## MEMORANDUM

TO: Don Anderson, EPA/EAD
FROM: Betsy Bicknell
DATE: March 8 , 20 11
SUBJECT: Byproduct Yield Assumption for Alaska Seafood Processing Cost Estimate

EPA/ EAD has t asked ERG to estimate the cost of alternative waste management strategies for seafood processing facilities in certain areas of Alaska. One of these management strategies is the production of fish meal and fish oil from seafood processing waste. As discuss ed in Alaska Seafood Processing Costing Scenarios and Assumptions: Revised Draft (February 14, 2011), for the purpose of the cost estimates ERG will assume :

**•** Fish meal and fish oil are produced from salmon waste generated during the summer salmon season;

**•** Th e fish meal and fish oil products are commodity grade, meaning that all of the salmon waste is used in their production (and not, for example, just the salmon heads);

**•** The process used is a conventional fish meal process and includes evaporation and recover y of the stickwater, as depicted in the ANCO

- Eaglin Rendering Plant Proposal, February 13, 2011. A key factor for estimating the net cost of producing byproducts from seafood processing is the yield of fish meal and fish oil. Using y ield (kg of byproduct/ 1,000 kg of waste processed) , price information , and shipping costs ERG will estimate the income that would result from operating the byproduct recovery process. ERG consulted several sources to identify product yields. Fish oil yields are presented in Ta ble 1 and fish meal yields are presented in Table 2. These yields are discussed , by information source, below.

**•** E.C. Jordan, 1979. Reassessment of Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Canned and Preserved Seafood Proc essing Point Source Category. P. 169 discusses the yields used in EPA’s original analysis of byproduct recovery. Meal yield, presumed to be 25 percent, and o il yield, presumed to be 8 percent were obtained from manufacturers ’ literature and other sources, "familiar with conversion of fish waste to meal and oil

. "

**•** EPA’s 2010 Questionnaire for Canned and Preserved Seafood Processing Facilities in Certain Locations in Alaska . Among other things, the questionnaire asked facilities with

### Memorandum: Anderson February 23, 2011 Page 2 onsite byproducts plants to report the annual fish meal and fish oil production for the peak year between 2005 and 2009 (Q. B

- 18). It also asked for the total pounds of raw material used for byproduct production, broken out by waste generated onsite and waste received from offsite facilities (Q. B

- 19). Four facilities provided information about fish oil production from salmon waste. Production reported by one plant as gallons was converted to pounds by assuming 7.7 pounds/gallon 1



### • ANCO

- Eaglin, February 13, 2011. ANCO

- Eaglin, a byproducts equipment manufacturer and supplier, provided an estimate of oil production from a hypothetical 25 MT/day plant. This estimate was based on information provided by an ANCO

- Eaglin client and is the highest value of all the values ERG collected. This suggests that ANCO

- Eaglin may have misinterpreted the client’s estimated oil yield, or based the yield on high

- oil waste, not total waste. . Facilities were not asked to describe the waste the y converted to oil. Plants that processed fish heads, which contain more oil than other fish w astes, would have higher yield than plants that process combined fish waste. Two facilities provided information about production of salmon meal from salmon waste

.

**•** Nicklason, Stitzel, et al., 2010. Montlake Process for Utilizati on of Salmon Processing Waste in Alaska, from “ A Sustainable Future: Fish Processing Byproducts ” (Bechtel and Smiley, ed.). Figure 2 in this paper presents the estimated material flow for salmon cannery waste processing using the Montlake process. The auth ors estimate 4 kg oil would be obtained from 200 kg heads. The yield in Table 1 is calculated based on 4 kg oil from 300 kg total salmon waste. Meal yield is calculated from total waste; it is unclear if stickwater is recovered with the meal or in a separa te gelatin product.

**•** Bimbo, 2010. Alaska Seafood Byproducts: 2008 Update on Potential Products, Markets, and Competing Products from “ A Sustainable Future: Fish Processing Byproducts ” (Bechtel and Smiley, ed.). To estimate the value of fish oil and fish meal Alaska seafood processing waste, Bimbo assumes “ a 5:1 conversion ration of fish waste to fish meal ... [and that] ... fish oil yi e ld would be... 2% of the total waste.”
Table 1: Fish Oil Yields
Source Yield (kg/1,000 kg) Comments EC Jordan, 1977 (p 169) 80 From manufacturers literature and other sources, "familiar with conversion of fish waste to meal and oil" Plant 1 (Questionnaire Response) 3 3 Calculated from questionnaire reported oil production and raw material processed
Plant 2 (Questionnaire Response) 20 Calculated from questionnaire reported oil production and raw material processed . Production reported in gallons; assumed 7.7 lb/gal to calculate yield. Plant 3 (Questionnaire Response) 70 Calculated from questionnaire reported oil production and raw material processed Plant 4 (Questionnaire Response) 26 Calculated from questionnaire reported oil production and raw material processed ANCO

- Eaglin Proposal 11 4 From unspecified client

1 1 Salmon oil density from www .aqua
- calc.com

### Memorandum: Anderson February 23, 2011 Page 3
Nicklason, et al 2010 (p 228) 13 Calculated from total waste, though only heads would go through oil recovery
. Based on heads alone, yield is 20 kg/1,000 kg Bimbo, 2010 (pp 12,13) 20 Generalized value for all Alaska species 

### Table 2: Fish Meal Yields
Source Yield (kg/1,000 kg) Comments
Plant 1 120 Calculated from questionnaire reported salmon meal production and raw material processed
Plant 2 180 Calculated from questionnaire reported salmon meal production and raw material processed ANCO

- Eaglin Proposal 20 0 From unspecified client EC Jordan, 1977 (p 169) 250 From manufacturers literature and other sources, "familiar with conversion of fish waste to meal and oil" Nicklason, et al 2010 (p 228) 140 Calculated from total waste; unclear if stickwater is added to meal or separate gelatin fraction Bimbo, 2010 (pp 12,13) 200 Generalized value for all Alaska species


### To put these estimates in context, Smiley et al estimate that the weight of total solids (protein, ash, and oil) is on the order of 25% of wet byproduct. As shown in Tables 1 and 2, fish oil yields range from 1.3 to 11% while fish meal yields are 10% to 20 % of the weight of raw waste processed (though meal weights include a varying and unspecified amount of moisture). Conclusion . ERG concludes that Bimbo’s values (fish oil 2% and fish meal 20 % of raw waste processed) are reasonable estimates of salmon byproduct yields. These values are consistent with Smiley’s estimate of the weight of solids in the raw waste. Although several sources have higher oil yields, they may be calculated based on the weight of a high

- oil waste pr ocessed instead of total waste (which will be the basis of ERG’s calculations). Some sources have lower meal yields, but it is not clear if these processes included recovery of stickwater proteins. Because the ANCO

- Eaglin process we will used as the basis for costs estimates includes stickwater recovery, ERG concludes that using a somewhat higher fish meal yield is appropriate.

## Density of Fish oil, salmon

in 152 measurement units The search criteria examples: gold - select entries whose names contain the word gold gold* - select entries whose names start with the string gold *gold - select entries whose names end with the string gold

* - select all materials, substances and food items 

### (average density at standard atmospheric conditions )



## from 1 to 1 of 1 Fish oil, salmon
Name Density mass per  microgram

(μg) milligram

(mg) gram (g) kilogram

(kg) tonne (t) ounce (oz) pound (lb) slug (sl) Unit of Volume Fish oil, salmon (4593)

Calories per 100 grams or ≈3.527

ounces: kilo calories (kcal) kilo joule (kJ) From Carbohydrate: 0 0 From Fat: 902 3 773.97 From Protein: 0 0 Total: 902 3 773.97 921.432119 0.921432 0.000921 9.214321 × 10 -7 9.214321 × 10 -10 3.3 × 10 -5 2 × 10 -6 6.313816 × 10 -8 cubic millimeter

921 432.11912 921.432119 0.921432 0.000921 9.214321 × 10 -7 0.032503 0.002031 6.3 × 10 -5 cubic centimeter
921 432 119.12 921 432.11912 921.432119 0.921432 0.000921 32.502562 2.03141 0.063138 c ubic decimeter 921 432 119 120 921 432

119.12 921 432.11912 921.432119 0.921432 32 502.561463 2

031.410093 63.138156 cubic

meter
921 432.11912 921.432119 0.921432 0.000921 9.214321 × 10 -7 0.032503 0.002031 6.3 × 10 -5 milliliter

921 432 119.12 921 432.11912 921.432119 0.921432 0.000921 32.502562 2.03141 0.063138 l iter

4 607 160.5956 4 607.160596 4.607161 0.004607 5 × 10 -6 0.162513 0.010157 0.000316 metric teaspoon
13 821 481.7868 13 821.481787 13.821482 0.013821 1.4 × 10 -
5 0.487538 0.030471 0.000947 metric tablespoon
230 358 029.78 230 358.02978 230.35803 0.230358 0.00023 8.12564 0.507853 0.015785 metr ic cup

15 099 567.1077 15 099.567108 15.099567 0.0151 1.5 × 10 -
5 0.532622 0.033289 0.001035 cubic inch 

### Page 1 of 2 Fish oil, salmon density in 152 measurement units

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...weight to volume

volume to weight 26 092 051 969.4 26 092 051.9694 26 092.051969 26.092052 0.026092 920.370048 57.523128 1.787873 cubic f oot

704 485 402 990 704 485

402.99 704 485.40299 704.485403 0.704485 24 849.991327 1

553.12446 48.272584 cubic yard

4 541 666.66565 4

541.666666 4.541667 0.004542 5 × 10 -6 0.160203 0.010013 0.000311 US teaspoon
13 625 000.0246 13 625.000025 13.625 0.013625 1.4 × 10 -
5 0.480608 0.030038 0.000934 US tablespoon

27 250 000.0492 27 246.747762 27.246748 0.02725 2.7 × 10 -
5 1.032004 0.0645 0.001867 US fluid

ounce 218 000 000.578 218 000.000578 218.000001 0.218 0.000218 7.689724 0.480608 0.014938 US c up

436 000 000.234 436 000.000234 436 0.436 0.000436 15.379447 0.961215 0.029875 US pint

872 000 000.468 872 000.002311 872.000002 0.872 0.000872 30.758895 1.922431 0.059751 US quart

3 487 999 998.19 3 488 000.0074 3 488.000007 3.488 0.003488 123.03558 7.689724 0.239004 US gallon 

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