Quarantine officials cull pigs to prevent the spread of African swine fever in Gimpo, north of Seoul on Sept. 24, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean scientists have discovered a way to efficiently dispose of animal remains by utilizing microorganisms, a state-run institute said Wednesday, paving the way for the country to promptly handle carcasses in case of outbreaks of animal diseases.
Quarantine authorities can utilize microorganisms whose temperature can increase up to 95 C and decompose animal remains while fully destroying pathogens, according to the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry.
“Previous methods of handling animal remains, such as burying or burning, posed environmental issues,” the institute said.
“By utilizing microorganisms, however, we can avoid environmental damages such as the contamination of soil and water,” it added. “We can also use the remains to produce other goods, such as fertilizers.”
The new solution can significantly reduce time needed to handle the remains, as the bodies are decomposed within a month, which is much shorter than the three-year period needed for the burial approach.
“The new method can overcome limits of previous measures, and can be applied in other biotechnology industries ranging from the environment to chemicals as well,” the institute said.
South Korea culled nearly 400,000 pigs this year as African swine fever in early September struck farms across areas bordering North Korea.
Earlier this month, the Imjin River near the inter-Korean border was partly polluted with blood from remains of pigs that were poorly handled during the quarantine operation.
Around 47,000 pig carcasses were piled up on a truck at the burial site of a military unit located inside the civilian control line near border areas until heavy rainfall led to the leak from the remains.
(Yonhap)
