Carcass Treatment Methods Compared

Carcass Treatment System Principles:

Achieve Destruction & Sterilization:
Utilize temperature, pressure, and agitation to break down material, while ensuring that sterilization is achieved throughout the entirety of the material.

Operate Efficiently in a Closed System:
Contain all material within the contents of the processing vessel – no circulation outside. Efficiently utilize resources, including natural gas, water, and electricity.

Limit Material Handling Post-Treatment:
Once the material is processed and treated, the material handling should be minimal or non-existent, and should not require additional processing or treatment elsewhere.

Ease of Validation:
Validation of the system should be able to be done through proven methods, such as the placement of bio-indicators within the material prior to treatment.

Definitions and Comparison: Our Scorecard

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	Composting: making a heap of wet organic matter and waiting for the materials to break down over time.  The process is aided by shredding and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi break up the material. Composting is not a viable option for pathogenic waste.		no sterilization can’t treat prions liability large footprint
	Renderers: an apparatus which is used to process animal tissue into more useful materials, typically for purified fats like lard or grease.  The rendering process simultaneously dries the material and separates the fat from the bone and protein.  Byproducts are then collected and incinerated.	low operating cost	low-level sterilization can’t treat prions equip. purchase high odor large footprint
	Incineration: a gas-powered furnace, typically used and designed for industrial waste, which burns at very high temperature, reducing its contents to ash.  Ash is then collected and disposed of as municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint	high equip. cost difficult regulations public protest costly utility use no agitation carbon emissions
	Alkaline Hydrolysis (Gen 2): tissue is placed in a vessel that is then filled with a mixture of water and lye, and heated to a temperature around 150 °C (302 °F), at a high pressure. The tissue is broken down, and bones are collected while the liquid is disposed of as sanitary municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint low equip. cost	equip. purchase bone collection chemical costs
	Thermal & Physical Degradation (Gen 3): a revolutionary advancement in tissue disposal and sterilization, using agitation and heat to break down tissue (with or without alkali), minimizing water and caustic use in the process.  Tissue and bones are broken down and disposed of as liquid through a sanitary sewer or collected as dry discharge for municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint low operating cost flexible discharge agitation easy validation no bone collection	equip. purchase

Definitions and Comparison: The Scorecard

Download Summary PDF

Composting: making a heap of wet organic matter and waiting for the materials to break down over time.  The process is aided by shredding and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi break up the material. Composting is not a viable option for pathogenic waste.		no sterilization can’t treat prions liability large footprint
Renderers: an apparatus which is used to process animal tissue into more useful materials, typically for purified fats like lard or grease.  The rendering process simultaneously dries the material and separates the fat from the bone and protein.  Byproducts are then collected and incinerated.	low operating cost	low-level sterilization can’t treat prions equip. purchase high odor large footprint
Incineration: a gas-powered furnace, typically used and designed for industrial waste, which burns at very high temperature, reducing its contents to ash.  Ash is then collected and disposed of as municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint	high equip. cost difficult regulations public protest costly utility use no agitation carbon emissions
Alkaline Hydrolysis (Gen 2): tissue is placed in a vessel that is then filled with a mixture of water and lye, and heated to a temperature around 150 °C (302 °F), at a high pressure. The tissue is broken down, and bones are collected while the liquid is disposed of as sanitary municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint low equip. cost	equip. purchase bone collection chemical costs
Thermal & Physical Degradation (Gen 3 TTD): a revolutionary advancement in tissue disposal and sterilization, using agitation and heat to break down tissue (with or without alkali), minimizing water and caustic use in the process.  Tissue and bones are broken down and disposed of as liquid through a sanitary sewer or collected as dry discharge for municipal waste.	can treat prions sterilizes material small footprint low operating cost flexible discharge agitation easy validation no bone collection	equip. purchase