Details:

Creators:
Donaldson, Bridget M. ; White, James J.
Donaldson, Bridget M. ; White, James J. Less -
Corporate Creators:
Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research
Corporate Contributors:
United States. Federal Highway Administration
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Compost Cost Effectiveness Deer Highway Maintenance Road Kill Waste Disposal Wildlife
Publication/ Report Number:
FHWA/VCTIR 13-R8
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
Virginia
Corporate Publisher:
Virginia. Dept. of Transportation
NTL Classification:
NTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Construction and Maintenance;NTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT;
Abstract:
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) removes an estimated 55,000 deer carcasses from its roadways

each year at a cost of more than $4 million per year. Many VDOT maintenance facilities have a need for viable, environmentally

compliant, and cost-effective carcass management strategies. Disposal challenges include a decreasing availability of

conventional disposal methods, such as landfills, and a lack of viable burial areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two

in-vessel composting systems to determine the utility of each as a carcass management option for VDOT. The systems were a

rotary drum system and a forced aeration bin system (forced air system). Pilot projects were conducted to determine the utility of

each system based on two factors: (1) whether the generated compost met a set of established composting criteria, including

regulatory standards; and (2) whether the system performed well from an operational standpoint.

A rotary drum system was installed at a VDOT maintenance facility and monitored for 163 days. The generated

compost met the established pathogen destruction criteria but was inconsistent with regard to meeting the temperature and

moisture criteria. The operational performance of the system was also inconsistent. The problems encountered may be

preventable in future installations, but the system requires further evaluation to determine its utility as a means of animal

mortality management for VDOT. It is recommended that VDOT install a smaller rotary drum system at a selected maintenance

facility and evaluate its performance when the lessons learned described in this study are applied.

A forced air system was installed at another VDOT maintenance facility and monitored for 274 days. The generated

compost met all established compost criteria (i.e., temperature, compost maturity, and pathogen destruction), and the system

performed well from an operational standpoint. This system is a useful means of animal mortality management for VDOT. It is

recommended that VDOT install several additional forced air system units at maintenance areas interested in this method of

composting.

When the savings in disposal fees and travel costs from composting mortalities in a compost vessel rather than

disposing of them at a facility are taken into account, the initial investment in a compost vessel would be offset in less than 5

years for maintenance facilities with particularly long drives to a disposal facility (25 to 40 miles). This study will be followed

by an in-depth study to evaluate the economics and logistics of in-vessel composting to complete the feasibility analysis of this

method of animal mortality management for VDOT. A composting guidance document will also be prepared to support the

implementation of animal mortality composting at VDOT maintenance facilities.


Format:
PDF
Funding:
101739
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:23cdaf82bde981b756768eb645845fc71b10761d9f1cabcd677f505bbde1b403
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/26079/dot_26079_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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