Biomass Recycling Facility FAQs
Proposed New Bolton Center Biomass Recycling Facility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The University of Pennsylvania is assessing the feasibility of building a Biomass Recycling Facility at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) New Bolton Center campus in Kennett Square.
Penn Vet’s 700-acre New Bolton Center campus is the gateway to Pennsylvania’s agricultural farmlands. It is home to one of the world’s busiest large-animal teaching hospitals, a renowned diagnostic laboratory, and herds of both swine and dairy cattle. Nationally recognized for advancing equine surgery and medicine, New Bolton Center also serves as the cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s equine sector economy among the 10-county Southeastern region of the Commonwealth.
Penn Vet’s mission is to provide unparalleled training to our students and offer best-in-class clinical and diagnostic services to our clients. Animal mortality is part of nature and a reality of tending to horses, swine, and dairy cattle. Thus, we face the challenge of responsibly managing the mortality of the animals we care for.
When an animal dies, there are important regulatory and environmental considerations that help guide how its remains can be handled safely and appropriately.
All equine and livestock operations must abide by the Pennsylvania Domestic Animal Act’s mortality disposal requirements.
Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Ombudsman Program, a statewide agricultural advocacy organization, recommends mortality composting, also known as biomass recycling, as the preferred disposal method for equine, livestock, and poultry in Pennsylvania.
Biomass recycling uses natural biological processes to convert animal remains into nutrient-rich compost. Naturally occurring microorganisms break down organic material under carefully controlled conditions, transforming remains into a valuable soil amendment.
The recycling process reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to other disposal methods, and it minimizes the risk to local watersheds. The process will support a circular agricultural system by returning nutrients to corn, soybean, and wheat fields used for animal feed.
The finished product is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter.
Yes. The recycling process generates heat that sanitizes the material, reaching high temperatures for extended periods of time. A combination of the heat and the natural actions of the microbes kills pathogens that may be present and breaks down antibiotics and other medications that may have been administered during animal treatment or euthanasia. This natural process is actually much more effective at breaking down drugs than other methods of disposal, such as burial or rendering. The resulting product is tested to ensure safety and appropriate nutrient composition.
Animals with pathogens that cannot be eliminated by the composting process will NOT enter the composting facility. These animals, as they always have been, will be disposed of through incineration, landfilling, or other method required by regulatory officials.
The proposed facility will be enclosed to protect the recycling process from the weather and will employ state-of-the-art technologies compared to other composting operations throughout Chester County. The ability to control moisture and airflow to the compost within the building will reduce the duration of the recycling process, minimize odors, and improve the quality of the finished product.
The facility’s key features will include poured concrete floors to contain the matter and prevent water infiltration; advanced monitoring systems to ensure optimal recycling conditions; and a wastewater collection system to transport any excess water to New Bolton Center’s on-site treatment plant, reducing the potential for any adverse groundwater impacts.
The recycling process at the facility will follow carefully managed steps to help it happen efficiently and safely. There will be an introduction of a “starter mix” of helpful microbes, along with additions of carbon sources, such as straw or sawdust, to balance carbon and nitrogen during the process. Moisture levels will be controlled to reduce dust and optimize the composting process, and the specialized flooring system will force air through the material to provide the oxygen that the microbes need to work efficiently.
The Biomass Recycling Center is not a commercial facility. The center will provide services to New Bolton Center. It will only handle deceased animals owned by New Bolton Center, client-owned animals under our hospital’s or Field Service’s care, or cases from our diagnostic service.
The final product is like compost commonly found at garden centers and is far less odorous than manure. The compost will be applied to New Bolton Center’s crop fields in a manner similar to fertilizers. In addition to providing nutrients, the compost’s high organic content will improve soil structure, increase water-holding capacity, and help reduce runoff and soil erosion.
New Bolton Center’s crop fields are large enough that the anticipated compost production from this facility would provide enough finished material to spread on half of the fields each year.
It will not be for sale.
The proposed Biomass Recycling Facility will reflect our commitment to sustainability leadership. Through recycling, we will adopt a more environmentally friendly approach that enables the reclamation and reuse of the beneficial nutrients noted above. By ensuring appropriate disposal, closing nutrient loops, and improving soil health, the facility will exemplify stewardship agriculture and serve as a model for farmers seeking responsible, earth-friendly practices. It will also offer research and educational opportunities for our faculty and students.
We are in the exploratory stage. The University of Pennsylvania held preliminary discussions with West Marlborough Township officials in late January to introduce the proposed concept and to understand the associated requirements and approval path. There will be opportunities for community education, including sessions on the New Bolton Center campus to inform and engage local residents.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection would be required to review the proposed project under state regulations. Initial visits from agencies are scheduled in the coming weeks.
Yes.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture offers a 2-minute video on the legal and proper methods for disposing of animal mortality. You can view it here.
The Livestock and Poultry Learning Community site has extensive information on managing livestock and poultry mortalities here.
An article by The Pennsylvania State University’s Extension Service also discusses legal methods for disposing of animal mortality.
This video describes Biltmore Estates’ biomass recycling initiative, which uses the same process we are exploring, and details their perspective on recycling and composting as part of a larger circular agricultural system on the estate.
The Southern Regional Extension Forestry hosts an on-demand webinar, sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, on the forced aeration with preprocessing mortality composting systems.
