Tyson Explores Profitable Uses For Animal By-products

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Tyson Foods Inc. processes about 40 million chickens a week, leaving behind about one billion pounds of poultry feathers annually.

Typically, the feathers are converted into animal feed but researchers think there could be a more profitable use for the excess fluff.

Feathers are made of keratin, a tough protein fiber that is also found in hair, wool, fingernails and hooves. Feather keratin, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, is a good source of durable fiber, making the material valuable for a variety of manufacturers.

Jeff Webster, group vice president Tyson’s Renewable Products Division, said poultry feathers can be processed in a way that makes them super absorbent, making them ideal for disposable diapers.

Tyson’s business development team is currently looking for the right partners, Webster said, to take the feathers into the product development stage.

The company is also exploring bioplastics, bioadhesives and non-woven materials made from feathers. There is also an opportunity for the development of keratin protein-based products such as shampoo and lotions.

In addition to feathers, several by-products of animal production can be utilized in other industries, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills.

People always wonder what happens with the by-products, Webster said. People think they all go into a landfill but they actually go into various industries, he said, including renewable energy, pet products, nutraceuticals and biotech products.

One initiative currently underway is Dynamic Fuels, a joint venture between Tyson Foods and the Syntroleum Corporation, a Tulsa-based synthetic fuels technology company. A facility is under construction in Geismar, La., that will produce renewable diesel using non-food grade animal fats supplied by Tyson, such as beef tallow, pork lard, chicken fat and cooking grease.

Tyson produces 20,000 barrels of fat per day, Webster said, from processing cows, hogs and chickens. About 300,000 million barrels of fat are produced each year.

Webster said the plant should be complete by the end of the year and ready to begin production in January 2010. The facility will produce about 75 million gallons of synthetic fuel annually, which will be marketed to diesel, jet and military fuel markets.

While ethanol and biodiesel industries use food ingredients such as corn and soybean oil to produce fuel, the renewable diesel initiative has no impact on the food supply.

“It doesn’t take food off the table so it avoids the food-for-fuel debate,” Webster said.

Tyson partnered with Kemin Industries Inc. in 2008 to provide chicken fat for pet food flavorings. The flavorings, known as palatants, will be sold to the North American pet food market. Tyson is also researching other opportunities to utilize chicken breasts, bones and pig ears in pet food.

“There’s an opportunity for us to introduce more products in the future, such as dog treats,” Webster said.

Tyson has also formed a partnership with BioCell Technology LLC, a supplier of a natural Type II Collagen ingredient. Tyson will supply bone and cartilage byproducts, which contain chondroitin and collagen that can be used to make supplements for knee and joint care.

Webster said Tyson is continually developing new ways to turn raw materials into products that can generate revenue for the company.

“There’s a lot of excitement around sustainability and this hits so well right in the middle of all that,” he said.

One of the company’s core strategies, Webster said, is to convert raw materials and by-products into high-margin initiatives.

“We’re being better stewards of what we have and saving costs while we’re doing it,” he said.