North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers have developed a new method of disposing of dead animals. The university patented a machine that grinds up the carcasses of dead animals, while adding either carbohydrates and bacteria to ferment the resulting material, or phosphoric acid to preserve it.
Whether the material is fermented or preserved with phosphoric acid, it may be kept on a farm until it is convenient to dispose of it. The new technology allows growers to capture the nutrients in animal carcasses. The nutrients may then be recycled, most likely as an ingredient in animal feeds.
Researchers: Peter Ferket, Larry Stikeleather and Teena Middleton, North Carolina State University. Contact Ferket at (919) 515-5555.