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The New Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Incinerator

Image: Amber Riffo

Increased ease and efficiency

The recent completion of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) allowed EH&S to begin operating a new pathological waste incinerator. Opened in March 2024, the incinerator advances how the university handles its pathological waste.EH&S’s certified operators have managed the incinerator at the Veterinary Medicine campus since 1974. The original incinerator has seen numerous changes and retrofits to meet safety standards and the university’s needs in its 50 years of operation, so the new unit brings excitement and relief. The new incinerator was designed to fit the space in the VDL and includes modern upgrades.

The new unit and permit will accommodate the university’s growing incineration demand. In 2023, the university burned 343,772 pounds of waste, an average of just over six tons a month. It peaked at nearly 47,000 pounds in March 2023. Other notable upgrades and changes include a dedicated incinerator dock, enclosed office space in the incinerator room, and improved storage.

The unit began operation in December 2023, and EH&S staff are perfecting the procedures to make it operate as desired. EH&S continues to work with designers and construction crews to upgrade some equipment to meet its needs.

Calibration of the incinerator's computer system. The loading dock is returning to its position in the floor.
Photo of the waste removal bay beneath the VDL incinerator's burning chamber.
Door into the burning chamber of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory incinerator.
Photos of the incinerator and facility features at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
  • Ashes dumped beneath the VDL incinerator

    Easier work for operators

    Instead of manually shoveling the unit weekly to remove ash into barrels, the new hydraulic system uses two rams to move ash from the primary chamber into a rolling dumpster. Additionally, there are fewer obstacles between the coolers and the incineration room, and the scale is now closer to the loader, which are improvements that make maneuvering heavy carts significantly easier for operators.

    • Interior of the VDL incinerator's burning chamber

      Increased burning capacity

      Boasting six burners and under-fire air for better combustion, the unit burns waste more efficiently and is permitted to burn up to 1,200 pounds per hour, an increase from the 1,080 pounds permitted for the old unit. The permit also allows for batch incineration, including the option to burn a whole animal carcass up to 2,400 pounds.