Carcass Composting for Management of Farm Mortalities: A Review

Abstract

For the last two decades, carcass disposal by burial is being replaced with alternatives such as composting. Improper animal mortality disposal may generate various environmental and health hazards such as odor nuisance (resulting from the anaerobic breakdown of proteins) that can reduce the quality of life and decrease property values. Pathogens, which may still be present in the decomposed material, are capable of spreading diseases in soil, plants, animals and humans. The potential leaching of harmful nitrogen and sulfur compounds from animal mortalities to ground water is another concern. To control these side effects, compost facility operators need to know and understand the science and guidelines of carcass composting. While basic principles of carcass composting are similar to those for composting of organic materials, its management issues, including appropriate composting methods for large or small scale carcass composting, quantities and types of carbon sources, composting time, odor and leachate control, and equipment requirements differ from composting of organics. The purpose of this study is to review the previous works related to carcass composting and provide information on recent advances in small and large-scale carcass composting enabling higher decomposition rates, minimum usage of carbon source materials, easier and shorter management control strategies and reduced land requirement while producing a useful end product and avoiding negative impact on public safety and environmental parameters.