Assessing the Economic Viability of an Animal Byproduct Rendering Plant: Case Study of a Slaughterhouse in Greece

Abstract

Continuous human population growth has led to increased livestock production and hence large quantities of animal byproducts. One of the oldest and most efficient animal byproducts processing techniques is rendering, which facilitates the recovery of resources in the form of fat and protein flour. The purpose of this study is to provide data for the feasibility of rendering as a treatment method. The case of a Greek slaughterhouse is presented, regarding its animal byproduct treatment process through rendering and incineration. Three different waste management scenarios are compared, with rendering proving to have a lower operational cost (€51.80/ton) compared to incineration (€74.10/ton), and rendering followed by incineration (€72.13/ton). The rendering process is then compared with other established animal byproduct treatment methods like composting and anaerobic digestion through the analytic hierarchy process, in terms of environmental, economic, and technological efficiency, with rendering (having a final score of 72%) proving once again superior compared to composting (with a score of 54%), and anaerobic digestion (with a score of 55%).

A Circular Economy Investigation Into Treatment Technologies Available for the Disposal of Slaughterhouse Derivatives

“…Other processes such as composting could be used to produce soil improvers and soil fertilisers and pyrolysis for the production of bio-oil, biochar, and syngas [3], [37], [38]. Gelatine, collagen, and other valuable materials could also be extracted from slaughterhouse derivatives, including the hides and skins of fallen or slaughtered animals [39], [40].…”

“…Animal feed, soap, candles, biofuels (biodiesel and biogas), grease [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [48], [7], [52], [39]…”

Characterization of the variations in the industrial processing and nutritional variables of poultry by-product meal

“…In this way, these ingredients present an important contribution to industrial ecology, in which waste from one step of the production chain is used as a source of raw materials for a subsequent step (rendering facilities) and contributes substantially to reducing the environmental impacts of the sector ( Jayathilakan et al, 2012 ; Zagklis et al, 2020 ).…”

Valorization of Agro-Industrial Residues: Bioprocessing of Animal Fats to Reduce Their Acidity

“…Until 1950s, little fat was used in the production of animal feed, and the protein meal by-product was applied to the land as a fertilizer. This was because the nutritional benefits of the rendered by-products were not well known, and neither were the nutritional needs of domestic animals [1,4]. The main purpose of the rendering industry is to provide an essential flow for animal by-products, transforming them into a wide variety of products and thus creating a source of potential revenue.…”

“…The main purpose of the rendering industry is to provide an essential flow for animal by-products, transforming them into a wide variety of products and thus creating a source of potential revenue. This way, they contribute to reducing resource use, avoiding health problems and disposal costs of these bio-wastes, and creating environmental credits for the entire system [4]. In rendering, the animal residues are dried, yielding a fat and a protein meal [1].…”