Mobile system can inactivate avian influenza virus
By U.S. Poultry and Egg Association
Features Equipment New Technology Poultry Equipment Production Diseases Livestock Research Manure Application/Handling Manure Management Poultry Research Production Research Sustainability United States
Researchers at the University of Iowa have developed a mobile system that can inactivate avian influenza virus.
A significant issue for the poultry industry is the disposal of bird carcasses and manure when they are contaminated with avian influenza virus.
According to the “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Response Plan” developed by the USDA, there is a clear need for better disposal technology.
One intriguing way forward is to heat the carcasses and manure in a mobile trailer to quickly react to outbreaks before they can spread. The trailer would hold multiple gasifiers, which would be used to heat up the trailer. From there, a conveyor system would take the carcasses and manure through the trailer until the virus is destroyed. The gasifiers use a solid fuel like seed corn or wood chips to provide the energy at very low cost and produce an in-situ charcoal bed that breaks down organic pollutants.
The University of Iowa has more than four years of experience in operating an industrial scale gasifier based on these principles and uses it in conjunction with lab testing and computer modeling to understand and predict general gasification behavior. The focus of this research project was to study the issues involved in trailer gasification and avian influenza virus elimination.
Project #BRU008: Analysis of Poultry Gasification Parameters for Elimination of Avian Flu Exposed Birds and Manure, was conducted by Dr. Albert Ratner, University of Iowa.
The project was recently completed by Ratner and colleagues in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University. They developed the design for a mobile system to heat poultry carcasses and manure to inactivate avian influenza virus. This system could be utilized during an avian influenza outbreak to quickly help eliminate the virus from infected farms and better contain the spread of an outbreak.
For more information, visit: http://www.uspoultry.org/
To veiw the full research report, CLICK HERE
Print this page
