Whisky-fed salmon to boost sustainability

Over 500 million liters of whisky are produced in the UK each year. But for every liter of whisky produced, up to 15 liters of potentially harmful waste can be generated.
Chemical engineers from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland are looking to solve this problem by converting some of the waste into protein-rich feed, which could have the added benefit of providing a sustainable and economic supply of feedstock for the growing Scottish fish farming industry.
A pilot plant trial of the Horizons Proteins project is scheduled for August 2014 in a whisky distillery to assess the economic, nutritional, environmental and chemical engineering processes involved in large scale production of the proteins.
David Brown, chief executive of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), said: "Distillery effluent can be damaging, but also contains potentially valuable nutrients and micronutrients. The waste can also be used to produce a microbial biomass which has the potential to be a cheap and sustainable source of protein-rich feed.
"The academic team at Heriot-Watt University have already been recognized for their excellent work by IChemE's Food and Drink Special Interest Group. Their work and others looking at the microbial treatment of waste is very exciting and has many potential applications including crude oil recovery, healthcare and in environmental protection like bioremediation of sites affected by heavy metals and other contaminants."
The role of chemical engineers in the food and drink sector is explored in IChemE's latest technical strategy, Chemical Engineering Matters. The strategy also includes actions chemical engineers are taking on other global challenges including water, energy and health.

Alltech, KSU form research alliance for sustainable farming techniques, modern farming

With a global population of nine billion expected by 2050 and fewer resources with which to feed them,the agribusiness industry will require major technological leaps in order to keep pace with a growing population while also preserving natural resources for future generations. For this reason, Alltech and Kentucky State University (KSU) have formalized a joint research alliance to develop sustainable farming techniques and modern farming models.
Alltech will invest $75,000 per year toward research at KSU, as well as provide support for KSU graduate students' research and for demonstrations in agriculture, food sciences, sustainable systems and related fields. These investments will help develop an active graduate student training program and undergraduate internship program in sustainable farming as well as a merit-based program aimed at supporting future agricultural science development.
"This farming-focused alliance will position central Kentucky at the forefront of sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, arguably two of our world's most significant challenges. The work being done on KSU's campus will not only have global implications, but will contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy and job creation locally. It will also demonstrate how we can use technology to support small farm agriculture in Kentucky," said Dr. Karl Dawson, chief scientific officer at Alltech.
"We're excited about the collaboration between Alltech and Kentucky State University," said KSU's president, Dr. Mary Evans Sias. "KSU's world-class aquaculture program combines innovative research and outreach to assist farms and families. Alltech is a major global corporation that focuses its resources on the sustainability of the planet. We can only expect great things to come from this perfect match."
 The Alltech-KSU Sustainable Farming Alliance will operate from the KSU campus and has been established for an initial period of three years, at which time extension may be considered. It will be managed by a committee of three Alltech scientists and four KSU faculty members, and chaired by Dr. Teferi Tsegaye, dean of KSU's College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems and associate vice president for land grant. Projects and activities will be selected based on their scientific merit, socioeconomic value and the potential for commercialization of the results. Initial plans include the establishment of an annual conference to promote sustainable farming and agriculture.
Alltech has signed research alliances with more than a dozen universities and institutes around the world, including the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University in the United States; NOFIMA in Norway; five of China's leading universities; Kochi University in Japan; Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University and Bangalore University in India; AgroSup Dijon in France; Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom; and Rivalea in Australia. A total of 18 research alliances are expected to be finalized by the close of 2013.

Geothermal energy could lower turkey producers' heating, cooling costs

Geothermal energy could reduce utilities costs for turkey producers, as well as being environmentally and economically friendly, according to Yun-Sheng Xu, a University of Missouri engineer.
A prototype geothermal system is currently at work in a test facility, with positive results. “This is the first application of geothermal energy in a commercial livestock operation,” said Xu. “Our first set of performance data suggests that farmers could halve their heating and cooling costs. We have five units installed at the test farm. Other farmers could begin installing units on their turkey farms as soon as next year, for use next winter.”
Heating and cooling is important in turkey operations because the temperature in their enclosure must be kept at 90 degrees Fahrenheit while the birds are young, but lowered to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for older birds. Propane fuel for temperature control units can cost farmers tens of thousands of dollars per year. Propane burners in livestock barns produce humidity and carbon dioxide, which can smother the birds. Humidity in the bird barns moistens the foul waste from the fowl and leads to ammonia contamination of the air the birds breathe.
“Similar systems could be installed in other livestock operations,” said Xu. “It may work even better in a chicken coop, since they use solid walls as opposed to the curtains used to enclose turkey barns. Pig and cattle rearing facilities could benefit from the inexpensive hot water produced using a geothermal system. The system could even be scaled down to keep a doghouse comfortable in the backyard.”
Once a geothermal unit is installed, the operation and maintenance are much lower than operating a fossil fuel powered system. Geothermal systems use the constant 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit of the soil a few feet beneath the surface to regulate the temperature of a liquid flowing through buried tubing. Xu said his design is cheaper to install than other geothermal units. In his system, the tubing is buried horizontally, as opposed to other systems that rely on vertically placed tubes, which require expensive deep digging.
Using Xu’s system, a turkey farm can be both more economical and better for the environment than a farm run on fossil fuels, he said. Geothermal energy produces no greenhouse gases and isn’t dependent on wind or sunlight.

Poultry industry explores operational approaches to sustainability

The Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit focused on communication and the importance of working together to strengthen the industry.  

Sustainability is much broader than environmental issues, according to a panel discussion at the fourth annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit held on January 24 at the 2012 International Poultry Expo.

True sustainability, according to the panel, addresses the many areas where an effective sustainability program can impact the “triple bottom line” — people, the planet and profit. In addition to operational approaches, each panel member stressed the importance of communication and working together towards sustainability to strengthen the industry going forward. “Agriculture is a key element of protecting our water resources across the country,” said Nancy Stoner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We (the EPA and the poultry industry) really are interdependent, whether we want to be or not. We need each other.”  

Panelists also included Jim Perdue of Perdue Farms, Mike Helgeson with GNP Company, Suzy Friedman with the Environmental Defense Fund and Dr. Brian Kiepper with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 

UK supermarket chain to source more poultry, eggs locally

UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has committed to doubling its sourcing of British food. Launched as part of the retailer’s new Sustainability Plan, the targets set also include a commitment to ensuring all meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy produce will be sourced from suppliers who adhere to independent higher welfare standards.
“The commitment from Sainsbury’s to double its sourcing of British food should be commended; it is a bold and positive step for food and farming," said Tom Hind, director of corporate affairs with the farming industry body NFU. "It recognizes the high quality and standards of production and environmental protection that British farmers meet every day, those same standards that consumers increasingly expect in the food they buy.”
Hind also said it is important that the NFU scrutinizes the detail of the plan to ensure that the commitments have integrity and deliver sustainability for UK agriculture. "We want to ensure that commitments to driving efficiency, for example, work with farmers to offer longer-term relationships with stable and profitable prices,” said Hind. 

Poultry project aims to turn manure into energy

A pilot project to convert chicken manure into electricity is the focus of $1 million in grants given to the Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council.
The project will be based on an 11-house broiler operation in Melfa, Va., and also explores the potential to use the phosphorus-rich byproduct of the process as a fertilizer source. "The overall idea is, you've got this source of chicken litter — what could it be used for?" said P.G. Ross, chairman of the RC&D Council. "One idea was to combust it and use it to generate electricity."
Funding for the project includes a $421,650 Conservation Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Another $210,000 will come from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, along with $301,000 in equipment and other contributions from Farm Pilot Project Coordination Inc., a Tampa, Fla.-based non-profit that oversees administration of projects to show the economic viability of technologies that reduce nutrients in manure from commercial animal farming operations.
Construction is scheduled to begin in spring of 2012, and data will be collected throughout the three-year project.

animal feed, pet food contributing to deforestation

More than 10% of all palm kernel meal, a byproduct of palm oil, produced in the world is fed to British animals as feed or petfood, a statistic that may be contributing to deforestation, according to experts.
The plantations on which most of the world’s oil palm is grown have resulted in an 85% loss of biodiversity, according to a study done for the Department of Food and Rural Affairs. But while many British importers are focusing more on sustainable palm oil, the same cannot be said for sustainable palm kernel meal. "It's not just a by-product," said Defra official Sara Eppel, especially in Britain where "we import five times as much kernel from Indonesia as palm oil." In addition, said Eppel, "government buying standards don't currently cover palm oil sustainability.”
According to the report, the focus on sustainability is increasing, but is not yet as widespread as it needs to be to properly protect the rainforests being affected.