Energy company to aid poultry industry with cost-effective warm-air biomass furnace.

July 21, 2017

2 Min Read
Biomass furnace converts raw poultry litter to energy

Global Re-Fuel is an energy technology company that is poised to make a significant effect on poultry farming. Its patented PLF-500 biomass furnace offers a farm technology that addresses financial, health and environmental issues in the agriculture industry.

Global Re-Fuel’s warm-air biomass furnace — now in use on a farm in Texas — converts raw poultry litter into energy, providing heat to broiler houses while creating a pathogen-free, organic fertilizer.

Today, there are more than 110,000 broiler houses in the U.S., and that number is expected to exceed 131,000 by 2024, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture growth projections of the industry. More than 32 billion lb. of poultry litter were generated in 2015. That number is expected to grow to more than 37 billion lb. per year by 2024.

In addition, poultry farms require a great deal of propane to heat broiler houses, with the average broiler house using about 6,000 gal. of propane each year. In 2015, more than 8.5 million tons of carbon dioxide were emitted from burning propane to heat broiler houses, and that number is projected to grow to almost 10 million tons by 2024, according to USDA.

“A ton of litter has the equivalent energy content of 67 gal. of propane. Extracting that heat and using the ash as fertilizer is a really good situation, which not only helps farmers but is also beneficial to the environment,” said Glenn Rodes, a farmer who has used the technology on his Virginia poultry farm.

Global Re-Fuel’s technology eliminates nearly 100% of propane usage, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 70,000 lb. per year per house.

“The Global Re-Fuel PLF-500 increases farmers’ operating margins, decreases pollution, eliminates propane usage — which reduces carbon dioxide emissions — and improves poultry living conditions,” said Rocky Irvin, a founding member of Global Re-Fuel and a poultry grower for more than 10 years. “It’s good for the family farm and the environment.”

Global Re-Fuel is an energy technology company focusing on solutions that address environmental issues facing the agriculture industry.

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