Destroy dead animals with ... feces

By building compost containers and using flue gas from here to disintegrate animal bones, Canadian and US researchers hope to find a solution to completely destroy dead animal carcasses.

Researchers at the Lethbridge Center for Agricultural and Food Research in Canada (AAC) partner with the Food Inspection Center (Canada's Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development) and Iowa State University ( The United States) is conducting an assessment of the ability of feces to become a tool to destroy animal bones.

In the past, the bodies of infected animals were often buried or incinerated. Destruction in this way cannot eradicate the epidemic, because bones can still exist in the soil. Moreover, the cost of transporting animal carcasses to a suitable place to destroy is increasing and also increases the risk of spreading the disease.

"No longer DNA" is an indicator of the successful destruction of animal bones. (Photo: Techno-science

Scientists are currently working on methods that allow the identification of pathogens that still exist in animal manure, then put to the test on new research tools. They built compost containers with a plastic internal structure, ensuring storage of manure in very good conditions at the Lethbridge Research Center. And the animal bones are contained in straw drives, under the ventilation tube is placed.

Thermometers and many devices are buried in the feces to monitor the whole process, as well as to take the samples.

Many experiments have been conducted, one of which is to find out whether the DNA of the cow remains. This also helps confirm that it is possible to destroy bovine bones during the experiment. The absence of DNA is an evaluation indicator that completely destroys animal bones. Emission from feces is an important factor contributing to bone destruction. The researchers analyzed this gas by mass spectrometry.

In the future, researchers will also need to complete technical methods that allow the identification of pathogenic viruses in the feces, studying the entire mixture of digested and excreted food in the stool, Hygienic safety conditions of litter, and preparation of training equipment for working groups in case of outbreaks.