Esbro Poultry transforms wastewater into renewable energy with AECO-FAT

Project’s context & challenges

As sustainability, energy efficiency and resource recovery become increasingly important within the food industry, Esbro Poultry, one of the leading poultry processors in the Netherlands, sought to unlock additional value from its wastewater streams.

Poultry processing wastewater contains significant concentrations of fats, oils and grease (FOG). Traditionally, these valuable resources end up in sludge streams, contributing to disposal costs, higher chemical consumption and increased operational expenses.

To improve both environmental and economic performance, Esbro partnered with Nijhuis Saur Industries to implement AECO-FAT technology. The objective was to recover valuable fats from wastewater sludge, reduce operational costs and create a renewable energy source from what was previously considered waste.

Key figures

15,000 heads/hour

Processing capacity

1,170 m³/day

Wastewater flow

1 m³/day

Recovered fat

40-50%

Expected sludge reduction

Solution

Nijhuis Saur Industries delivered a complete AECO-FAT resource recovery installation designed to recover valuable fats from poultry wastewater streams before they enter the conventional wastewater treatment process.

The solution combines advanced fat flotation, separation and recovery technologies to maximize fat extraction while reducing sludge production and chemical consumption. The recovered fat can subsequently be reused as a renewable energy source, supporting Esbro’s sustainability ambitions and reducing reliance on external energy supply.

By integrating resource recovery directly into the wastewater treatment process, the project demonstrates how industrial wastewater can become a source of both environmental and economic value.

Customer benefits

Renewable energy generation from wastewater

The AECO-FAT installation recovers approximately 1 m³ of fat per day, creating a valuable energy source with a calorific value of 38.7 MJ/kg. The recovered energy is equivalent to roughly 70% of Esbro's energy demand.

Reduced operational costs

By recovering fats before conventional treatment, Esbro is expected to achieve a 40-50% reduction in sludge production and a 40-50% reduction in chemical consumption, significantly lowering wastewater treatment costs

Fast return on investment

The combination of reduced sludge disposal costs, lower chemical usage and recovered energy results in an expected payback period of only 1.5 to 2 years

Supporting circular production

The project demonstrates how wastewater can become a valuable resource. Rather than treating fats as waste, Esbro now recovers and reuses them as part of a more circular and sustainable production process

Turning poultry wastewater into renewable energy with AECO-FAT – Esbro B.V.