FBC Plant FAQ.

No, bhsl’s patented technology has been designed to utilize raw, unprocessed litter, direct from the poultry house, avoiding additional costs such as drying or pelletising. Current on farm poultry manure as a fuel regulations expressly forbid adulterating the fresh litter in any way.

Although primarily developed for poultry manure, bhsl’s FBC system is capable of handling a variety of high volume, low calorific materials. Please call us regarding alternative opportunities.

Hot water generated by the system is pumped to houses through a network of super insulated pipework. Heat exchangers within the house are tied to existing house controllers and provide a source of clean, dry heat as required. The system also does not produce the water vapour and combustion gases associated with conventional LPG and Natural Gas heaters.

Fluidised Bed Combustion, is a tried and tested method. Warm air is blown through a bed of material- like sand – that takes on the properties of a fluid as it agitates and bubbles. This is ideal for mixing a high moisture, variable feedstock, to ensure both efficient combustion and reduce potential for clinkering, which can foul and block up other furnaces. Only bhsl has patented FBC technology for the use of poultry manure on farms.

Yes. See our page on Regulation.

FBC units are designed to meet the needs of the specific farm, but in general flow rates are between 5-10 tonnes per day.

No, bhsl’s patented technology can easily handle moisture content up to 45%. Once installed, future batches of chickens are grown on considerably drier litter around 30% or below, through optimizing ventilation and removing the need for combustion inside the house.

Due to it’s nature, combusted poultry litter creates considerably more ash by product than a wood burning system, twenty times as much ash. This valuable, nutrient rich by-product is a bonus, but conventional woodchip boilers are not designed to handle this much material. In addition, bhsl is the only technology that has so far met the European Union’s high environmental standards. bhsl’s FBC is the ONLY system currently licensed in Europe to use poultry manure as a fuel on farm.

With the exception of a few hours per week to check and maintain basic functions, such as replacing ash bags, the system is entirely automated, with 24/7 remote monitoring and control from our operations centre. A preventative maintenance program is scheduled between flocks, to ensure smooth running and optimum performance.

Litter is removed from the poultry house and directly placed into a specially designed biosecure store room, preventing double handling. Inside the store is an automated feeding system to the FBC. The store is maintained under negative pressure to ensure there is no odour or potential for pathogens to creep back to the main farm.

Generally speaking current FBC units can heat four or more poultry houses, depending on size. The unit uses approximately half of the litter produced by the birds, to provide heat and drive higher ventilation, increasing fresh air, and drying capabilities.

Farmers use more heat than before, as they now have an abundance of heat from their own fuel source. This means houses can be heated sooner, improving disinfecting efficiency. Additional heat is also used later through the crop to support greater ventilation, improving bird health and welfare from drier floors and fresher air. We expect to announce shortly a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution, which will generate electricity in addition to hot water.

Firstly, bhsl’s FBC unit is the ONLY system designed specifically to meet the rigorous environment associated with using raw poultry litter as a fuel. It is the ONLY system licensed under new EU regulaton that is allowed to use poultry litter on farm. bhsl’s fully automated system, that does not depend on regular farm staff intervention, meets extensive safe emission standards and requires no additional feedstock, is technologically more sophisticated than competitors machines.

bhsl machines in the field have proved reliable and we have more than 170,000 running hours as of May 2019 to attest to this. However, they are not sized to meet the heating needs of the very coldest winter when chicks are young (this would leave much of the machinery redundant at other times of year). Therefore, back up LPG burners are provided as an integral part of the solution. This has the benefit of using the installed heating network when additional heat is required.

Yes.