Wastewater Management at an
Animal Protein Rendering Facility
J.B. Hess, W.A. Dozier, J. Spann and B. Thomas
Poultry 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
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Pretreatment
Anaerobic Lagoon
Two Aerobic Lagoons
Four-Stage Activated Sludge System
Tertiary Filtration
Ultraviolet Disinfection
American Proteins Wastewater Treatment System
Condensate
600,000 gpd
Pretreatment
235,000 gpd
Feed Grade
&
Pet Food
Reclamation of Fats & Solids
Bio Gas
30,000,000 gpd
6,000,000 gpd
Anaerobic
Lagoon
Oxic
Reactor #2
Activated
Sludge
Aerated
Lagoon
Aerated
Lagoon
Waste
Sludge
Lagoon
Anoxic
Reuse
Lagoon
Reactor #1
Cooling
Lagoon
Activated
Sludge
Make up Water
Up to 800,000 gpd
Averages
450,000 gpd
Clarifier
Disk
Filter
UV
Disinfection
Mulberry Fork
Warrior River
Pretreatment Process - Mechanical
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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
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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
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Monitoring System
Inline
Ammonia
Nitrates
MLSS
pH
ORP
Nutrient Reductions Through System
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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
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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. Thomas
Poultry Science Department, Auburn University
and American Proteins, Hanceville, AL