SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 135
The differences in wood consumption mentioned above are essentially
due to the combustion efficiency which is best in the Teri furnace,
good in the Mokshda oven, and poor in the Fuel Efficient Crematorium.
No experimental data exist as far as the mass cremation of corpses in
the open is concerned. However, one may draw conclusions on this important
topic from the incineration of animals which had to be disposed
of on account of their having died or been slaughtered in connection
with infectious diseases.
A number of directives state the corresponding fuel requirements.
However, they cannot be utilized as such, either because they also mention
fuels other than wood (straw, coal, liquid fuels) or because they refer
to the initial layout of the pyre, allowing for the addition of fuel depending
upon the progress of the incineration.
The only reliable data refer to the technical study of the operational
results of the Air Curtain Burner. This device for the cremation of animal
carcasses consists of a burner and a powerful blower, linked to an
enclosure of refractory material or to a ditch into which the carcasses
are placed. Over two days, on 29 and 30 January 2002, two incinerations
were carried out, involving 15 cattle carcasses each per day, for a
total weight of 16.1 tons. The incinerations required 49 tons of timber,
having an average humidity of about 20 percent. 393
Fuel consumption thus was (49÷16.1=) 3.04 kg of timber per kg of
carcass, in spite of the favorable conditions provided by the Air Curtain
System.
This result is confirmed by the observation that “approximately 350
kg of ash is produced per tonne of animal.” 394 Since a typical fresh carcass
contains approximately 32% dry matter, of which 52% is protein,
41% is fat, and 6% is ash,” 395 it follows that one ton of carcass weight
contains (1,000×0,06=) 60 kg of ash, with the remainder of (350–60=)
290 kg stemming from the wood. It is known that, “on the average, the
393 “Investigation into Burning Characteristics of an Air Curtain Burner,”
www.airburners.eu/DEFRA_UK-Air_Curtain_Burner_Report_S-321.pdf.
394 J.A. Mercer, N. Hesketh, J. Hunt, D.H. Oughton, “Burning of carcasses,” http://wwwinfocris.iaea.org/en/w3.exe$EAFull?ID=67#2725.
According to another source, “a typical
pyre for 300 cows,” of a total weight of about 150 tons, produced “15 tonnes of carcass
ash and 45 tonnes of other ash,” altogether 60 tons, i.e. 400 kg of ash per ton of carcass
weight. “Environment Agency North West Region Area. Extracts from Submission
to Cumbria County Council’s Inquiry into the Foot and Mouth Crisis,”
http://cmis.carlisle.gov.uk/CMISWebPublic/Binary.ashx?Document=6837
395 “Carcass Disposal: A Comprehensive Review,” http://fss kstate.edu/FeaturedContent/CarcassDisposal/PDF%20Files/Executive%20Summary.pdf.