Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Ontario invests in dead stock gasification plant

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

The Ontario government, through its rural economic development program, is investing $3,652,809 into a $10 million gasification system to render and recycle dead stock.

Atwood Pet Food Supplies Limited serves Ontario from Highway 400 west. They currently render 50 to 60 tonnes of beef dead stock per day but, after water and tallow is separated, the meat and bone meal has to be trucked to a landfill in Ottawa. The gasification system, expected to be operational by January 2013, will allow them to render 100 tonnes worth of dead stock per day. They will separate the tallow and water and they will gasify the rest of the carcass leaving nothing but an ash residue. In the process, they expect to create enough gas to replace the natural gas they use now.

“Natural gas is 75 per cent of the cost of rendering,” said owner David Smith. While they are still called Atwood Pet Food Supplies, they have not supplied any material to the pet food industry since BSE was discovered in a cow in Alberta in 20062003.

The new process will involve rendering at 270 degrees Fahrenheit which removes water, 60 per cent of the weight, and tallow, which is 15 per cent. The water is trucked to a water treatment plant and the tallow is sold into the bio diesel market. The remaining 25 per cent will enter the gasification chamber where it will be heated to 1100 to 1400 degrees centigrade.

“Gas comes out of this oxygen starved container,” Smith said. “You just keep heating it. It is not incinerated. It’s just heating it up to get the gas off it. When the gas is off, we are going to fire that gas up and replace our natural gas costs.” The ash that is left may become fertilizer if it meets certain criteria. If it does not, it will be sent to landfill.

Smith said the plant will run 24/7 and four or five workers will be added to the 35 currently employed at the plant. While they expect to get enough gas to run the operation, they are not certain whether they will have extra gas to produce power for the grid. BF
 

Current Issue

April 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online

New board members for Ontario Pork

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online

You know you want it…

Monday, April 14, 2025

On April 28, 2025, Aumann Auctions, Inc. is set to auction what is being called the GOAT (greatest of all time) John Deere sign of all time. This recently discovered will be one of the featured highlights of the . See... Read this article online

Health Fair Supports Migrant Workers

Monday, April 14, 2025

A community-driven Health and Information Fair dedicated to supporting migrant and temporary foreign workers was recently held in Leamington, Ontario. Organized by the Migrant Workers Community Program (MWCP), the event took place at the Roma Club on April 13th and welcomed hundreds of... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top