Clay minerals are mainly composed of aluminum hydrosilicates. In some minerals, aluminum is completely or partially replaced by Fe or Mg. Alkaline minerals or alkali metals are present as major constituents of clay minerals. While some clay sources may contain a single clay mineral, they often contain different minerals such as quartz, calcite, feldspar, pyrite, etc. as impurities. They also contain organic matter and water-soluble salts. Halloysite is a clay mineral belonging to the kaolinite group and USA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA 4A) declared it as an innocuous/adaptable material to human health and the environment. Halloysite ore deposits are mainly found together with kaolinite and quartz minerals, but can also be found as a pure source. The degree of purity of halloysite ore determines the industrial area where it will be used and therefore its economic value. Since clay minerals are naturally composed of fine particles, it is necessary to disperse the clay particles in suspension to separate halloysite and kaolinite minerals. In addition, there are also fine-grained quartz minerals, and to recover pure halloysite minerals, it is necessary to determine their properties in the fine size fraction. In this study, the dispersion properties of halloysite, kaolinite, and quartz minerals in the presence of sodium silicate (SS), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) dispersants in fine-size fraction (-38 μm) were researched by particle size measurements and mineral separation properties were investigated by sedimentation experiments at different acidic, neutral, alkaline pH values. In dispersion experiments, the d90 values of halloysite, kaolinite, and quartz minerals were 74.0, 50.7, and 61.3 μm without any dispersant addition, and such values decreased to 54.7, 26.3, and 57.1 μm as SHMP increased to 10 kg/ton, respectively. d50 and d10 values showed a significant change for halloysite, while no important change was observed for kaolinite and halloysite. SHMP had the most effect on the particle size change in the dispersants especially on halloysite minerals. The least effect on particle size change was observed in the quartz sample with dispersant addition. The sedimentation experiments aimed to investigate the effects of pH on halloysite, kaolinite, and quartz recoveries in binary systems as settled products. Kaolinite settled more at acidic pH and halloysite at basic pH. There was no pH-dependent change in the settling behavior for halloysite and quartz. In the quartz-kaolinite system, quartz mineral settled more than kaolinite for all pH values. The settling experiments showed the importance of morphological differences between tubular halloysite and lamellar kaolinite minerals.

Halloysite is a type of clay mineral found in the kaolin group together with kaolinite, dickite, and nacrite minerals. Kaolinite is the most common mineral in this group, while dickite, nacrite, and halloysite are rarer. Although halloysite is primarily used in ceramic production, application in other industries is increasing and gaining economic value due to its unique properties. The use of halloysite is determined by the degree of purity and the properties of the nano-sized tubular structure. Naturally obtained halloysite mineral has a key position in the field of nanotechnology due to its unique physicochemical properties originating from its tubular structure. Also, due to its reserves in many parts of the world, halloysite is a more economical material for the sectors compared to artificially produced nanomaterials. And, they find many different application areas because of these features (morphological and physicochemical). Halloysite reserves known in Türkiye are located in the Çanakkale and Balıkesir regions. Although there are many useful studies on halloysite in different, additional studies are needed to understand the nano-sized properties of halloysite ore and to ensure its use that will provide maximum benefit. This study aimed to contribute to the studies on halloysite in terms of literature by compiling studies on the characterization of halloysite minerals, reserve information, physicochemical properties, enrichment methods, and usage areas.

The objective of this research is to study the effects of feed particle size, splitter angle, and washing process on Fe2O3 removal efficiency in the separation of ferrous impurities from halloysite ore by dry magnetic separation in order to increase the purity of halloysite sample after crushing and blunging processes separately. Firstly, after crushing ore in a jaw crusher and sizing to -2+1 mm, -1+0.5 mm, and -0.5+0.212 mm fractions, the sized materials were fed to REMS-type dry magnetic separator at a constant belt speed of 300 rpm with the splitter angles of 0, 15, 30º separately. Maximum Fe2O3 removal efficiency (FRE) (97.1%) was obtained in the nonmagnetic product at -0.5+0.212 mm size fraction and 0º splitter angle. The minimum Fe2O3 content (1.3%) was reached in the nonmagnetic product obtained in the experiment with the feed size of -2+1 mm and a splitter angle of 0º. Secondly, dry magnetic separation was applied to the washed -2+0.212 mm size fraction after drying at room temperature to evaluate the coarse particle-sized halloysite ore that was gained by mechanical dispersion in the aqueous medium towards sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), while a significant part of the clay minerals went into fine size after the dispersion process. In the experiment performed with a 0º splitter angle after washing, it was determined that halloysite concentrate of 0.4% Fe2O3 content could be obtained with 98.8% Fe2O3 removal efficiency. As a result of dry magnetic separation experiments, it was seen that Fe2O3 removal efficiency decreased as the splitter angle increased, while Fe2O3 content in magnetic and nonmagnetic products increased. It was determined that washing and cleaning of fine-sized minerals plastered on particle surfaces after mechanical dispersion and particle release of minerals with different magnetic properties increased the dry magnetic separation efficiency, and nonmagnetic products with very low Fe2O3 (0.4%) and high Al2O3 (31.9%) content was obtained. The blunging process in the presence of dispersant caused the dispersion of clay minerals and allowed to liberating of the ferrous minerals from the halloysite ore, hence the increase in the FRE for the magnetic separation.

In this study, differences in the rheological properties of three different types of brown sepiolites (K1, K2, and K3) along with one beige (B) sepiolite with different physicochemical properties were explained based on their crystallinity and level of surface silanol groups. Towards this aim, SEM images, XRD and chemical analyses, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and water absorption tests were conducted along with surface area measurements and time-dependent pH profiles. The pH profiles at 3% by wt. revealed that each sepiolite sample attained the equilibrium at different times. These differences showed a parallel behavior with the degree of crystallinity. While sepiolite with better crystallinity (K1) was rather slow in reaching the equilibrium pH, the sepiolites with poor crystallinity (B and K3) reached their equilibrium pH more quickly. The rheological studies conducted with different sepiolites at 3% solids concentration exhibited time-dependent flow of the Bingham plastic model and thixotropic. Differences observed in the rheological behavior of sepiolites were found to correlate with the fiber size, CEC, surface area, and water absorption. The results further indicated that sepiolites with low crystallinity or high level of surface silanol groups (K3 and B sepiolites) show the best rheological properties.

In this study, the dispersion properties of pure halloysite, kaolinite, and quartz minerals in halloysite ore were determined in the absence and presence of dispersants (sodium silicate, STPP, SHMP). First of all, the samples were characterized by chemical, mineralogical, BET, FTIR, and TEM analyses. Afterward, the physico-chemical properties of these minerals were investigated by zeta potential measurements and dispersion/sedimentation experiments in the absence and presence of the dispersants. The zeta potential measurements showed that the surface charges of all minerals changed from negative to positive as the PH changed from basic to acidic. The presence of dispersants at natural pHs indicated that the mineral surface charges tended to become more negative as the concentration increased in the zeta potential measurements. SHMP showed the most effect on the zeta potential. In the dispersion/sedimentation experiments, settling was slowed down with the use of dispersants. Finally, the dispersion properties of halloysite ore in the presence of dispersants were explored using mechanical dispersion and pulp viscosity experiments based on the amount of material passing to <38 μm size and the chemical changes in the materials. As a result of the mechanical dispersion tests carried out in the presence of dispersants (sodium silicate, STPP, SHMP), 71.3% of the material with 30.8% Al2O3 and 50.5% SiO2 content passed to <38 μm size without using dispersant, and 73.2% of <38 μm sized material with 35.5% Al2O3 and 46.1% SiO2 content was gained in the use of 7.5 kg/ton SHMP, which was determined as the optimum within the scope of the study. In conclusion, dispersant use enhanced the mechanical dispersion effect for plastic clay mineral separation from hard minerals in an aqueous medium.

In this study, the effects of calcite and mica contents in nepheline syenite (NS) samples beneficiated by high intensity dry magnetic separation and flotation methods on ceramic bodies were investigated in detail.The NS samples were, first, sintered to observe the physical and surface roughness properties, and characterized based on the change of NS samples such as color, shrinkage, water absorption, and surface roughness after the sintering process.L-a-b color and Ra, Rz, Rt values for the NS samples were determined.The decrease in calcite and mica contents affected the surface of sintered specimens positively by reducing roughness values.Additionally, the water absorption values were found to be directly proportional to Ra values for unglazed surfaces.In conclusion, calcite and mica minerals in NS samples negatively affected surface quality by forming pinholes due to dehydroxylation and outgassing reactions in the sintering process.

Clay minerals need to be dispersed with blungers before their utilization in the related industries due to their plastic properties, and size reduction is carried out in a wet medium. Clay minerals also contain impurities such as nonplastic materials in their structure. Mechanical dispersion parameters are important in the separation of clay group minerals (halloysite and kaolinite) from their typical non-clayey gangue minerals (quartz and goethite). In this study, the removal of impurities from halloysite ore obtained from Kızıldam, Turkey, was examined in terms of mechanical dispersion parameters, namely, feed size, blunging time and speed, pulp concentration, pulp temperature, and the aging process. The effect of these parameters on halloysite dispersion was determined by particle size, chemical, and mineralogical analysis, and optical and scanning electron microscope images. The results obtained from the studies of the mechanical dispersing and particle size distribution of the products indicated that the optimum dispersion parameters were determined as −10 mm feed size, 8 h, and 1000 rpm blunging time, and speed, 35% pulp concentration at 25 °C pulp temperature. Under these optimum conditions, a 72.3% amount of −38 μm clay product containing 35.6% of halloysite, 46.5% of kaolinite, 12.0% quartz, 1.9% goethite, 0.9% gibbsite, and 3.2% other minerals were obtained from the halloysite ore, having 30.5% of halloysite, 43.4% of kaolinite, 19.1% quartz, 2.9% goethite, 1.4% gibbsite, and 2.7% other minerals. In this study, it was understood that feed size, pulp concentration, blunging time, and speed were important parameters, while pulp temperature and the aging process had no significant effect on the mechanical dispersion of Kızıldam halloysite. In addition, impurities such as quartz and iron-bearing minerals were separated from the ore by blunging and sieving.

In this study, the iron-rich heavy mineral concentrate production from river sand as a byproduct of an alternative resource by gravity, magnetic separation, and flotation methods were investigated in detail. For the physical separation of the sample and increasing the Fe2O3 content, a shaking table and a wet high-intensity magnetic separator were used, respectively. The gravity and magnetic separation experiments included rougher, cleaner, and scavenger circuits. In the flotation experiments, cationic flotation with ethylenediamine under acidic conditions, and anionic flotation with sodium oleate under alkaline conditions were performed. The iron and silica content of the products obtained were determined by digital image processing (DIP) methods and compared with the classical analytical procedures. Finally, a flow chart was proposed for the processing of the ore according to the optimum enrichment parameters were determined from the experiments. The results obtained in this study show that it is possible to produce an iron-rich heavy mineral concentrate with Fe2O3 grade and recovery rate of 79.13% and 57.81%, respectively, in addition to a potential feed for the production of quartz sand and feldspar concentrates.

Coals generally exist with clay minerals, which are very fine-sized minerals, and adversely affect the flotation of coal. For instance, they make the coal surface hydrophilic by coating coal surfaces and therefore, they inhibit bubble-particle attachment. Clay minerals can also cause over-consumption of reagents due to their high surface area. Additionally, clay minerals can transfer into the concentrate during the flotation process by entrainment because of their low weight and small particle size, and thus, increase pulp viscosity and changing froth stability. In this study, the influence of various clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, and bentonite) on the flotation behavior of coal sample was studied in detail by conventional flotation tests. In addition, the values obtained from flotation tests were correlated with theoretical energy barrier values established with classical DLVO theory based on zeta potential values of coal and clay samples measured at different pH values. According to the results of this study, no significant effect of clay minerals was observed on coal flotation. This was probably because of the high floatability of the coal used for this study. Both the results obtained from the experiments and theoretical analysis, DLVO calculations, showed that the type of clay mineral is the main indicator parameter for coal flotation.

Bu çalışmada, kuru manyetik ayırma yöntemiyle nefelin siyenit cevherinden manyetik minerallerin uzaklaştırılması içerik ve verim açısından değerlendirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Manyetik minerallerin uzaklaştırılması için REMS (Rare Earth Magnetic Separator) tipi bantlı yüksek alan şiddetli kuru yüksek alan şiddetli manyetik ayırıcı kullanılmıştır. Deneysel aşamalardan elde edilen numuneler kimyasal ve mineralojik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Bant dönüş hızı (100, 200, 300, 400 devir/dk) ve besleme tane boyutu (-2+1, -1+0,425, -0,425+0,250, -0,250+0,150 mm) gibi parametrelerin, nefelin siyenit cevherinden manyetik ayırmayla Fe2O3+TiO2 içeriğindeki değişim ve uzaklaştırma verimleri üzerine etkisi araştırılmıştır. Yapılan mineralojik analizlerde manyetik özelliğe sahip mineral olarak bir mika türü olan siderofillit belirlenmiştir. Bant hızı ve besleme tane boyutu azaldıkça Fe2O3+TiO2 uzaklaştırma verimlerinin arttığı görülmüştür. 100 devir/dk bant hızı ve -0,250+0,150 mm besleme tane boyutunda optimum ayırma şartlarında, elde edilen manyetik olmayan numunede toplam Fe2O3+TiO2 oranı %0,06’ya düşürülürken Fe2O3+TiO2 uzaklaştırma verimi %97,3 olarak elde edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak cevheri oluşturan alkali kaynakları albit %44’ten %47’ye, Mikroklin %34’ten %41’e ve demir kaynağı mika mineralleri %12’den %7 düşmüştür. Cevherin beyazlık derecesi (L) 54,61’den 84,89’a yükselmiştir.

Nepheline syenite is an important raw material for ceramic body composition as a melting agent. However, impurities such as iron, titanium, mica, and calcite minerals in nepheline syenite can lead to quality problems on the surface of floor tile because of different sintering properties. Therefore, these impurities should be eliminated from syenite before sintering process to increase its quality while reducing economic and environmental impacts. In this study, it was aimed to reduce impurities of nepheline syenite using dry magnetic separation and flotation methods. The dry magnetic separation results showed that the amount of TiO2+Fe2O3 in the sample decreased from 2.50% to 0.06%. In addition to this, optimum flotation conditions were determined while separating calcite, mica, and further iron bearing minerals from the nepheline syenite by using sequential flotation method. The optimum flotation conditions for calcite flotation were determined as natural pH: 7.9 and 500 g/Mg DER NA7 collector dosage; for mica removal pH: 3.1 and 500 g/Mg Custamine 9024 or A4 collector dosage. After overall mineral beneficiation experiments, albite+microcline mineral content increased from 78% to 97%. In conclusion, a clean concentrate for ceramic body and frit composition quality was gained from nepheline syenite containing high amount of Fe2O3 and TiO2 with dry magnetic separation and flotation experiments.

Flotation of lignites is inherently difficult. However, pre-heat treatment of coal is also known to make coal surfaces more hydrophobic possibly through removal of water entrapped in the structure of coal. In this context, the objective of this study was, therefore, to determine changes in the hydrophobicity of some lignites under moderately controlled heat treatment, and correlate the flotation response of lignites in different salt solutions of NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2 without using any reagent. The results of flotation tests suggested that, under the present test conditions, it was possible to float thermally pre-treated lignite samples of partially hydrophobic character in salt solutions in the absence of collector and frother. In addition, the effect of heat treatment on hydrophobicity, and in turn flotation was explained by a theoretical model based on extended DLVO interactions to quantify the effects of both heat treatment and salt concentration on bubble-particle interactions. The results of theoretical modeling suggested that the removal of hydrogen containing groups from coal surfaces significantly contributed to the electrical double layer and hydrophobic forces that governed the magnitude of energetic barrier and also the extent of bubble-particle attachment.

A total of 800 day-old broiler chicks were assigned to four test diets to assess the efficacy of phytase, fermented from Aspergillus niger, and boron, as boric acid, on the growth performance and mineral profile in chickens. The dietary treatments included the basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with boron (20 mg/kg), phytase (500 phytase units/kg diet), or a combination of boron and phytase. The following parameters were measured: growth performance indices, serum biochemicals, ash and the mineral profile of the tibia, breast muscle, liver and excreta. Boron decreased the overall feed conversion ratio by 1.9% (P<0.05) but did not affect the body weight and feed consumption of chickens grown for 42 days (P>0.05). The performance indices were not significantly influenced by dietary regimens for the first 21 days of the experiment (P>0.05). The addition of boron alone and boron+phytase resulted in significant increases in the boron concentrations of serum, bone, breast muscle, liver and excreta (P<0.001). The serum alanine aminotransferase activity of chicks fed phytase was higher (P<0.05) than all other treatments. The ash content and mineral composition of the breast meat, liver and tibia did not respond to individual or combined dietary modifications (P>0.05). The chickens administered a diet with boron excreted less Cathrough excreta. However, the ash content and Fe and Cu concentrations in the excreta increased in response to phytase supplementation (P<0.05). In summary, supplementation with boron alone improved the feed conversion efficiency of broiler chickens fed diets containing adequate levels of nutrients. However, the combination of boron and phytase did not cause further improvements in broiler performance or the bioavailability of minerals.

The effect of surface roughness and shape factor on behavior of particles in flotation has been investigated. Surface roughness of various degrees was applied on spherical glass beads of 150 + 106 mu m by means of acid etching. The same procedure was also performed on ground glass beads of the same size interval with different shape factors. The effect of these variations on surface morphology of particles was investigated in terms of flotation recovery, contact angle, and bubble-particle attachment. An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used for surface roughness characterizations and a correction methodology on roughness measurements of spherical particles is proposed. A digital image analyzer was used for shape factor characterizations. It is shown that increase in surface roughness improves the flotation recovery, contact angle, and bubble attachment. Shape factor, however, was found to be more predominant in flotation and bubble attachment. This is attributed to the effect of sharp edges of ground particles which triggers the film rupture process and shortens the attachment time. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bottom ash from power plants contains unburned carbon (UC) as a waste, which is a potential contaminant for the environment unless recycled as a source of energy. In the present study, separation of the UC (3.1%) from the bottom ash of a power plant has been studied. The overall grade of combustible matter for the concentrates ranged from 20.6% to 28.8 while the recovery levels varied from 45.7 % to 84.0%. A statistical analysis of the combustible recoveries according to a 3-variable 2-level (2(3)) factorial experimental design, examined the influence of dosages collector (kerosene) and frother (AF65) and also impeller speed. The main effects of all three factors on the recovery are positive. The most important factor is collector dosage, while the frother has a secondary significance. The effect of impeller (conditioning) speed is also statistically significant. Two of the 2-way interaction effects are significant. Recovery of combustible matter increases with an increase in the dosages of kerosene and AF65. The main and interaction effects involving kerosene consistently point out the selectivity of the flotation process for carbonaceous particles, which have been discussed in relation to dispersion and attachment of collector droplets to the particles, interfacial area and probable collecting properties of the frother used.

Bottom ash from power plants contains unburned carb on (UC) as a waste, which is a potential contaminan t for the environment unless recycled as a source of energy. In the present stud y, separation of the UC (3.1%) from the bottom ash of a power plant has been studied. The overall grade of combustible matter for the con centrates ranged from 20.6% to 28.8 while the recov ry levels varied from 45.7 % to 84.0%. A statistical analysis of the combustible re coveries according to a 3-variable 2-level (2 ) factorial experimental design, examined the influence of dosages collector (kerosene) and f rother (AF65) and also impeller speed. The main eff ects of all three factors on the recovery are positive. The most important facto r is collector dosage, while the frother has a seco ndary significance. The effect of impeller (conditioning) speed is also statistically significant. Two of the 2-way interaction effects are significant. Recovery of combustible matter increases with an increase in the dosages of kerosene and AF65. The main and interaction effect s involving kerosene consistently point out the selectivity of the flotation process for carbonaceous particles, which have been discuss ed in relation to dispersion and attachment of collector droplets to the particles, interfacial area and probable collecting properties of the frother used.

In this study, performance and carcass characteristics of slow-growing broiler chicks, reared in organic or conventional systems, and fed a diet with an essential oil mixture (EOM, 48 mg/kg diet), were evaluated in the autumn and spring seasons. The rearing system affected several performance indices, including body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR), but not mortality, within a high statistical significance at 42 and 81 days of age. However, this was observed only from 1 to 42 days in the spring trial. Dietary administration with EOM worsened the FCR at 42 and at 81 days of age in the autumn trial, but not in spring. Organically reared slow-growing chickens consumed less feed mixture per unit of body weight gain, but attained a higher final weight compared with those kept indoors. However, the effect was more pronounced in autumn, which displayed cooler temperatures and robust plant cover availability (i.e. lucerne and trifolium). The carcass yield and cut-up carcass yield were not affected by the rearing system, but EOM diet supplementation increased breast yield only in the spring. The results suggest that autumn conditions promote efficient organic chicken production in the subtropical climatic zone. The amount of herbage consumed represented up to 10% and 3% of the birds’ daily protein and ether extract requirements, respectively. Supplementing the diet with a mixture of plant essential oils did not support the hypothesis that phytogenic compounds may favourably affect gut function and poultry performance. Keywords : Broiler, carcass characteristics, essential oil, organic, performance

1. Two experiments were designed to determine the effect of dietary boron (B) in broiler chickens. In Experiment 1, a 2x4 factorial arrangement of treatments was used to investigate the effect of dietary calcium (Ca) and available phosphorus (aP) (adequate or deficient) and supplemental B (0, 20, 40, and 60mg/kg diet). In Experiment 2, B, at 20mg/kg, and phytase (PHY) (500FTU/kg diet) were incorporated into a basal diet deficient in Ca and aP, either alone or in combination.2. The parameters that were measured were growth performance indices, serum biochemical activity as well as ash and mineral (i.e. Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Cu and Zn) content of tibia, breast muscle and liver.3. Results indicated that both supplemental B and dietary Ca and aP had marginal effects on performance indices of chickens grown for 42d.4. There were positive correlations (linear effect) between B concentrations of serum, bone, breast muscle and liver and the amount of B consumed.5. Serum T-3 and T-4 activities increased linearly with higher B supplementation.6. Increasing supplemental B had significant implications on breast muscle and liver mineral composition. Lowering dietary Ca and aP level increased Cu content in liver and both Fe and Zn retention in breast muscle. Tibia ash content and mineral composition did not respond to dietary modifications with either Ca-aP or B.7. The results also suggested that dietary contents of Ca and aP do not affect the response to B regarding tissue mineral profile. Dietary combination with B and PHY did not create a synergism with regard to growth performance and bioavailability of the minerals.

The efficacies of 5 widely used dietary supplements were investigated on performance indices, fecal oocyst excretion, lesion score, and intestinal tract measurements in healthy and Eimeria spp.-infected birds by using a comparative model. This study included 2,400 sexed Ross 308 broiler chicks that were equally divided in 2 groups: the infected group, experimentally infected with oocysts of mixed Eimeria spp. at 14 d of age, and the healthy controls. The birds in both groups were further divided equally into 6 groups, of which one was fed a basal diet and served as control without treatment and the other 5 served as experimental treatments. These 5 groups were fed 5 diets containing preparations of 60 mg/kg of anticoccidial salinomycin (SAL), 1 g/kg of multienzyme (ENZ), 1 g/kg of probiotic (PRO), 1 g/kg of prebiotic (PRE), and 40 mg/kg of an herbal essential oil mixture (EOM). Body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed significant improvement in the infected animals, which indicates that dietary supplemental regimens with SAL, ENZ, PRO, and PRE initiated in 1-d-old chicks reduced adverse effects after challenge with coccidiosis; however, chicks that were administered EOM failed to show such improvement. Uninfected chickens showed significant improvement in FCR with supplements SAL, PRE, and EOM, which signifies significant (P < 0.01) infection by supplement interactions for BW gain and FCR. In the infected group, all of the supplements reduced the severity of coccidiosis lesions (P < 0.01) induced by mixed Eimeria spp. through the middle and lower regions of the small intestines, whereas supplementation with SAL or EOM alone was effective (P < 0.01) in reducing oocyst excretion compared with the control treatment. The data indicated that use of these subtherapeutically efficacious supplements (except EOM) in broiler production can lessen the depression in growth due to coccidial challenge.

Organic broiler chicken production has recently received more attention worldwide. This study carried out an economic analysis to compare the profitability of organic versus conventional growing systems per unit of broiler meat production. In this study, 400 slow-growing broilers (Hubbard Red-JA) were reared in an organic production system and the same number of fast-growing broilers (Ross-308) were reared in a conventional system. Profitability was deduced from an economic analysis that compared total costs and net income. Results showed that organic broiler meat can cost from 70% to 86% more with respect to variable and fixed costs when compared with conventional production. The main reasons for the higher cost of organic broiler meat were feed, labor, certification, and outdoor area maintenance. The proportion of fixed costs in total costs was 1.54% in the conventional system and 7.48% in the organic system. The net income per kg of chicken meat in the organic system was €0.75, which is 180% higher compared with the conventional system (€0.27); however, organic broiler meat was sold at a twice as high price than the conventional one. In conclusion, organic broiler meat production was more economical than conventional rearing.