title: The effect of chicken blood and its components on wastewater characteristics and sewage surcharges.
abstract: Local wastewater treatment authorities levy surcharges from their non-residential customers that are based, in part, on the concentration of various pollutants in the customer's wastewater. Blood has long been recognized as the most potent contributor to pollutant loads in chicken processing plant wastewater. Quantification of the impact of blood on wastewater characteristics and sewage surcharges is hindered by lack of information on specific characteristics of chicken blood, and by the highly variable methods used by local authorities for calculating surcharges. In this study, the most commonly used wastewater characteristics are determined for whole chicken blood as well as its individual components. The characteristics measured include biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, fats oil and grease, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ammonia, and total phosphorus. Sewage surcharge calculation methods were collected from 71 local wastewater authorities. The results show all components of the blood to be extremely high-strength pollutants. The impact of blood on sewage surcharges is shown to be highly variable depending on the rates applied by the local authority.
authors.affiliation: Biobased and Other Animal Co-products Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA rafael.garcia@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Biobased and Other Animal Co-products Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nieman
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 1340 Elings Hall, Ames, IA 50011-3270, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Haylock
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 1340 Elings Hall, Ames, IA 50011-3270, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Rosentrater
authors.affiliation: Biobased and Other Animal Co-products Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Piazza
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood*; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: blood; by-product; chicken; sewage surcharge; wastewater