Activated carbon from broiler litter: Process description and cost of production

Animal manure continues to represent a significantly large and problematic portion of the US agricultural waste generated yearly. Granular activated carbons made from pelletized poultry litter have been shown to adsorb various positively charged metal ions from laboratory-prepared solutions. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual capital and operating cost estimate using the Superpro Designer process simulation program. In the study, it was assumed that the activated carbon manufacturing facility obtains the poultry litter from various farmers at a cost of $5.50 and $27.50 t−1 for transportation. The carbon manufacturing facility processes 20 t of poultry litter per day and converts it into granular activated carbon for a final carbon yield of 21.6% (dry basis). This facility operates continuously, 330 days of the year. Several parameters were incorporated in the study including equipment sizing, capital costs and operating costs, such as labor, utilities, maintenance and equipment depreciation. The largest contributor to the cost of producing the activated carbon is the $1,200,000 equipment cost of the combined pyrolysis/activation furnace, which contributes about $0.47 kg−1 to the production cost. This study indicates that activated carbon can be produced by this method at a cost of about $1.44 kg−1.