Methane and carbon dioxide production from simulated anaerobic degradation of cattle carcasses

Journal Article · Tue May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.11.015· OSTI ID:21612971

Qi, Yuan; Saunders, Samuel E ^[1]

---

1. Department of Civil Engineering, Peter Kiewit Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, NE (United States)

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This study evaluates methane and carbon dioxide production after land burial of cattle carcasses. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Disposal of animal mortalities is often overlooked in evaluating the environmental impacts of animal production. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer we quantify annual emissions from cattle carcass disposal in the United States as 1.6 Tg CO{sub 2} equivalents. - Abstract: Approximately 2.2 million cattle carcasses require disposal annually in the United States. Land burial is a convenient disposal method that has been widely used in animal production for disposal of both daily mortalities as well as during catastrophic mortality events. To date, greenhouse gas production after mortality burial has not been quantified, and this study represents the first attempt to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from land burial of animal carcasses. In this study, anaerobic decomposition of both homogenized and unhomogenized cattle carcass material was investigated using bench-scale reactors. Maximum yields of methane and carbon dioxide were 0.33 and 0.09 m{sup 3}/kg dry material, respectively, a higher methane yield than that previously reported for municipal solid waste. Variability in methane production rates were observed over time and between reactors. Based on our laboratory data, annual methane emissions from burial of cattle mortalities in the United States could total 1.6 Tg CO{sub 2} equivalents. Although this represents less than 1% of total emissions produced by the agricultural sector in 2009, greenhouse gas emissions from animal carcass burial may be significant if disposal of swine and poultry carcasses is also considered.

• OSTI ID: 21612971
• Journal Information: Waste Management, Vol. 32, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2011.11.015; PII: S0956-053X(11)00540-X; Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CATTLE
EMISSION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOWL
GREENHOUSE GASES
METHANE
MORTALITY
SIMULATION
SOLID WASTES
SWINE
USA
ALKANES
ANIMALS
BIRDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
HYDROCARBONS
MAMMALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RUMINANTS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES