local council

7. Attitudes to waste management (please

comment)
7.1 (a) Hatchery waste is smelly and is not
easy to manage at the hatchery (tick one of
the boxes)
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

7.1 (b) No training of staff is required to

manage the waste on site (tick one of the
boxes)
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
7.1 (c) Developing alternative methods to
manage the hatchery waste on site is not
worth the effort (tick one of the boxes)
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

7.2 Would you be interested in investing in a

system that treats the waste on site and
stabilises the waste?

7.3 Do you have any further opinions on how

hatchery waste can be managed or treated?

Strongly agree

Results
35.7
7.1

14

35.7

Agree
Disagree
Disagree

14

14.3
50
64.3

Strongly disagree
Agree

13

35.7
23.1

15

61.5
15.4
33.3

12

20
13.3
13.3
6.7
13.3
33.3

Disagree
Strongly disagree
Yes
No
For consideration & possibly
Only if practical & affordable
No more labour hours
Not my decision
Yes
No

66.7

Comments (do you have any further opinions on how hatchery waste can be managed
or treated?)
Comments: Waste treated (such as composting) so that it becomes a commodity; develop method to
separate liquid from shell to produce value added products for different purpose; recycle water or
have a silo to store waste until it is trucked away.

30

High Value Products

from Hatchery Waste
RIRDC Publication No. 09/061

This report comprises two parts: a hatchery survey to establish

how Australian chicken meat hatcheries handle and dispose
hatchery waste, and a literature review on current methods
and potential methods of handling and processing hatchery
waste. The majority of hatchery waste is sent to land fill or for
composting. Hatchery wastewater is mostly used for irrigation
or disposed directly into the sewer.

the waste. There is also potential to use an anaerobic digester

system to produce methane and to use the resulting biosolids
as designer fertilisers.

The review identified that waste can be separated into solid

waste and liquid waste by centrifuging or by using screens.
Potential methods for treating hatchery waste on site include
use of a furnace to heat the waste to produce steam to run a
turbine generator or to use an in line composter to stabilise

Our business is about developing a more profitable, dynamic

and sustainable rural sector. Most of the information we
produce can be downloaded for free or purchased from our
website: www.rirdc.gov.au, or by phoning 1300 634 313 (local
call charge applies).

Most RIRDC books can be freely downloaded

or purchased from www.rirdc.gov.au or by
phoning 1300 634 313 (local call charge
applies).

www.rirdc.gov.au

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

(RIRDC) manages and funds priority research and translates
results into practical outcomes for industry.

Contact RIRDC:
Level 2
15 National Circuit
Barton ACT 2600
PO Box 4776
Kingston ACT 2604
Ph: 02 6271 4100
Fax: 02 6271 4199
Email: [email protected]
web: www.rirdc.gov.au