A Biosecure Composting System for Disposal of Cattle Carcasses and Manure Following Infectious Disease Outbreak

Xu, Weiping; Reuter, Tim; Inglis, G. Douglas; Larney, Francis J.; Alexander, Trevor W.; Guan, Jiewen; Stanford, Kim; Xu, Yongping; McAllister, Tim A.

doi:10.2134/jeq2008.0168

Cited by 71 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…of the envelope material without producing significant amounts of leachate. These results contrast with early field studies by Xu et al (2009) in which cattle carcasses composted in plastic-wrapped piles using feedlot manure as the envelope material exhibited highly variable m.c. with some pooling of leachate.…”

Section: Moisture Contentcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Performance of a plastic-wrapped composting system for biosecure emergency disposal of disease-related swine mortalities

et al. 2016

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A passively-ventilated plastic-wrapped composting system initially developed for biosecure disposal of poultry mortalities caused by avian influenza was adapted and tested to assess its potential as an emergency disposal option for disease-related swine mortalities. Fresh air was supplied through perforated plastic tubing routed through the base of the compost pile. The combined air inlet and top vent area is ⩽∼1% of the gas exchange surface of a conventional uncovered windrow. Parameters evaluated included: (1) spatial and temporal variations in matrix moisture content (m.c.), leachate production, and matrix O2 concentrations; (2) extent of soft tissue decomposition; and (3) internal temperature and the success rate in achieving USEPA time/ temperature (T) criteria for pathogen reduction. Six envelope materials (wood shavings, corn silage, ground cornstalks, ground oat straw, ground soybean straw, or ground alfalfa hay) and two initial m.c. 's (15-30% w.b. for materials stored indoors, and 45-65% w.b. to simulate materials exposed to precipitation) were tested to determine their effect on performance parameters (1-3). Results of triple-replicated field trials showed that the composting system did not accumulate moisture despite the 150 kg carcass water load (65% of 225 kg total carcass mass) released during decomposition. Mean compost m.c. in the carcass layer declined by ∼7 percentage points during 8-week trials, and a leachate accumulation was rare. Matrix O2 concentrations for all materials other than silage were ⩾10% using the equivalent of 2 m inlet/vent spacing. In silage O2 dropped below 5% in some cases even when 0.5 m inlet/vent spacing was used. Eight week soft tissue decomposition ranged from 87% in cornstalks to 72% in silage. Success rates for achievement of USEPA Class B time/ temperature criteria ranged from 91% for silage to 33-57% for other materials. Companion laboratory biodegradation studies suggest that Class B success rates can be improved by slightly increasing envelope material m.c. Moistening initially dry (15% m.c.) envelope materials to 35% m.c. nearly doubled their heat production potential, boosting it to levels ⩾silage. The 'contradictory' silage test results showing high temperatures paired with slow soft tissue degradation are likely due to this material's high density, low gas permeability and low water vapor loss. While slow decomposition typically suggests low microbial activity and heat production, it does not rule out high internal temperatures if the heat produced is conserved. Occasional short-term odor releases during the first 2 weeks of composting were associated with top-tobottom gas flow which is contrary to the typical bottom-to-top flow typically observed in conventional compost piles. In cases where biosecurity concerns are paramount, results of this study show the plasticwrapped passively-ventilated composting method to have good potential for above-ground swine mortality disposal. m.c. doubles their heat production potential resulting in significantly hig...

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Section: Moisture Contentcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Performance of a plastic-wrapped composting system for biosecure emergency disposal of disease-related swine mortalities

et al. 2016

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“…Temperatures at or near 55°C are considered optimal (31), and we observed that a temperature of 55°C was reached or exceeded only late in the active composting phase of the control compost and never for AS700 compost. In addition, temperature is temporally and spatially variable within compost (39), consistent with the observations that temperatures were lower at the top than at the center of the compost and that a rapid rise in temperature followed compost turning. Nevertheless, heterotrophic bacterial populations typically exceeded 10 8 CFU g Ϫ1 (dry weight) regardless of treatment (i.e., control versus AS700) or location (i.e., top versus center).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Effective composting relies on the action of complex microbial communities including the generation of metabolic heat and enzymatic decomposition processes. Salient benefits of manure composting include decreased water and bulk (Ϸ50 to 70% reduction in volume) (31), destruction of weed seeds (21) and pathogens (34,39), and stabilization of a Extracted DNA was subjected to Campylobacter genus-specific PCR. Each replicate compost pile was oriented east to west.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Composting is an aerobic process in which organic matter in manure is stabilized into a humus-like product (30). The process results in water loss and mass reduction, nutrient transformation (22), alteration of physical structure (23), elimination of weed seeds (21), and the inactivation of coliform bacteria (25), protozoan cysts and oocysts (34), and viruses (39). Limited research has investigated the impact of manure management systems, such as aerobic composting, on deactivation of campylobacters.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the impact of antimicrobial agents excreted into the manure on the efficacy of the composting process on Campylobacter deactivation has not been investigated. Most studies conducted to date have indicated that campylobacters do not persist well in solid manure once excreted (7,11,12,26,32,39). Although it is difficult to isolate or enumerate Campylobacter species within microbiologically complex substrates, molecular detection and/or quantification methods have not been extensively applied to study the persistence of campylobacteria.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Prolonged Survival ofCampylobacterSpecies in Bovine Manure Compost

Inglis

McAllister

Larney

et al. 2010

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The persistence of naturally occurring campylobacteria in aerobic compost constructed of manure from beef cattle that were administered chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine (AS700) or from cattle not administered antibiotics (control) was examined. Although there were no differences in population sizes of heterotrophic bacteria, the temperature of AS700 compost was more variable and did not become as high as that of control compost. There were significant differences in water content, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and electrical conductivity but not in the C/N ratio or pH between the two compost treatments. Campylobacteria were readily isolated from pen manure, for up to day 15 from control compost, and throughout the active phase of AS700 compost. Campylobacter DNA (including Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis, and Campylobacter jejuni) was detected over the ca. 10-month composting period, and no reductions in quantities of C. jejuni DNA were observed over the duration of the active phase. The utilization of centrifugation in combination with ethidium monoazide (EMA) significantly reduced (>90%) the amplification of C. jejuni DNA that did not originate from cells with intact cell membranes. No differences were observed in the frequency of Campylobacter DNA detection between EMA-and non-EMA-treated samples, suggesting that Campylobacter DNA amplified from compost was extracted from cells with intact cell membranes (i.e., from viable cells). The findings of this study indicate that campylobacteria excreted in cattle feces persist for long periods in compost and call into question the common belief that these bacteria do not persist in manure.

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Carcass provisioning for scavenger conservation in a temperate forest ecosystem

et al. 2020

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Carrion plays an essential role in shaping the structure and functioning of ecosystems and has far-reaching implications for biodiversity conservation. The change in availability and type of carcasses throughout ecosystems can involve negative effects for scavenging communities. To address this issue, there have been recent conservation management measures of carrion provision in natural systems. However, the optimal conditions under which exposing carcasses to optimize conservation outcomes are still limited. Here, we used camera traps throughout elevational and vegetational gradients to monitor the consumption of 48 deer carcasses over a study period of six years by evaluating 270,279 photographs resulting out of 15,373 trap nights. We detected 17 species visiting carcass deployments, including five endangered species. Our results show that large carcasses, the winter season, and a heterogeneous surrounding habitat enhanced the frequency of carcass visits and the species richness of scavenger assemblages. Contrary to our expectations, carcass species, condition (fresh/frozen), and provision schedule (continuous vs single exposure) did not influence scavenging frequency or diversity. The carcass visitation frequency increased with carcass mass and lower temperatures. The effect of large carcasses was especially pronounced for mesopredators and the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Lynx were not too influenced in its carrion acquisition by the season, but exclusively preferred remote habitats containing higher forest cover. Birds of prey, mesopredators, and top predators were also positively influenced by the visiting rate of ravens (Corvus corax), whereas no biotic or abiotic preferences were found for wild boars (Sus scrofa). This study provides evidence that any ungulate species of carrion, either in a fresh or in previously frozen condition, attracts a high diversity of scavengers especially during winter, thereby supporting earlier work that carcass provisions may support scavenger communities and endangered species.

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A Biosecure Composting System for Disposal of Cattle Carcasses and Manure Following Infectious Disease Outbreak

Cited by 71 publications

References 51 publications

Performance of a plastic-wrapped composting system for biosecure emergency disposal of disease-related swine mortalities

Performance of a plastic-wrapped composting system for biosecure emergency disposal of disease-related swine mortalities

Prolonged Survival ofCampylobacterSpecies in Bovine Manure Compost

Carcass provisioning for scavenger conservation in a temperate forest ecosystem

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