Steam reforming of animal biomass

The intensive production of poultry and livestock (billions of chickens and millions of cattle and pigs annually in the United States) has increased the generation of manure and aggravated the waste disposal problem. Animal waste management has become such a hot topic that two workshops have recently been held [1,2] to find solutions. The presentations included such technologies as combustion, gasification, cofiring and anaerobic digestion. Some key points from the two workshops are summarized below: • Use the term "Animal Biomass " instead of "animal waste " to focus on the problem. • More than 200 million tons of dry animal biomass (corresponds to about 1.4 billion tons of wet weight) is generated annually in the U.S. This corresponds to about 1.5 quads of energy and represents an important renewable energy source. In population equivalent basis, animal biomass is 25 times that of human waste. • The challenge in utilizing animal biomass is to maximize profit while minimizing environmental impact- odor, water pollution, greenhouse gases, antibiotic, harmone, and pathogen release. • There is a need to develop methods of concentrating key nutrients to permit economical transport. • Systems to capture both the nutrient and energy components of animal biomass represent an opportunity to add value to the livestock and poultry operations. Systems must be readily usable o