Wet Feed Research Articles

Substrates across horticultural and livestock industries that support the development of stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae)

AbstractThis study examined a multitude of potential substrates across horticultural and livestock industries that supported the development of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Linneaus) (1081 samples from over 100 properties (2010–2016)). Stable fly developed in high numbers from vegetable crop residues left after harvest, notably celery and leeks as well as several brassica crops, lettuce and silverbeet. Unmarketable vegetables (reject produce) and processing waste provided another source of stable fly development, in particular from carrot production (green tops and processing washings) as well as beetroot and daikon leaves, reject zucchinis, rockmelons, eggplants, turnips and squashes. Reject produce from mostly solanaceous plants either did not support any or rarely supported the development of adult stable fly. Reject vegetable produce fed to livestock presented a source for stable fly to develop in the vegetable/manure mix, especially from carrots and corn cobs. Large accumulations of cattle dung in feedlot situations, hay feeding out sites, wet grain feed and exposed silage produced the highest numbers of stable fly from livestock industries. Cattle dung from rangeland pastures, pig manure and horse manure rarely if ever supported the development of stable fly. Only cattle dung that had aged or pig manure that had been mixed with straw and left to age allowed for any stable fly development. Miscellaneous sources of stable fly development include rotting lawn clippings, rotting weeds, ageing olive pressing residue, and to a lesser extent, rotting wild melons and seaweed.

Integrated process development for an optimum gas processing plant

The aim of this work is to develop and optimize an integrated process for natural gas plant in Egypt instead of flaring these gases and losing their revenues. The natural gas is sour wet feed gas containing mercury and some of volatile organic compounds with a capacity of around 21 million cubic feet per day. These impurities require sophisticated gas treatment processes that can handle and control the pollutants to acceptable limits.The design of new gas plant will be performed through firstly, the design methodology and cascade configuration of gas plant units based on feed gas composition. Secondly, integrated development and optimization of gas treatment process model is achieved using Aspen HYSYS simulation program. Thirdly, modeling of natural gas liquids extraction unit and fractionation train is conducted based on the required marketable products specifications. Finally, Aspen process economic analyzer program is used to calculate the expected capital expenditures of the plant. Optimizing the plant configuration accounts for best selection of treatment units and processing equipment, including mercury removal unit, sulfur recovery unit, BTEX recovery unit, etc. The preliminary capital expenditures of the gas conditioning and processing plant will be around 48 MUSD.

Clariant highlights sustainability- and efficiency-focused gas processing adsorbents at GPA GCC 2017

The aim of this work is to develop and optimize an integrated process for natural gas plant in Egypt instead of flaring these gases and losing their revenues. The natural gas is sour wet feed gas containing mercury and some of volatile organic compounds with a capacity of around 21 million cubic feet per day. These impurities require sophisticated gas treatment processes that can handle and control the pollutants to acceptable limits.The design of new gas plant will be performed through firstly, the design methodology and cascade configuration of gas plant units based on feed gas composition. Secondly, integrated development and optimization of gas treatment process model is achieved using Aspen HYSYS simulation program. Thirdly, modeling of natural gas liquids extraction unit and fractionation train is conducted based on the required marketable products specifications. Finally, Aspen process economic analyzer program is used to calculate the expected capital expenditures of the plant. Optimizing the plant configuration accounts for best selection of treatment units and processing equipment, including mercury removal unit, sulfur recovery unit, BTEX recovery unit, etc. The preliminary capital expenditures of the gas conditioning and processing plant will be around 48 MUSD.

BLOOD PROFILE, DIGESTIVE ORGAN AND FECAL AMMONIA OF LAYING DUCKS FED BY FERMENTED FEED

This study was conducted to determine how the fermented feed effect against blood profile, digestive organ and fecal ammonia of laying ducks. Feed materials were prepared according to laying ducks need as 21% crude protein, then mixed rations already given water until 45% the water content, then anaerobic fermented for 7 days. This study used a completely randomized design with 4 treatments of feed, such as: dry feed, wet feed, wet fermentation feed, and commercial dry feed. Each treatment was repeated 5 times, and each replication was consisted of four laying ducks. Laying duck were 80 heads Indramayu duck at 5 month of old. Blood observations were taken 3 times at 5 months, 6.5 months and 8 months old. Parameters measured were red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV) = volume percentage of erythrocytes in the blood, hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), heterophile cell (H), lymphocytes (L), monosit (M) and the ratio of HL. Blood was taken from vena pectoralis vein under duck wings. Observation of digestive organs and fecal ammonia content was at 8 months old of duck. The results showed in pre treatment of the 5 months ducks significantly influenced the PCV and the WBC, but at 6.5 months and 8 months of treatment did not significantly affect blood profile of laying ducks. Digestive organs of liver in fermentation treatment showed significantly lower than in controls. The content of fecal ammonia were not significantly different.

Hydration and dehydration cycles in polymer electrolyte fuel cells operated with wet anode and dry cathode feed: A neutron imaging and modeling study

Abstract Proper water management plays an essential role in the performance and durability of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs), but it is challenged by the variety of water transport phenomena that take place in these devices. Previous experimental work has shown the existence of fluctuations between low and high current density levels in PEFCs operated with wet hydrogen and dry air feed. The alternation between both performance states is accompanied by strong changes in the high frequency resistance, suggesting a cyclic hydration and dehydration of the membrane. This peculiar scenario is examined here considering liquid water distributions from neutron imaging and predictions from a 3D two-phase non-isothermal model. The results show that the hydration-dehydration cycles are triggered by the periodic condensation and shedding of liquid water at the anode inlet. The input of liquid water humidifies the anode channel and offsets the membrane dry-out induced by the dry air stream, thus leading to the high-performance state. When liquid water is flushed out of the anode channel, the dehydration process takes over, and the cell comes back to the low-performance state. The predicted amplitude of the current oscillations grows with decreasing hydrogen and increasing air flow rates, in agreement with previous experimental data.

Adsorption and separation of CO2 from N2-rich gas on zeolites: Na-X faujasite vs Na-mordenite

The CO2 adsorption capacity of Na-MOR and Na-X have been analyzed. The effects of CO2 concentration, activation temperature, water vapor in the feed, and the desorption/regeneration temperature have been considered. CO2 adsorption experiments on Na-X and Na-MOR zeolites were made in static conditions with pure CO2 and in dynamic conditions with N2/CO2 mixtures. CO2 desorption experiments were also made in pure N2 flow. IR experiments of CO2 adsorption on dry and wet surfaces were performed. Over both zeolites, when dry, CO2 is adsorbed reversibly at r.t. in a linear way, as molecular CO2 interacting with Na+ ions in a 1:1 or 2:1 CO2:Na+ ratio. Over both zeolites, non-linear species also form, i.e. either carbonate-like species or bent CO2 molecules, or even both. These species are held more strongly and are only desorbed by flowing nitrogen at 373K. The faujasite zeolite Na-X displays a higher adsorption capacity at high CO2 partial pressures with respect to Na-MOR, essentially due to the greater amount of active Na+ ions associated to the lower Si/Al ratio in Na-X. CO2 adsorption on Na-MOR is strongly diminished when the feed contains 3% water, while on Na-X CO2 adsorption is slightly enhanced at high PCO2 (60–80%) in wet feed. The IR spectra show that in Na-X CO2 is absorbed as free hydrogencarbonate ion in water clusters adsorbed into the faujasite cavities. This is not found for Na-MOR.

Comparative survival and growth performance of European lobster larvae,Homarus gammarus, reared on dry feed and conspecifics

A bottleneck of crustacean larval culture concerns nutrition and associated cannibalism in communal rearing systems, which impact on larval survival, development and growth. For early-stage European lobster, Homarus gammarus larvae, feeding ecology and body composition are largely unknown. We initiated four progressive feeding experiments (novel feed types, feeding regime and feed size and cannibalism effects) on growth and survival, to inform and update husbandry protocols. Performance of larvae offered a dry commercial feed was not significantly different compared with a conventional wet plankton feed of the same ration and size grade (both within 600–1,000 μm). Further experiments found that the same ration of dry feed offered six times daily improved development and growth, over the conventional regime of three times daily. Small-grade dry feed (particles: 250–360 μm) improved larval performance compared with a larger feed (360–650 μm). Larvae were also fed different proportions of dry feed and/or conspecifics in both communal and individual rearing systems (the latter preventing cannibalism via segregation). Individually reared larvae, fed only dead conspecifics, displayed the greatest survival (80%) to postlarvae. This underlines the impact of cannibalism on survival and nutrition in H. gammarus larviculture. A final experiment analysed H. gammarus zoea 1 composition, identifying deficiencies in ash and carbohydrate in lobster feeds. This suggests a need for a species-specific, formulated dry feed for H. gammarus larviculture. Our research represents the first investigation of H. gammarus larval composition and dietary requirements and highlights decreased growth potential associated with providing nutrition solely from generic commercial feed.

Determination of Co and Cr in wet animal feeds using direct solid sample analysis by HR-CS GF AAS

The present study proposes the determination of Cr and Co in wet animal feeds for employing direct solid sample analysis (SS) and high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS). For determination of Cr and Co, the analytical lines 357.8687nm and 240.7254nm were used, respectively. The pyrolysis temperatures were 1500 and 1400°C and atomization temperatures were 2500 and 2400°C for Cr and Co, respectively. The limits of quantification (LoQ) obtained for Cr was 0.03μgg−1 and 0.17μgg−1 for Co. The characteristic masses (m0) also obtained were 2.2pg for Cr and 2.9pg for Co. The accuracy of the proposed methods was performed by analysis of standard reference materials (SRM) of tomato leaves (NIST 1573), bovine muscle powder (NIST 8414) and apple leaves (NIST 1515) for Cr and bovine liver (NIST 1577b) for Co. The trueness obtained were between 102±9 and 116±7% for Cr and 94±8% for Co for analyzed of the SRM. Precision, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was better than 8.7% for Cr and 8.3% for Co (n=5). Thirteen wet animal feed samples for dogs and cats were analyzed. The concentrations values found for Cr in the samples ranged from 0.17±0.01 to 0.59±0.06μgg−1 with an average of 0.36±0.13μgg−1 (n=13). On the other hand, the obtained concentrations for Co ranged between <0.18 and 12.57±1.11μgg−1, with an average of 5.92±3.19μg. The optimized analytical methods were simple, fast, efficient, precise and accurate for determination of Cr and Co in wet animal feeds for cats and dogs by HR-CS SS-GF AAS. Additional advantage of the method was no dissolution of the samples, no use of harmful reagents and consequently no generation of residues, besides the use of an effective analytical technique that allows optimization of fast and reliable screening procedures.

Performance and Analysis of Floating dome Anaerobic Digester with Wet and Dry Feedstock

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of anaerobic digestion to generate biogas yield and it’s performed using wet and dry feed stock. The laboratory experiment is conducted in a floating dome type anaerobic digester with 1m3 capacity. It is made up of fibre material at continues process. The starter cowdung used as an inoculum of the anaerobic digester. Then raw materials feeded as a wet type wheat straw and dry type wheat straw is the ratio of 1:1 waste/water in both the experiments wet and dry wheat straw. In this experiments are fermented at 30ºC to 35ºC temperature is maintained. The daily biogas yield, cumulative biogas yield, pH, CH4, and hydro retention time these parameters is studied and analysed. The maximum daily biogas is 25liters and 42% of methane is achieved in dry wheat straw at 15th day of digestion. The highest gas yield obtained in dry condition compare to wet condition and acid level also decreased in wet digestion.

Effect of Pt addition on sulfur dioxide and water vapor tolerance of Pd-Mn-hexaaluminate catalysts for high-temperature oxidation of methane

An effect of Pt addition to improve the catalytic performance of Pd-modified Mn-hexaaluminate in the high-temperature oxidation of methane, especially in SO2 and water presence, has been studied. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis were used for the characterization of fresh and spent catalysts. Temperature-programmed reduction by hydrogen was employed to study the redox properties of the catalysts. Four high-temperature tests (at 670°C) of the methane oxidation were applied to reveal the water and sulfur resistance of the catalysts: 1) dry methane-air feed; 2) wet methane-air feed containing 3wt% of water vapor; 3) methane-air feed containing 1000ppm of SO2; and 4) wet methane-air feed with 1000ppm of SO2. The Pt-doped Pd-Mn-hexaaluminate catalyst with the atomic ratio of Pt/Pd<0.3 has been shown to possess the highest catalytic activity in the oxidation of methane, high water and sulfur tolerance, and reducibility by hydrogen as compared to the monometallic Pd-Mn-hexaaluminate catalyst and the bimetallic catalysts with Pt/Pd>0.5. From the formal kinetic data of the oxidation of methane on the fresh and deactivated catalysts, we assumed that deactivation of the catalysts is due to a decrease in the amount of catalytically active sites in the bimetallic 0.33Pt-0.67Pd(0.27)/MnLaAl11O19 catalyst and a change in the state of active component in the other catalysts. Their oxidation ability and redox behavior were shown to be associated with the highly dispersed PdO particles, a PdO layer (3–5nm) covering the metal palladium particles as well as the Mn3+-enriched MnLaAl11O19. The improved water and sulfur resistance is found to correlate with the presence of particles of PtPd alloy, with its fraction not exceeding 50%.

Effects of roughage inclusion and particle size on performance and rumination behavior of finishing beef steers.

Roughage is typically mechanically processed to increase digestibility and improve handling and mixing characteristics in beef cattle finishing diets. Roughage is fed to promote ruminal health and decrease digestive upset, but inclusion in finishing diets is limited due to the cost per unit of energy. Rumination behavior may be a means to standardize roughage in beef cattle finishing diets, and increasing particle size of roughage may allow a decrease in roughage inclusion without sacrificing animal performance. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to quantify rumination time for a finishing beef animal and to evaluate the effects of corn stalk (CS) inclusion rate and particle size on rumination behavior, animal performance, and carcass characteristics. Fifty-one individually fed steers (385 ± 3.6 kg initial BW) were used in a randomized complete block design feeding study. Corn stalks were passed through a tub grinder equipped with a 7.62-cm screen once to generate long-grind CS (LG-CS) or twice to generate short-grind CS (SG-CS). Dietary treatments were based on steam-flaked corn and included, on a DM basis, 30% wet corn gluten feed (WCGF) with 5% SG-CS (5SG), 30% WCGF with 5% LG-CS (5LG), and 25% WCGF with 10% SG-CS (10SG). The Penn State Particle Separator was used to separate ingredients and treatment diets and to estimate physically effective NDF (peNDF). On d 70, each steer was fitted with a collar (HR Tag; SCR Dairy, Netanya, Isreal), which continuously measured rumination minutes via a sensory microphone. Long-grind CS contained more ( < 0.01) peNDF than SG-CS, and the 10SG diet contained more ( = 0.03) peNDF than the 5LG and 5SG diets. Dry matter intake was greatest ( = 0.03) for steers consuming 5LG and least for steers consuming 10SG, with cattle consuming 5SG being intermediate. Carcass-adjusted ADG and G:F were greatest ( ≤ 0.03) for steers consuming 5LG and 5SG compared with steers consuming 10SG. Hot carcass weight tended ( = 0.10) to be greatest for steers consuming 5LG and least for steers consuming 10SG, with steers consuming 5SG being intermediate. Dressing percent was greater ( = 0.01) for steers consuming 5LG and 5SG than for steers consuming 10SG. A significant interaction ( < 0.01) occurred for rumination minutes × day. Rumination (min/day) were greatest ( = 0.01) for steers consuming 10SG followed by steers consuming 5LG and was lowest for steers consuming 5SG. Increasing particle size of roughage may be a means to decrease roughage inclusion rate while maintaining rumination and performance.

Deactivation Aspects of Methane Oxidation Catalysts Based on Palladium and ZSM-5

Catalytic methane oxidation is used in exhaust gas after treatment to reduce methane emissions in stationary combustion processes as well as in natural gas vehicles. Pd/zeolite catalysts provide higher activity than the commonly used Pd/Al2O3, but suffer from rapid deactivation under reaction conditions and in the presence of steam. This work presents a detailed study of deactivation of 1 wt% Pd/H–ZSM-5 catalyst in reaction conditions in dry and wet feed including characterization of both the active phase and the support. Initially well-dispersed PdO particles are not stable and sinter immediately after the exposure to the reaction mixture even in dry feed and stabilize at lower dispersion level. Despite the reasonable methane oxidation activity exhibited by the large particles, the initial PdO particles could potentially provide a 40 °C lower methane oxidation temperature. In the presence of water in the feed at moderate temperature (450 °C), support degradation governs the deactivation of the catalyst, which is evidenced by a significant decrease in BET surface area and generation of extra-framework aluminium species. These results suggest that active and stable catalysts could be obtained by careful choice and design of the support material with the aim to guarantee high dispersion of PdO.

Effects of wet feeding and enzyme supplementation on nutritional value of wheat screenings for broiler chickens

The effects of wet feeding and a multi-enzyme preparation on the nutritional value of wheat screenings (WS) for broiler chicks were investigated. In total, 540 1-day-old Ross-308 broiler chicks were fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet up to 29 days of age. At that time, the birds were randomly assigned to nine diets in a completely randomised design with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, including three levels of WS (0%, 25% and 50%, WS0, WS25 and WS50 respectively) and three processing methods (no processing, enzyme supplementation and wet feeding). The enzyme mixture contained endo-1, 4-β-xylanase (200 FXU/g), endo-1, 4-β-glucanase (50 FBG/g), endo-1, 8-β-glucanase (21 FBG/g), hemicellulase (3000 VHCU/g), α-galactosidase (3 GALU/g) and protease (260 U/g) and was supplemented at a level of 6 g/kg of diet. The inclusion of water in wet diets was in the extent of 1.2 kg/kg of diet. During the period from 29 to 49 days of age, feed intake was not affected (P &gt; 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet, whereas chicks fed the WS25 diet had a higher (P &lt; 0.05) bodyweight gain than did those on WS0 diet. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved (P &lt; 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet throughout the study. The feed intake was increased (P &lt; 0.05) by enzyme supplementation to WS50 diet, while bodyweight gain was increased (P &lt; 0.05) by wet feeding. Enzyme supplementation did not affect (P &gt; 0.05) FCR, whereas wet feeding resulted in lower (P &lt; 0.05) FCR over the entire study. The plasma concentration of glucose was increased (P &lt; 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet. The viscosity of the ileal digesta was higher (P &lt; 0.05) in chicks receiving the WS50 diet than that in chicks receiving the other diets. The jejunal villus height was increased (P &lt; 0.05) and the jejunal crypt depth was decreased (P &lt; 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in diet. The jejunal crypt depth was greater (P &lt; 0.05) in chicks receiving the wet diets than in chicks receiving the enzyme-supplemented diets (P &gt; 0.05). In conclusion, the results from the present study indicated that broiler growth performance was improved by the inclusion of WS in the diet and also by wet feeding. These effects were largely compatible with the changes that occurred in the small intestine morphology, but not with those observed for ileal digesta viscosity.

The Influence of Co-product Handling Methodology on Greenhouse Gas Savings of Biofuels in the European Context

The handling of multi-output systems presents a crucial aspect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation as well as the certification of biofuels, and finding a robust and applicable method that accounts for distinctive characteristics of and benefits generated by all products is a challenge. In this work, GHG emission savings of 11 biofuel production concepts are assessed and the implications of methodological assumptions are discussed by applying the methodology defined by the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), allocation based on physical parameters, two hybrid approaches, as well as six variants of substitution. GHG emission savings according to RED methodology range from 35 to 57 %. Sugar beet-based ethanol shows highest savings. Results reveal that GHG savings according to the RED methodology present, in sum, a relatively good approximation of emission savings occurring due to substitution effects under given assumptions. An introduction of credits for products that are barely or not considered by the RED methodology due to allocation based on the lower heating value (LHV), i.e. fertilizers and wet feed co-products, reduces the difference between RED results and results based on substitution. If displacement mechanisms are considered by substitution, sugar beet-based ethanol, ethanol production by wet milling of wheat and sunflower biodiesel result in highest emission savings under given assumptions if oil that needs to be supplied due to occurring displacement mechanisms stems from rapeseed. The implementation of a method that supports concepts with high emission saving potential, e.g. allocation based the lower heating value of dry material, could promote emission reductions from biofuel provision.

Effects of coal characteristics to performance of a highly efficient thermal power generation system based on pressurized oxy-fuel combustion

Summary Because of its fuel flexibility and high efficiency, pressurized oxy-fuel combustion has recently emerged as a promising approach for efficient carbon capture and storage. One of the important options to design the pressurized oxy-combustion is to determine method of coal (or other solid fuels) feeding: dry feeding or wet (coal slurry) feeding as well as grade of coals. The main aim of this research is to investigate effects of coal characteristics including wet or dry feeding on the performance of thermal power plant based on the pressurized oxy-combustion with CO2 capture versus atmospheric oxy-combustion. A commercial process simulation tool (gCCS: the general carbon capture and storage) was used to simulate and analyze an advanced ultra-supercritical(A-USC) coal power plant under pressurized and atmospheric oxy-fuel conditions. The design concept is based on using pure oxygen as an oxidant in a pressurized system to maximize the heat recovery through process integration and to reduce the efficiency penalty because of compression and purification units. The results indicate that the pressurized case efficiency at 30 bars was greater than the atmospheric oxy-fuel combustion (base line case) by 6.02% when using lignite coal firing. Similarly, efficiency improvements in the case of subbituminous and bituminous coals were around 3% and 2.61%, respectively. The purity of CO2 increased from 53.4% to 94% after compression and purification. In addition, the study observed the effects of coal-water slurry using bituminous coal under atmospheric conditions, determining that the net plant efficiency decreased by 3.7% when the water content in the slurry increased from 11.12% to 54%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of ammoniated wheat straw during a receiving and growing period for beef cattle

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of including ammoniated wheat straw in diets for beef cattle on growth performance and digestibility. Treatments consisted of diets containing 70% (DM basis) concentrate containing 40% (DM basis) wet corn gluten feed with 30% (DM basis) roughage from wheat straw (STRW), anhydrous ammonia–treated wheat straw (AMMN), or a 50:50 prairie hay and alfalfa hay blend (CONT). Experiment 1 used 288 crossbred steer calves (271 ± 28 kg) in a randomized complete block design in which steers were fed their experimental diets for 56 d. Final BW, ADG, and G:F were greater for calves fed CONT than for those fed either STRW or AMMN (P < 0.05). Experiment 2 used 6 ruminally fistulated Holstein heifers (288 kg) in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Heifers fed CONT consumed less (P < 0.05) DM, OM, and ADF compared with those fed AMMN and STRW. Feeding heifers CONT improved (P < 0.05) digestibility of DM and OM but decreased (P < 0.05) digestibility of ADF. Ruminal pH was lowest (P < 0.05) for heifers fed CONT. The results of this experiment suggest that wheat straw and ammoniated wheat straw are equivalent roughage sources but inferior to a 50:50 blend of alfalfa hay and prairie hay when fed to growing calves at 30% of the dietary DM.

Evaluation of environmental impacts of food waste management by material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA)

This paper focuses on the evaluation of potential environmental impacts of food waste management practices by material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) during different life cycle stages toward the environmentally sustainable options for Daejeon Metropolitan City (DMC) in Korea. The MFA and LCA studies were conducted to examine different recycling facilities of food waste. The results of the LCA study indicate that, among the different recycling methodologies currently in practice in DMC, Scenario 4 (wet and dry feed site) conduced to higher global warming potential (GWP) and higher acidification potential (AP), whereas Scenarios 2 (wet feed site 1) and 3 (wet feed site 2) resulted in the lowest impact. This is mainly due to the emission caused during the treatment stage. For eutrophication potential (EP), Scenario 1 (composting site) contributed to higher environmental impacts due to the emission of ammonia generated during the treatment process, while in case of photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), the collection stage for all recycling facilities led to higher impacts to the environment due to the combustion of fossil fuels. This study indicates that the proper disposal of the final residues, such as solid sludge and screened materials, could aid in reducing environmental burdens.

Environmental and health impacts of using food waste as animal feed: a comparative analysis of food waste management options

The disposal of food waste is a large environmental problem. In the United Kingdom (UK), approximately 15 million tonnes of food are wasted each year, mostly disposed of in landfill, via composting, or anaerobic digestion (AD). European Union (EU) guidelines state that food waste should preferentially be used as animal feed though for most food waste this practice is currently illegal, because of disease control concerns. Interest in the potential diversion of food waste for animal feed is however growing, with a number of East Asian states offering working examples of safe food waste recycling – based on tight regulation and rendering food waste safe through heat treatment. This study investigates the potential benefits of diverting food waste for pig feed in the UK. A hybrid, consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to compare the environmental and health impacts of four technologies for food waste processing: two technologies of South Korean style-animal feed production (as a wet pig feed and a dry pig feed) were compared with two widespread UK disposal technologies: AD and composting. Results of 14 mid-point impact categories show that the processing of food waste as a wet pig feed and a dry pig feed have the best and second-best scores, respectively, for 13/14 and 12/14 environmental and health impacts. The low impact of food waste feed stems in large part from its substitution of conventional feed, the production of which has substantial environmental and health impacts. While the re-legalisation of the use of food waste as pig feed could offer environmental and public health benefits, this will require support from policy makers, the public, and the pig industry, as well as investment in separated food waste collection which currently occurs in only a minority of regions.

Effects of wet feeding and early feed restriction on blood parameters and growth performance of broiler chickens.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of early feed restriction (FR) with wet feeding on size of small intestine, blood lipids and performance parameters in broilers from d 1 to 42. A total of 160 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 4 pens per treatment and 10 chickens per pen, in a fully randomized 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, two feeding arrangement; providing feed ad libitum (Full Fed) or FR by 50% between days 6 to 12, and feed in either wet or dry form (wet form, 1.2 g water per 1 g dry feed). Body weight and feed intake of broiler chickens were determined at d 0, 21, and 42, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. At d 42, two birds per replicate were euthanised for determination of carcass weight, organ weight and length, and also for blood parameters, which included high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol and triglycerides (TG). The broilers fed wet form irrespective of FR throughout had superior body weight gain and carcass weight compared with birds fed dry diets at d 22 and 42 (P < 0.05). The wet form with FR significantly showed lower FCR compared with the wet form and ad libitum at d 1 to 21 (P < 0.05). The broilers fed wet form had significantly increased HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol and decreased TG (P < 0.05). In conclusion, wet form can improve performance growth and blood parameters, and the FR birds were able to attain normal market body weight at d 42, which suggests that growth compensation occurred.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Wet Fermented Feed with Probiotic on the Production Performance of Akar Putra Chicken

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Wet Fermented Feed with Probiotic on the Production Performance of Akar Putra Chicken