Treatment of Slaughter Sub products: High Health Risk Classification

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest producers and exporters of food in the world, but faces significant challenges in agricultural production, especially in relation to dependence on imported fertilizers. By-products of animal slaughter, condemned by the Health Inspection System (SIF) during the slaughter process, are classified as Animal By-products (ABPs) with a high health risk (Cat1). Cat1 ABPs cannot be used for human food or animal feed, even after being treated by rendering. This biomass is rich in nutrients but presents an imminent risk of pathogenicity. Heat treatments at high temperatures (>2500 C), in the absence of oxygen, are more efficient at controlling pathogens. This study aims to discuss the opportunity to recover nutrients from ABPs Cat1 from the Brazilian meat production chain as potential biomass for the production of biofertilizers. Pyrolysis shows signs of denaturing pathogens, as it converts the biomass in a controlled environment above 5000 C. The results indicate that every year Brazil misses out on the opportunity to recover tons of phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) from the biomass of Cat1 ABPs in landfills. This is in addition to the health risk and environmental impact associated with the main source gas of organic biomass decomposition, methane (CH4), which is 80 times more polluting than carbon dioxide (CO2). Waste management is the main challenge to achieving nutrient recovery in the Brazilian meat chain.