Thermal destruction of animal mortality refers to high temperature combustion of carcasses using incinerators and air curtain burners that use fuels such as wood or propane.
The objective of carcass thermal destruction is to properly destroy and dispose pathogen-contaminated carcasses. Low throughput capacity (150-200 pounds of combustion per hour) incinerators are generally sufficient for the disposal of routine mortality on the farm.
Specially designed fixed or mobile incinerators are used for thermal destruction and disposal of massive animal mortality. High temperature (>1800 OF) incinerators are used to combust carcasses infected with prion diseases such as Scrapie, Chronic Wasting Disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease). Mobile incinerators such as air curtain burners use high volume of air flow to combust carcasses. These burners have a higher carcass throughput capacity than fixed incinerators but may not generate high enough combustion temperatures to destroy prion diseases.
Burning of carcasses in open fields (open air burning or pyre burning) is a low temperature carcass combustion method that is illegal in some states and not recommended for mortality management. This method does not destroy prion diseases, presents greater fire and safety hazard and contaminates the environment.
