P&J Products

This gasification project was designed to expand on
the knowledge gained and data gathered from
Coaltec's Phase One Renewable Development Fund
(RDF) project funded by Xcel Energy, and other
projects. It is located at P & J Products, a turkey farm
near Northfield Minnesota, run by John Zimmerman
and his mother Karen. They raise approximately
three million pounds of turkey annually that produce
2,100 tons of turkey litter (manure and shavings).

The gasification system was installed in early April
2009 and was initially running to eliminate manure
and produce biochar. The modular-designed gasifier
was assembled in seven hours, the electrics were
completed on the third day, and the refractory was
being cured by the fourth day. The system was
running as designed with turkey litter as the fuel on
the fifth day. A heat exchanger and hot oil system
were installed in March of 2010 to provide heat to the
turkey houses. The complete feed and ash removal
system was installed in August of 2010

A small turbine will be added to produce
electricity and a portion of the heat generated
from the system will be used to provide warmth
in the turkey houses. This heat will replace the
conventional method of using propane heaters
to maintain the required temperatures in the
houses. While the reduction in cost of propane
can be easily measured, another of the project’s
goals is to be able to quantify the improvement
in animal health and growth. This increase is
due to the superior environment supplied by the
clean air from the gasification system versus the
moisture-laden heat from the propane heaters.

The next stage of the project will be to evaluate the
energy production and byproducts as viable sources of
income. The measurement of the value of the system in
each of these areas is critical to the determination of the
success of the project and the commercial value of the
system. There are various revenue streams or cost
avoidance components to be quantified, including:

• Zeolite will be incorporated as a feed additive in a ration
that is Generally Recognized As Safe by the FDA. Initial
testing demonstrated a higher level of nitrogen retained in
the litter when zeolite was added to the feed.

• Manure handling costs – the value of manure as a
saleable product (which is the current status at P & J), or
the cost associated with disposal (which is the situation in
many regions) are determined by the cost to handle and
transport the material. This cost must be quantified to
determine the value of drying or gasifying the manure.
• Value of manure versus value of dried product as a
fertilizer versus value of biochar/ash product after
gasification.
• Cost and risk associated with mortality disposal versus
including them in feed of gasifier.
• Cost avoidance of propane heat of turkey houses by
replacement heat from the gasifier.
• Improved bird health, growth, and feed rate by improved
environment due to clean dryer air from gasifier versus
higher moisture irregular temperatures by propane heaters.
• Value of power generated – kWhrs produced and price.
• Amount of labor involved in operating system versus
operating the houses with the current method.
• Value of carbon credits and potential value of biochar.
• Evaluation of different potential operating scenarios –
use of corn stover and wood waste as fuel, value of
manure as ash or as dried fertilizer, etc.

It is thought that the most beneficial economic value for
the project will be from the sale of the pathogen-free
biochar ash (see www.biochar-international.org for
additional information on biochar and its many benefits,
including carbon sequestration).

New upscale subdivisions are being built near the P & J Products site. There is some concern that
in the future, land application of litter may not continue to be an accepted practice. As multi-
generational turkey growers with a strong commitment to the industry, the Zimmerman’s are
partnered with Coaltec in this gasification project in an effort to proactively assure that they remain
good neighbors in their community.

The turkey industry produces millions of tons of
manure and litter annually. In some areas,
Minnesota notably, turkey litter is considered to be
beneficial when land applied; in others, nutrient
loading of the soil from land application of litter is
the grower’s biggest challenge. For instance, in
the Chesapeake Bay Area, land application of
manure is stringently regulated to prohibit nutrient
loading; it can be very costly to dispose of the litter
through transportation out of the area. Other
regions of the country have fewer restrictions but
encounter strong environmental pressure to reduce
land application.