Production of organic fertilizer from poultry feather wastes excluding the composting process

Abstract

Production of organic fertilizer from poultry feather wastes excluding the composting process Chicken feathers generated in large quantities by the poultry industry are hazardous for the natural environment because of their poor digestibility and their potential as a source of microbiological pathogens. Currently, the main method of feather waste management is the production of feather meal by steam pressure cooking. This technology requires a high energy input. The high costs of hydrothermal degradation of these wastes are conducive to finding other alternative possibilities of poultry wastes management. This paper describes the feather-utilization method with calcium oxide treatment in a rotational reactor, which leads to the production of organic-mineral fertilizers. The effectiveness of this method has been tested in chemical and microbiological analyses. The results of the study confirm the possibility of the environmental usage of utilization-products.