Sustainable valorization of slaughterhouse solid waste : A review of characterization, conditioning, hydrolysis and biotransformation strategies
Jiménez-Urpi, Montserrat (Benviro)
Carbonell Chacón, Sergi (Benviro)
Jubany, Irene (Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya)
Suárez Ojeda, María Eugenia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental)
Baquerizo, Guillermo (Universidad Iberoamericana (Mèxic))

Date:	2025
Abstract:	The meat processing industry generates significant quantities of waste, including solid animal by-products (ABPs) and slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW). For instance, based on global meat production in 2020 (approximately 250 million tons), slaughterhouse activities can generate up to 2250 million m³ of SWW and around 375 million tons of ABPs annually. While SWW is typically treated on-site using conventional technologies, ABPs are managed in external facilities employing traditional methods such as incineration, landfilling or rendering. These practices not only intensify environmental and health issues but also hinder the potential of valorization of ABPs into high-value products. Recent advancements in biological processes have explored the transformation of ABPs into valuable products, such as biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD), predominantly at lab-scale. However, the hydrolysis of ABPs remains a critical bottleneck due to their complex composition and high organic content, requiring extended processing times and large reactor volumes, which limit industrial-scale applications. This review evaluates current and emerging practices for the treatment and valorization of slaughterhouse waste, with a focus on transforming these residues into high-value products, promoting sustainability in the meat industry. This study identifies and characterizes ABP fractions suitable for biological processes and emphasizes the role of waste conditioning and hydrolytic strategies aimed at enhancing the efficiency of biological based processes. Key factors influencing hydrolysis performance are discussed alongside the integration of pretreated waste in industrial AD process. The review provides a critical analysis of existing methods, highlighting their gaps, and identifies opportunities to optimize biological waste conversion for sustainable and high value bioproduct generation.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2021-126102OB Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/DI-00116 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-515
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Slaughterhouse waste ; Waste characterization ; Hydrolysis ; Anaerobic digestion ; Sustainable waste management ; Animal by-products (ABPs)
Published in:	Journal of environmental chemical engineering, Vol. 13, Issue 6 (December 2025) , art. 118879, ISSN 2213-3437

DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2025.118879

15 p, 3.3 MB

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Articles > Published articles