A Dutch installation transforms substantial volumes of poultry manure into renewable electricity and a mineral fertilizer product. The BMC Moerdijk plant has run since 2008 and handles roughly 420,000 tonnes of manure supplied each year by about 400 farms. Manure arrives daily at an average rate of 1,250 tonnes and undergoes controlled high-temperature combustion above 850 degrees Celsius. Heat produces steam that powers a turbine and generator, yielding around 600 kilowatt-hours of net electricity per tonne. Output meets the supplying farms’ requirements and supplies the equivalent of 45,000 households, with annual gross production near 292,000 megawatt-hours. After burning, the remaining ash is processed into a phosphate-potassium fertilizer containing approximately 10 percent phosphate and 13 percent potassium plus calcium, magnesium and trace elements. The product is free of pathogens and shows low levels of heavy metals, allowing safe return of nutrients to fields growing potatoes, maize and cereals. Research from Wageningen Environmental Research has confirmed the ash’s nutrient value and soil compatibility. The long-operating facility demonstrates combined energy recovery and nutrient recycling from agricultural waste on a European scale.
