• Feedstocks Analysed at Celignis
    Poultry Litter

Background on Poultry Litter

The compositions of animal wastes is a complex issue, with the composition dependent on the class of animal, diet, digestibility of food, bedding, and stage of growth, among other factors.

Poultry litter is a mixture of poultry manure and the litter base, which can be straw, wood shavings, paper, or other biodegradable material.

The relative amount and type of manure produced will depend on the livestock class. For example, broilers produce about 0.036 kg/bird/day at 70% dry matter. Of this, about 70% by dry weight is manure, and the remainder is the litter base.

Analysis of Poultry Litter at Celignis



Celignis Analytical can determine the following properties of Poultry Litter samples:



Lignocellulosic Properties of Poultry Litter

Cellulose Content of Poultry Litter

The cellulose content of the poultry litter will depend on the compositions of both the manure and the litter base and on the relative mass proportions that each of these contribute to the total litter mass. Typically, the base has a higher cellulose content than the manure, meaning that an increased base:manure mass ratio will lead to a higher cellulose content.

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Hemicellulose Content of Poultry Litter

As with cellulose, the hemicellulose content of the poultry litter will depend on the compositions of both the manure and the litter base and on the relative mass proportions that each of these contribute to the total litter mass.

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Lignin Content of Poultry Litter

The lignin content of the poultry litter will depend on the compositions of both the manure and the litter base and on the relative mass proportions that each of these contribute to the total litter mass.

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Starch Content of Poultry Litter

The starch content of poultry litter will vary according to their diet.

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Uronic Acid Content of Poultry Litter

Uronic acids are present in many of the feedstocks that are used to generate the bedding for poultry litter (e.g. straw, wood shavings), however we are not aware of any studies to date on the total uronic acid content of poultry litter.

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Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Poultry Litter

We can undertake tests involving the enzymatic hydrolysis of Poultry Litter. In these experiments we can either use a commercial enzyme mix or you can supply your own enzymes. We also offer analysis packages that compare the enzymatic hydrolysis of a pre-treated sample with that of the native original material.

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Bioenergy Properties of Poultry Litter

Ash Content of Poultry Litter

As with other animal wastes, poultry manure can have a high ash content. However, the litter base typically has a lower ash content. Hence, an increased base:manure mass ratio will favour a lower total ash content in the poultry litter.

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Heating (Calorific) Value of Poultry Litter

Unlike many other animal wastes, such as cattle and pig manures, poultry litter can have a relatively low moisture content (typically between 20 and 50%, depending on husbandry practices). Because of this, in recent years there has been increasing interest regarding the combustion of this resource.

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Ash Melting Behaviour of Poultry Litter

Ash melting, also known as ash fusion and ash softening, can lead to slagging, fouling and corrosion in boilers which may reduce conversion efficiency. We can determine the ash melting behaviour of Poultry Litter using our Carbolite CAF G5 BIO ash melting furnace. It can record the following temperatures:

Ash Shrinkage Starting Temperature (SST) - This occurs when the area of the test piece of Poultry Litter ash falls below 95% of the original test piece area.

Ash Deformation Temperature (DT) - The temperature at which the first signs of rounding of the edges of the test piece occurs due to melting.

Ash Hemisphere Temperature (HT) - When the test piece of Poultry Litter ash forms a hemisphere (i.e. the height becomes equal to half the base diameter).

Ash Flow Temperature (FT) - The temperature at which the Poultry Litter ash is spread out over the supporting tile in a layer, the height of which is half of the test piece at the hemisphere temperature.



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Major and Minor Elements in Poultry Litter

Examples of major elements that may be present in Poultry Litter include potassium and sodium which are present in biomass ash in the forms of oxides. These can lead to fouling, ash deposition in the convective section of the boiler. Alkali chlorides can also lead to slagging, the fusion and sintering of ash particles which can lead to deposits on boiler tubes and walls.

We can also determine the levels of 13 different minor elements (such as arsenic, copper, and zinc) that may be present in Poultry Litter.

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Analysis of Poultry Litter for Anaerobic Digestion



Biomethane potential (BMP) of Poultry Litter

At Celignis we can provide you with crucial data on feedstock suitability for AD as well as on the composition of process residues. For example, we can determine the biomethane potential (BMP) of Poultry Litter. The BMP can be considered to be the experimental theoretical maximum amount of methane produced from a feedstock. We moniotor the volume of biogas produced allowing for a cumulative plot over time, accessed via the Celignis Database. Our BMP packages also involve routine analysis of biogas composition (biomethane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, oxygen). We also provide detailed analysis of the digestate, the residue that remains after a sample has been digested. Our expertise in lignocellulosic analysis can allow for detailed insight regarding the fate of the different biogenic polymers during digestion.



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Physical Properties of Poultry Litter



Bulk Density of Poultry Litter

At Celignis we can determine the bulk density of biomass samples, including Poultry Litter, according to ISO standard 17828 (2015). This method requires the biomass to be in an appropriate form (chips or powder) for density determination.



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Particle Size of Poultry Litter

Our lab is equipped with a Retsch AS 400 sieve shaker. It can accommodate sieves of up to 40 cm diameter, corresponding to a surface area of 1256 square centimetres. This allows us to determine the particle size distribution of a range of samples, including Poultry Litter, by following European Standard methods EN 15149- 1:2010 and EN 15149-2:2010.



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Examples of Other Feedstocks Analysed at Celignis



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