Recycling of meat and bone meal animal feed by vacuum pyrolysis

Due to the recent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in the European beef industry, the use of animal-derived products to feed cattle is now severely restricted. Large quantities of waste animal meat and bone meal (MBM), also known as animal flour, have to be safely disposed of or transformed. One disposal option is pyrolysis. Vacuum pyrolysis of an animal flour sample has been performed in a laboratory reactor. The results obtained revealed that vacuum pyrolysis can be an attractive alternative to incineration and cement kilns. The process generated a combustible gas (15.1 wt %), a high calorific value oil (35.1 wt %), a solid residue rich in minerals (39.1 wt %), and an aqueous phase rich in organics (10.7 wt %). The gas and the aqueous phase can be used to provide heat to the vacuum pyrolysis reactor and the MBM drying unit. The oil can be used alone or mixed with petroleum products as a fuel in boilers or gas turbines. Conversion of animal waste by pyrolysis into fuels can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. It is suggested to use the solid residue for agricultural soil enrichment in minerals and as a soil moisturizer.