Wastewater Management at an Animal Protein Rendering Facility

J.B. Hess, W.A. Dozier, J. Spann and B. ThomasPoultry Science Department, Auburn

University and American Proteins, Hanceville, AL

Rendering Industry

• Recycling• Inedible Human Food – Useful Products• Removed from Poultry Meat Production

Waste Stream• Protein Meals for Pet Food and Agriculture• Oil (Fat) Recovery for Biodiesel and Animal

Feed Usage

Rendering Industry

• Input Intensive• Transportation of Raw Product• Cooking

– Energy Usage– Water Usage and Recovery

• Waste Management– Air– Water

American Proteins

• Hanceville Alabama• Rendering

– Regional Poultry Plants – Offal– Frozen Farm Mortalities

• Poultry Products– Pet Food Animal Proteins– Feed Grade Animal Proteins– Oils

American Proteins

Largest Poultry Rendering Plant in the US• Offal from 20 Poultry Processing Plants• 2 Billions Pounds per Year• 1000 Truck Loads of Offal per Day• Odor Control and Waste Management

Compliance are First Order Issues

American Proteins Odor Control

• Scrubbers• Anaerobic Lagoon Cover• Biofilter Bed

– Cooker Gas Exhaust– After Scrubbers

American Proteins Wastewater Facility

• Pretreatment• Anaerobic Lagoon• Two Aerobic Lagoons• Four-Stage Activated Sludge System• Tertiary Filtration• Ultraviolet Disinfection

American Proteins Wastewater Treatment System

Pretreatment235,000 gpd

Condensate600,000 gpd

Anaerobic Lagoon

AeratedLagoon

AeratedLagoon

Anoxic Reactor #1Activated Sludge

Oxic Reactor #2Activated Sludge

Clarifier DiskFilter

UV Disinfection

Waste Sludge Lagoon

Mulberry Fork Warrior River

CoolingLagoon

ReuseLagoon

Feed Grade & Pet Food

6,000,000 gpd30,000,000 gpd

Make up WaterUp to 800,000 gpd

Averages450,000 gpd

Reclamation of Fats & Solids

Bio Gas

Pretreatment Process - Mechanical

• Surge Wet Well• Fine-Mesh Drum Screen• First DAF Treatment• Second DAF Treatment

– Polyamine– Cationic– Anionic

• Pumped into the Anaerobic Lagoon

DAF Units

• After Hycor Fine Mesh Drum• DAF #1

– Floating Solids– Mainly Fats – Back to Rendering

• Flow Equilizational Basin• DAF #2

– Flocculation Tube - Polymers• To Anaerobic Lagoon

Anaerobic Lagoon

• Solids and flocculated Fats Returned to Protein and Fat Recovery

• Lagoon - Covered• Biogas Harvest

– Used to Heat Boilers

Biogas

• Harvested from Anaerobic Lagoon• 2 Million Cubic Feet per Week• 70% Methane (carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen

Sulfide)• Biogas mixed with natural gas at a 10% rate to

fuel boilers• Could use more

Aerobic Lagoons

Activated Sludge Process

• Four Reactors• Two Anoxic – Denitrification• Two Aerobic – BOD Reduction, Nitritfication• Clarifier

– Removes Final Solids• Tertiary Filtration Disk

Bioreactors 3 (anoxic) and 4 (oxic)

Clarifier/Tertiary Filtration/ Ultraviolet Disinfection

Water Use/Recovery/Reuse

• Potable Water Intake – 90,000 Gal/Day• 50,000 Gal. is for Boiler Makeup• Inflow of 900,000 Gal/Day

– 2/3 Condensate from Cooking Process– 300,000 Gal/Day Rendering Process

Water Use/Recovery/Reuse

• Production Reuse Rate of 6 Million Gal/Day• Cooling Water System Recycles 30 Million

Gallons/Day – Condensing Vapors from Cooking

• Discharge Rate of 400,000 Gal/Day• Discharge – Mulberry Fork of Warrior River

Water Reuse

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

• Monitoring System• Inline• Ammonia• Nitrates• MLSS• pH• ORP

Nutrient Reductions Through System

• Biological Oxygen Demand – 99.96%• Chemical Oxygen Demand – 99.65%• Total Suspended Solids – 99.81%• Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen – 99.52%• Ammonia – 99.95%

– From 2,500 mg/L to <0.5 mg/L• Oil and Grease – 99.90%

Some Comparisons

• Organic Loading – City of 900,000 People• Hydraulic Loading – City of 10,000 People• Cullman County – 80,000 People

Value of Reclamation

• Reclaimed Materials• Proteins and Fats• 400,000 Pounds/Week• $500,000 per Year• Waste Disposal Cost Avoidance

– $350,000 Per Year

Awards

• 2001 Excellence in Industrial Wastewater Treatment (Physical/Biological Treatment) - Alabama’s Water Environment Association

• 2003 Clean Water Award Honorable Mention, Full Treatment Category – U.S. Poultry and Egg Association

• 2004 Clean Water Award, Full Treatment Category– U.S. Poultry and Egg Association

• 2007 Honorable Mention for Facility of the Year Award– Environment Protection

• 2008 Excellence in Industrial Wastewater Treatment (Biological Advanced Treatment) - Alabama’s Water Environment Association

• 2010 Clean Water Award, Full Treatment Category– U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, March 2010

Conclusions

• American Proteins Rendering Plant Starts with Large Loads in Waste Water Handling

• Proven Systems in Mechanical and Biological Control Handle that Load

• Waste Solids are Recycled• Odor Control Systems are Important as Well• Consistent Quality has led to Industry Awards

Wastewater Management at an Animal Protein Rendering Facility

J.B. Hess, W.A. Dozier, J. Spann and B. ThomasPoultry Science Department, Auburn

University and American Proteins, Hanceville, AL