Anaerobic Digestion of Poultry Litter: A Review

Poultry litter is an excellent example of how a source of organic nutrients became an expensive problem in concentrated poultry producing areas due to nutrient imbalance at the farm and regional scale resulting in water quality impairment in some watersheds. Recently, anaerobic digestion technology, which is a proven solution for waste reduction and energy production for dairy, swine, and other organic wastes, has been proposed for poultry litter utilization. Although anaerobic digestion is widely studied for many organic and agricultural wastes, it is less understood for poultry litter (combination of manure, spilled feed, feathers, and bedding material). This review presents a detailed analysis of anaerobic digestion of poultry litter in terms of technology and optimization techniques, goals of poultry litter disposal, and economics. The review suggests that anaerobic process does not fulfill the goal of poultry litter nutrient disposal problems. While selecting any alternative option for a given region, one must consider the goals of poultry litter disposal for that area.