美國每年在養禽業產生超過560萬噸的廢棄物，這些廢棄物由鋪底的物料、禽糞、羽毛、及散落的飼料所組成。
維吉尼亞理工大學農業與生命科學院的一個研究團隊，最近發展出可搬運的高溫分解單元組，這個單元組能將禽業廢棄物轉換成生質油，而這些生質油可以作為燃料直接在養禽場內進行燃燒，在減少對環境衝擊並顧及生物安全問題上，提供了一個很經濟的廢棄物處理系統。
擔任團隊首席的生物系統工程學副教授艾布利佛（Foster Agblevor）表示，現在的廢棄物處理系統例如施用於土地上及餵飼給牛群的方式，都會因為滲漏及雨水沖刷對水源產生污染，並因可能使食物鏈受狂牛症污染，而遭遇很大壓力。
還有一些考量是怕這些廢棄物會引來例如禽流感的疾病。禽流感病毒可能會透過人們的鞋子、交通工具、及廢棄物的運送而被四處散播。
艾布利佛指出：「這個自給自足的可移動式熱分解單元組可以讓養禽業者能夠在場內直接處理廢棄物，而不須將這些廢棄物搬運至另外一個地方。除此之外，這個熱化學處理流程可銷毀許多微生物，減少將疾病散佈到其他地方的可能性。」
Each year in the United States the poultry industry produces more than 5.6 million tons of litter - a mixture of bedding, manure, feathers, and spilled feed.
Now, a team of researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech is developing transportable pyrolysis units that will convert poultry litter into bio-oil that can be burned as fuel right at the poultry farm, providing an economical disposal system while reducing environmental effects and biosecurity issues.
Team leader Foster Agblevor, an associate professor of biological systems engineering, says current disposal methods such as land application and feeding to cattle are under pressure because of pollution of water resources due to leaching and runoff and concern about mad cow disease contamination in the food chain.
There are also concerns that poultry litter can harbor diseases such as avian influenza. While bird flu virus can be spread on people's shoes, vehicles, and through movement of litter.
"The self-contained transportable pyrolysis unit will allow poultry producers to process the litter on site rather than having to haul the litter to a separate location," Agblevor said. "In addition, the thermochemical process destroys the microorganisms reducing the likelihood of the transmission of disease to other locations."
全文及圖片詳見 ENS
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
