The Witte Company is pleased to announce that Gulf coast agricultural Co-Op, in partnership with the US Department of Commerce in the state of Alabama, has selected the highly efficient Witte fluid bed drying system for its eco-friendly seafood byproduct processing facility in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
The plant will receive shrimp and crab hulls from local seafood processors and then remove moisture from the material by a screw press system before drying it in a highly efficient gas-fired fluid bed dryer that operates using biogas generated in the process. The dried material will be containerized and sold initially as an organic fertilizer. The plant is capable of processing more than 5,500t of shrimp and crab waste annually. The 13,000ft² facility was designed by engineering firm CFM Group of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The building will have eco-friendly aspects, including solar collectors, use of natural lighting, and the capability to produce bio-genic methane to power the plant.
“It’s a great project that will solve environmental and economic issues. The Co-Op will be able to sell the by-product initially for fertilizer and, hopefully, eventually to the pharmaceutical industry for the chitin inherent to the crab and shrimp hulls. The environment will benefit because the crab and shrimp waste will no longer have to be land-filled, and seafood processors will forego those fees, immediately adding to their bottom line,” said Walton Kraver Sr., CEO of Jubilee Foods and chairman of the Co-Op.
