Waste Feathers Processing to Liquid Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture—LCA, Economic Evaluation, and Case Study

Abstract

The poultry meat industry generates about 60 million tons of waste annually. However, such waste can serve as a cheap material source for sustainable liquid fertilizers or biostimulant production. Moreover, its practical potential associated with the circular economy is evident. One of the options for waste feather reprocessing is to use a hydrolysis process, whose operating parameters vary depending on the waste material used. The better the quality of the waste feathers, the less energy is needed; moreover, a higher yield of amino acids and peptides can be achieved. These are the main operational parameters that influence the overall environmental and economic performance of the hydrolysis process. The assessment of process operational environmental aspects confirmed that the environmental impacts of hydrolysate production are highly dependent on the amount of electricity required and its sources. This fact influences the midpoint and the endpoint impacts on the observed environmental impact categories. It also minimizes the pressure associated with fossil resource scarcity and the related impact on climate change. During an economic evaluation of the process, it was found that the option of processing more fine waste, such as CGF, provided a 5% saving in energy costs related to the reduction in the cost per liter of hydrolysate of 4.5%. Finally, a case study experiment confirmed the fertilizing effect of the hydrolysate on pepper plants (biometric parameters, yield). Thus, the hydrolysate produced from the waste feathers can serve as a substitute for nitrate fertilizing, which is commonly drawn from raw fossil materials.