Bioresource Technology 41 (1992) 235-245

Materials Flow and Possibilities of Treating Liquid and Solid Wastes from Slaughterhouses in Germany. A Review
W. P. Tritt & F. Schuchardt
Institute of Technology, Federal Research Centre of Agriculture, Bundesallee 50, W-3300 Braunschweig, Germany (Received 18 August 1991 ; revised version received 30 October 1991 ; accepted 5 November 1991 )

Abstract

The task of treating and disposing of residues and wastes and~or of purifying wastewater is faced by slaughterhouses worldwide. Legislation on regulating the treatment of refuse and wastewater is not (yet) uniform, but the aims of protecting and preserving the environment can be seen clearly in all laws and regulations. Germany makes high demands in environmental matters, so that an account of future concepts Jbllowing from them may serve as an example .for all countries, at least regarding the essential features, notwithstanding a possible standardization (~r example in the framework of the European Community).. Key words: Slaughterhouse, wastewater, wastes, anaerobic treatment, composting.

INTRODUCTION In the Federal Republic of Germany some 4-86 million head of cattle, 0.64 million calves and 38.93 million pigs were slaughtered in the year 1988 (Wiethrlter, 1989). Based on an average live weight of 550 kg in cattle, 175 kg in calves and 100 kg in pigs, this meant a total weight of slaughtered animals of 7.07 million tonnes. There are some 1.77 million tonnes of residues and wastes produced during slaughter and further processing, which corresponds to 25% of the total weight of slaughtering animals (Baller et al., 1982). Legislation on the disposal of carcasses (Anon., 1975) provides, in principle, for the orderly disposal of the slaughtering wastes, slaughtering byproducts

and confiscates (materials that must (eyes, stomach, genitals, etc.) or may be (diseased tissues, etc., condemned after slaughter) removed for separate disposal via carcass-disposal plants). Under this legislation not only carcasses but also parts of them (such as blood, bristles, feathers, hides, skins, horns, claws, bones and wool) are to be disposed of by the carcass-disposal plants. However, since it is impossible for technical and organizational reasons to retain these residues completely, some of them get into the wastewater system together with the process water. The residues separated in the wastewater by physical means, such as screenings, fat and flotation tailings, as well as the stomach and intestinal contents and the manure, are materials that the slaughterhouses bear sole responsibility for disposing of. The classification of slaughterhouse wastes as hazardous wastes, valid since 1990 (Anon., 1990b, c,d), and the tightening of wastewater regulations from 1991 by resetting the contamination parameters and increasing payment rates (Anon., 1990a) will lead to a sharp increase in the costs of treatment and disposal. For many slaughterhouses this means in the short and medium term that wastewater purification plants will have to be reviewed or newly planned. In addition to this there is the task of developing economically viable and ecologically acceptable concepts for processes, process combinations and/or disposal plants for treating the wastes and disposing of the solids-rich substrates. The necessary substrate-specific values have been drawn up both for the primary liquid and solid residues and wastes occurring during slaughter and processing and for the secondary solids-rich substrates separated from the wastewater.

235 Bioresource Technology 0960-8524/92/S05.00 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd. England. Printed in Great Britain

236

W. P. Tritt, F, Schuchardt

For the tasks of t r e a t m e n t and disposal in the f r a m e w o r k of wastewater purification and waste t r e a t m e n t possible c o m b i n a t i o n s of processes and alternative principal chains are shown, special attention being given to new concepts whose individual processes have p r o v e d successful with other substrates but are not yet the standard for slaughterhouses. WASTE PRODUCTS

removal and rumenal-residues d e h y d r a t i o n are described with regard to a m o u n t and c o m p o s i t i o n in Table 1.

Description of the liquid and solid residues and wastes T h e liquid and solid residues and wastes occurring in a slaughterhouse are l u m p e d together, s o m e t i m e s with s o m e simplification, as 'materials flow'. Besides the waste flows occurring in the vehicle washing, animal sheds, slaughtering and tripery d e p a r t m e n t s , the residues f r o m triping, and the residues f r o m screening, flotation, grease

Residues from vehicle washing and from the sheds T h e residues occurring in the transport vehicles and in the sheds are c o m p o s e d of excrement, urine and b e d d i n g (e.g. straw). It is especially o n these materials that very few data, if any, have b e e n received, so that the animal-specific a m o u n t s and the c o m p o s i t i o n of e x c r e m e n t and urine had to be assessed o n the basis of figures f r o m animal keeping. Based o n an a m o u n t of e x c r e m e n t and urine of approximately 3"9 and 7.0 k g / d in the case of pigs and approximately 15 and 60 k g / d in the case of cattle (fattened oxen, fattened cows) (Bailer et al., 1982) and an average waiting time for the animals at the slaughterhouse of 12 h ( C o e n e n & K a m p h u e s , 1981), figures result as in Table 1.

Table 1. Amount and composition of liquid and solid residues and wastes from a slaughterhouse
Substrate Amount (a) per pig (b) per head of cattle Composition

Straw/manure Excrement and urine (liquid manure)

0"5-3 kg/animal (a) 2"0-3"5 kg"

(b) 7-5-30 kg"

Washing down and cleaning water Slaughtering water Blood

Approx. 100 litres per delivery vehicle (3 min cleaning time), water consumption high-pressure cleaner approx. 0"5 litre/s (a) 100-300 litres a.' (b) 500-1000 litres a,' Total: (a) 4-6 litres ~,',J (b) 20-35 litres~,',~ Retained: (a) 3.4 litres J (b) 15-3 litres a Unavoidable losses: (a) Approx. 0"5 litre' (b) Approx. 2.0 litres'

C/Nratio: approx. 30 DM: 6-10%;ODM: 77-84%ofDM" C/N ratio: 9-15" BODs: approx. 30 000 mg/litre b Nitrogen: 6.7 g/litre" Potassium: 3-7 g/litre" Phosphorus: 5'8 g/litre" Calcium: 4.5 g/litre a Magnesium: 0-8 g/litre" DM: 10-12%;ODM: 77-85%ofDM" C/N ratio: 9-15" BODs: approx. 15.000 mg/litreh Nitrogen: 4.7 g/litre" Potassium: 5"9 g/litre" Phosphorus: 2"4 g/litre" Calcium: 2"5 g/litre" Magnesium: 0.6 g/litre a BODs: 10 000-20 000 mg/litre'

BODs: 1 000-2 800mg/litre' BODs: 1 500-3 250mg/litre a COD: 375 000 mg/litreg BODs: 150 000-200 000 mg/litre",',J DM: 18-20%;ODM: 96% of DM Crude protein: 680-790g/kgDM Crudefat: <50g/kgDM Nutrient salts: 100-110 g/kg DM Organic acids: 80 mg/litre Organic N: 30 g/kg NH4-N: 2 g/kg

Materials flow and possibilities of treating liquid and solid wastes

Table 1.-- contd.

237

Substrate

Amount (a) per pig (b) per head of cattle

(a) (b) (a) (b) Approx. Approx. Approx. Approx. 22 kg" 77 kg ~ 0.91 kg ~ 4"76 k g ' DM: 20%; fat:

( 'omposition

Slaughtering wastes/ slaughtering byproducts Confiscates Bristles, claws

15%'

(a) 0'4-0'5 kg je Bristles: 0.25-0.6 kg(depending on season) (b) 1.8-2.4 kg j, (a) Approx. 9'5 kg ' (b) Approx. 66"2 kg"

Bristles: DM: 76%; ODM: Crude protein: 950 g/kg DM Crude fat: 20 g/kg DM

98"/,,of DM

Bones

DM: 57%:ODM: 63% of DM Crude protein: 360 g/kg DM Crude fat: 220 g / k g D M COD~ea: approx. 2"800 mg/litrc BODs,~,~: approx. 2-000 mg/litrc e Settlable solids: approx. 14 ml/litre

Tripery wastewater: Intestinal contents Fat sludge Intestinal mucus Wastewater Rumenal and pig stomach contents

(a) 2.5-2-8 kg k-~ (b) Approx. 18 kgJ (a) Approx. 0"4-0"6 kg (b) 1.2-1.8 kg ~ (a) Approx. 0-75 kg' ib) Approx. 1.8 k g ' Approx. 5000 litres/100 intestines (a) 0-4-1.6 kg ...... (b) 4 0 - 8 0 kg"

DM: 12-15%;ODM: 8 0 - 8 4 % of DM ...... DM: l l - 1 3 % ; O D M : 80-87%ofDM" C/N ratio: 17-21 Crude protein: 105- 173 g/kg I)M" Crude fat: 15-31 g/kg D M " Crude fibre: 256-391 g/kg DM" Nitrogen: 20-22 g/kg DM" Phosphorus: 5-6 g/kg DM" Potassium: 4-5 g/kg DM ~' Calcium: 6-8 g / k g D M " Sodium: 9-15 g/kg D M " Magnesium: 0.8-1 g/kg DM" COD: 500-10 500 mg/litres'~ BODs: 300-6 100 mg/litrc'~ Sed. solids: 1-60 ml/litre'~ COD: 300-600 g'~'/ BODs: 200-350 gJ ' Sed. solids: 8-425 g'~ COD: 600-25 000 mg/litres (max. 60 000 mg/litre)'~,v BODs: 500-11'500 mg/litre'~ Sed. solids: 30-150 ml/litre'~ COD: 1400-5000 g J'~ BODs: 1000-3500 g,~,,l Sed. solids: 60-4800 g '~ COD: 1000-6000 mg/litrc (max. 20 000 mg/litre) 'e...... BODs: 1000-4000 mg/litre (max. 10 000 mg/litre) '~.... pH: 6-5-10 '~-'t ~' T: 20-35C/'v~ TKN: 250-700 mg/litre(max. 950 mg/litre) NH4-N: 200-300 mg/litre P: 80-120 mg/litre Sed. solids:: approx. 10 ml/litre

Total wastewater

(a) 200-600 litres"P,~ 58-620 litres'~

(b) 1000-1500 litres"P,,~ 4 0 0 - 3 1 0 0 litre'~

(a) and (b)

Screenings ( 1-0-25 mm screen aperture) Fat/flotation tailings (from flotation)

Pig slaughter: Cattle slaughter:

DM: DM:

0.15-0.30 g/litre 13.0-15.0 g/litre

DM: 10-20%; '.,~ODM: 9 5 - 9 9 ' % o f DM COD: 300 0 0 0 - 4 5 0 000 mg/kg NH4-N: 0"5 g/kg DM: 5 - 2 4 % ; O D M : 8 3 - 9 8 % of DM COD: 95 0 0 0 - 4 0 0 000 mg/kg

(a) 0.5-4-5 litres (b) 4.0-24.0 litres

238 Table 1 . - contd.

Substrate

W. P. Tritt, F. Schuchardt

Amount (a) per pig (b) per head of cattle

Composition

Fat/flotation tailings (contd)

(a) and (b) 10-20 litres/m 3 wastewater

Fat (from greasetrap)

1% of live weight enters wastewater as grease,J of which 60% is retained in grease trap (= 6 g/kg live weight)

Crude protein: 200-548 g/kg DM Crude fat: 177-440 g/kgDM Organic acids: 20 g/kg DM NH4-N: 0.2 g/kg Phosphorus: 9 g/kg DM Potassium: 0"5 g/kg DM Calcium: 6 g/kg DM Sodium: 2.5 g/kg DM Magnesium: 0"6 g/kg DM COD: 600 000-800 000 mg/kg DM: 35-70%;ODM: 96% of DM Organic acids: 22 g/kg DM NH4-N: 0'7 g/kg Sand: 20%' Wasteflesh: 15% (20% bounded fat)' Free fat: 15%' Soapable oils and fats: 250 mg/litreq DM: 1.4-6.5%;ODM: 1.1-5.2%ofDMg," COD: 10 000-80 000mg/litre",~ BODs: 2'500-3-500 mg/litre",g Protein: 300 g/kg DM w Phosphorus: 300mg/litreW Organic acids: 7.000 mg/litre NH4-N: 300 mg/litre Potassium: 1000-3000 mg/litre w Calcium: 90 mg/litre " Sodium: 2000-3000 mg/litre ~ Magnesium: 40 mg/litre " DM: 25-30%;ODM: 80-90%ofDMs," C:N ratio: 11-20 Minerals: 53-103 g/kgDMg Fat: 25-83 g/kgDMU Protein: 71-111 g/kg DM Crude fibre: 757-825 g/kgDMg Phosphorus: 4.6 g/kgDMW Potassium: 4.9 g/kg DM w Calcium: 5"3 g/kg DM ~ Sodium: 9"5 g/kgDM ~ Magnesium: 0"8 g/kgDMW

Liquid phase (fresh rumenal contents

(b) 0'5-0'6 m3/m3 rumenal contents ~,u

Solids (fresh rumenal contents

(b) 0.4-0.5 m~/m3rumenal contents g,"

"Anon. (1989). hStrauch et al. (1977). ' Jfippelt & Neumann (i 985). 'JATV Leaflet M767, (1988). ~Grosse Frie (1984). fLiebmann (1970). gTritt (1989b). iMiinch (1978). iBaller etaL (1982). kStephan (1983). /Neumann ( 1986 b ).

mSchuchardt (1989). "Tritt (1989a). "Tritt & Kang ( 1991 ). 'Sixt (1979). qSchiissler (1985). rSteiner & Kandler (1983). ~'G6rner (1980). 'B6hm (1990a, b). "Zimmermann & Eggersgliil3 (1986). "Eggersgliil3 & Zimmermann (1986). WKamphues (1980).

Total wastewater

T h e total w a s t e w a t e r of a slaughterhouse is in m o s t cases m a d e up of the slaughtering wastewater, the tripery w a s t e w a t e r and the washingd o w n and cleaning water (see Fig. 1 ). T h e specific a m o u n t s of w a s t e w a t e r and c o n t a m i n a t i o n loads

related to the animals slaughtered and p r o c e s s e d vary widely a m o n g slaughterhouses: they d e p e n d on the o n e hand on the degree of further processing of the slaughtered animals, in particular on the degree of processing o f the stomachs, r u m e n and intestines in the tripery, and on the o t h e r hand

Materials flow and possibilities of treating fiquid and solid wastes

2 39

.~..

I 1 I~,~e
'~_

.....

~LX:jhtedng

.....

jp:

s~tor

byp~od

- - -

- [S1omact)

conte~ts

--{

Press water

Pressed solids

Fig. 1. Materialsflow of liquid and solid residues and wastes in slaughterhouses,and possibledisposal systems: r'--"l process step. ~ ~ primary and intermediate matter, ramification.

on the quality of measures to retain the solid and liquid slaughter residues. The greatest part of the contamination is caused by blood (even with proper handling blood losses of about 2 litres per head of cattle and 0-5 litre per pig can be expected) and by stomach and intestinal mucus. Whereas the rumenal contents are retained as a rule in the tripery, the intestinal contents and pig stomach contents are mostly washed down and get into the wastewater. From the tripery comes 30% of the total wastewater and of the organic contamination. Loaded with solid and dissolved organic substances the total wastewater of a slaughterhouse is characterized, in particular, by fats and proteins and their degradation products, such as volatile organic acids, amines and other organic nitrogen compounds. Carbohydrates (glucose, cellulose), too, arc present in the wastewater in dissolved, or colloidally dissolved, forms. The COD/BODs ratio is about 2"7 to 2"9 (Bailer etal., 1982; B6hm, 1989). Since slaughterhouse wastewater, in principle, also contains disease-causing agents, it must give rise to concern from the epidemiological point ~f view (B6hm, 1990a). Especially on account of the increased temperatures, the wastewater shows a strong tendency towards microbial decomposition and is a good breeding ground for germs. The increases in wastewater temperatures (see Table 1) occur especially when the scalding tanks are emptied. With regard to an aerobic/anaerobic wastewater treatment particular attention must be paid to the presence of disinfectant and cleaning agents in the wastewater.

Slaughter waste, slaughter byproducts and confiscates

Contrary to the definitions contained in the legislation above of slaughter wastes, slaughter byproducts and confiscates, blood, bristles, claws and bones are listed separately (Fig. 1). The amount of confiscates contained in Table 1 do not include animal loss in transport. Transport losses are put at 0-4% in the case of pigs and 0"02% in the case of cattle (Grosse Frie, 1984). Only in exceptional cases should disposal of the above residue and waste material in a carcass-disposal plant or special processing plant be dispensed with.

Blood
To largely retain the blood is by far the most important internal measure of the slaughterhouses in reducing wastewater pollution. It requires technical precautions to ensure sufficient bleeding of the animals (Borowski & Michel, 1986). The blood is first collected in blood tanks and then transported by special vehicles for further processing in carcass-disposal plants or special processing plants. The data given in Table 1 on composition refer to fresh blood. What is said later on slaughtering wastes, slaughtering byproducts and confiscates applies in general to the anaerobic treatment of blood.

Rumen and stomach contents

The rumen and stomach contents are, together with the blood, at the focus of the disposal prob-

240

W. P. Tritt, F. Schuchardt

lems. Processing them into animal fodder, for example via the carcass-disposal plants, is forbidden under the law on fodder (Anon., 1987) and the regulations governing fodder (Anon., 1981) in the Federal Republic of Germany. The problems of contamination of the residues and wastes to be processed in carcass-disposal plants by rumen, stomach and intestine contents have been pointed out (Lurch, 1990a, b, c; Niemann, 1990). The overwhelming part of the rumen content is material containing lignocellulose (such as hay, straw, grass, etc.) and the digestive ferments present in the rumen. Untreated rumen content must be classed as epidemiologically dubious. The rumens, even after the slaughter of healthy cattle, have been found to contain somewhat rare salmonella types as well as bacteria, viruses and parasites (e.g. worms) in numbers that are alarming from the epidemiological point of view (Jochemczyk, 1986; Zimmermann & Eggersgliil3, 1986). In addition a number of foreign bodies are to be found in the rumen contents. These have been introduced into the rumen for veterinary reasons or have got into the rumenal contents by feeding or during the slaughter process and they can lead to considerable disturbances or damage to plant during further processing. They include, among other things, sand, stones, rope, thread, magnets, metal cartridges and flesh fragments. Investigations into the heavy metal components of rumen content showed that these were usually below the permitted level (EggersgliJl3 & Zimmermann, 1986) and thus far below the limits set under the fertilizer and sludge regulations. Because of the smaller weights, pig stomach contents are not as a rule collected and disposed of separately but, where the stomachs are opened, washed down with the tripery wastewater. Where there is a larger number of slaughtered pigs the amount of waste is worth collecting and disposing of in the tripery itself.
Screenings Some of the solid residue and waste materials, such as flesh and skin fragments, rumen, stomach and intestinal contents, bristles, hair and horn, bone and hoof fragments, get into the wastewater flow. The amount and composition of the solids retained in the screening plant depends on the process, the rake fineness or screen aperture and the sequence of processes in the total flow pattern. In Table 1 only a few data can be given on these materials, since at present there are no results of systematic investigations.

Flotation tailings and grease trap residues If there is a tripery attached to the slaughterhouse, then because of the high proportion of fat in these parts of the wastewater flow a grease trap and/or flotation should be installed. While only the fats in undissolved form can be separated with the grease trap, flotation additionally eliminates suspended material and colloidally dissolved protein substances. Thus flotation produces improved grease removal. The flotation tailings occurring, in relation to the solid substance content, are characterized by a relatively high protein and fat content. In the flotation tailings, because of the high protein and water content, there is a rapid growth of saprophytic microbes. The residues of grease removal and the fat-rich flotation tailings are subject to rapid decay, so that as a result of the putrefaction process organic acids are formed, which make processing difficult and lead to higher production costs. The processing of residues of grease traps and flotation plants into, among other things, industrial greases in special processing enterprises (Anon., 1990e) or, as far as separate processing lines are installed, in carcass-disposal plants (Lurch, 1990d) is already practised. Reprocessing these wastes into fodder is not possible (Anon., 1981, 1987). Pressed solids and press water from the separation of rumen and stomach contents Independently of the subsequent disposal stage (Fig. 1) dehydration of the rumen and stomach contents is necessary. Whereas practical experience has been gathered in the separation of rumen contents (Zimmermann & Eggersgliil3, 1986), dehydration of pig stomach contents is at present not carried out in slaughterhouses. The data on substances given in Table 1 for rumen contents are independent of the given press, in particular the pressing principle, and of screen aperture size and the pressing pressure. The pressing causes an uneven distribution of the solid components in the pressed materials and the press water (liquid phase). While the nutrient and mineral concentrations in the solid phase decrease as the dry matter (DM) increases, the organic dry matter (ODM) in relation to the dry matter is of the same order as in untreated rumen content. The press water is a grey-green colloidal suspension with low viscosity. In its consistency it corresponds approximately to semi-liquid pig manure and must be classed as organically highly contaminated (Table 1). The organic contamination increases as the pressure increases, since

Materials flow and possibilities of treating liquid and solid wastes

besides the free water more liquid is pressed out of the food residues (Zimmermann & EggersgliiB, 1986). The nitrogen in the press water is present for the most part in an organically bound form. According to Zimmermann and EggersgliiB (1986) it can be assumed that the ammonium, nitrate and nitrite in the press water are negligible. Sedimentation experiments in accordance with the Standard DIN 38409 have shown that phase separation takes place very quickly (15 min) and completely. The proportions of settlable substances are independent of the DM content at between 25 and 100% by volume.

241

meal, bonemeal, etc.) (Neumann, 1986a), thus fultilling the utilization regulations laid down by law (Anon., 1986). A disturbance of the link between slaughterhouses and carcass-disposal plants fixed by the law should be avoided if possible, because removing the residues and wastes to the carcassdisposal plants is the most inexpensive solution for the slaughterhouses. Ecologically harmful disposal practices no longer admissible under the latest legislation (e.g. depositing waste on dumps or on agricultural land) will not be considered further. Anaerobic wastewater purification The choice of a better alternative -- to pay wastewater charges or to (partially) purify wastewater -- has to be faced anew by enterprises of the meat industry every time existing regulations are amended. The use of anaerobic techniques presents itself as a solution since on the one hand slaughterhouse liquid wastes, on account of their composition and contamination concentration, are very well suited to anaerobic pretreatment and on the other hand it is possible to reduce the highest contamination found in such wastes. The advantages associated with anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters include: -- considerable reduction of the concentration of impurities in the water; -- low excess sludge production; -- biologically stable excess sludge; -- no odour emission; -- production of energy-rich gas that can be used in slaughtering as a substitute for conventional primary energy. Although these advantages have been brought out and documented in publications (Martin, 1990), findings in this field have been applied on a large scale in industry only in the United States and Europe (Tritt, 1990). Whereas in earlier years preference was given to the use of the activatedsludge process, in the further course of development processes with an improved biomass (fixed-bed reactors) came to the fore. The associated higher space-time yield contributes considerably to the economic viability of such plants. The steps in treatment suggested in Fig. 1 prior to the anaerobic stage are not mutually conditioning in every case, but the combination of these steps must be coordinated with a view to the anaerobic process used and its purification output. Experiments with only screened (screen aperture 2mm), homogenized slaughterhouse

WASTE PROCESSING Combinations of processes, and principal chains, for the treatment and disposal of liquid and solid residues and wastes Figure l shows., besides the flow of primary materials from the slaughtering process and the secondary materials from the waste and wastewater treatment phases, possible principal chains resulting from the combination of the individual processes. The borderline between pretreatment of the liquid and solid wastes on the slaughterhouse site and external purification or treatment is rather fluid, depending on local conditions. Physical processes used for wastewater treatment, such as coarse material removal, grease removal and flotation, or the presses used for dehydrating rumen contents, or aerobic wastewater treatments will not be dealt: with further here. These processes have been used successfully for years in slaughterhouses, so that experience has been gained on dimensioning and operational safety iZimmermann & Eggersglfil3, 1986; ATV Seminar, 1990). On the disposal phase of anaerobic pretreatment of slaughterhouse waste and wastewater it must he noted that the principle of not mixing solid and liquid wastes unnecessarily before further treatment also applies to liquid and solid slaughterhouse wastes. The role of the carcass-disposal plants and of the special processors in the framework of an ecologically desirable concept of disposal for the materials occurring in slaughterhouse wastes, byproducts and confiscates is in general desirable, because the wastes can then, after sterilization (3 bars, 133C, 20 min), be processed into useful products (such as carcass meal, animal fat, blood

242

W. P. Tritt, F. Schuchardt

wastewater in laboratory and pilot-scale fixed-bed reactors (V= 5.5 litre or 2.8 m 3) have shown that with COD loading rates between 1 and 4 kg/m 3 d a COD removal efficiency of 7 3 - 9 5 % can be achieved. A two-stage process in the treatment of the wastewater seems not to be useful. Preacidification does not lead to the desired conditioning of the substrate since, due to the dynamics of the buffer system in the wastewater, as a result of the formation of bicarbonates and the mineralization of the nitrogen, and the changes in the pH value dependent on these processes, only a low acid production takes place and no acid mixture emerges that would be useful for the methane stage. The desired extent of purification in a preliminary anaerobic stage depends on the subsequent aerobic purification stage. According to the aim of the particular recipient, parameters of the effluent quality (carbon degradation, nitrification, denitrification) and the appropriate C : N ratio (ATV Report, 1987) must be guaranteed in the outflow of the anaerobic reactor. This means that an anaerobic plant must not be designed for the full purification output, with regard to the BOD 5 or COD, in every case but must rather be adapted to the requirements of the subsequent aerobic stage. If necessary, part of the wastewater flow should be led directly to the aerobic stage. During the above pilot-scale experiments the C O D : N ratio in the reactor outflow was between 4-1 : 1 (LR,cOD ~ 2 kg/m 3 d; HRT ~- 4 d) and 6.7 : 1 (LR.cOD = 4 kg/m 3 d; H R T = 2 d).
Anaerobic treatment of solid materials Removal of the solids-rich wastes from slaughter and of residues from wastewater treatment has always been a problem for slaughterhouses with regard to disposal costs. As a rule these partly dehydrated substrates have been taken to domestic refuse-disposal sites. However, the costs for this kind of disposal are between 35 and 130 deutschmarks per tonne, although in comparison with other methods it has been the least expensive solution. Other possibilities of disposal were not known or were not sufficiently developed for large-scale use. For instance, the costs for the treatment of the flotation tailings in the digester of a municipal sewage plant are between 80 and 120 DM/t, while the costs for the disposal of fat and flotation tailings using a special processing plant can be up to 250 DM/t. However, a problem here is to find a suitable sewage plant or specialist enterprise.

One consequence of the latest legislation and regulations for slaughterhouses is that in future they may not deposit such wastes on sites, since they cannot show that they are impossible to utilize. Treatment as 'special waste' would no doubt be too expensive for the slaughterhouses. Experience gained in practice shows that up to 600 D M / m 3 must be spent for burning the wastes or treating them as special wastes (Lurch, 1990b). Biomethanization of solid residues such as rumen and stomach contents and screenings and of solids-rich substrates such as rumen press water, flotation tailings, grease trap residues and the excrement and urine mixture from the sheds can compete very well with the disposal methods mentioned above, on account of the energy potential of such wastes. It does presuppose, however, that a suitable reactor system can be provided. The control of the formation of a floating scum and the guarantee of safe treatment of substances regarding foreign bodies in the substrate are cardinal problems in this connection. Whereas there is already some experience of the anaerobic pretreatment of slaughterhouse wastewater in largescale reactors, so far only one industrial-scale plant for the methanization of rumen contents is known, in Greinsfurt (Austria)(N6bl, 1990). This, however, has had to be closed and reconstructed because of technical problems. The first largescale plant in Germany for the methanization of rumen press water and flotation tailings is an aerobic reactor being built on the site of the slaughterhouse in Hamburg (Tritt, 1990). The results and experience gained with these two reactors are not yet known and will presumably be forthcoming. The first results of a research and development project on the methanization of fresh rumen contents in a completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) (V= 25m 3) on a pilot scale have already been obtained. The dry matter content (DM) in the reactor is kept at 70-80 g/litre. The gas productivity with a retention time of 39d can be put at 1"4 m3/m3d. The methane content of the gas is about 60% by volume. Further experiments with batch reactors (V= 3 litre) to find out the anaerobic degradation behaviour, the substratespecific methane yields, the maximum degradability and the substrate decay rates of flotation tailings, grease trap residues, rumen press water and screenings have shown suitability in principle and possible energy gains. Control of the fluidmechanical properties of the substrates used in a pilot-scale or large-scale reactor has yet to be demonstrated.

Materials flow and possibilities of treating liquid and solid wastes

243

In Fig. 1, besides the substances suitable for anaerobic pretreatment, the possible combinations of processes involved are also shown. Dependent on the subsequent stages of treatment (such as composting the solid materials) and/or the substrates used and their mixing ratio, separation of the solid materials is to be carried out before or after the anaerobic treatment. For the dehydration of fresh or also anaerobically pretreated rumen contents reciprocating or screw presses have turned out to be successful in various slaughterhouses or in experiments (Zimmermann & Eggersgliil3, 1986). Since neither a mesophilic (Jochemczyk, 1986) nor a continuous-thermophilic Marchaim, 1988) process in an anaerobic reactor leads to a positive decontamination of the substrate, the starting material must subsequently be given hygienic treatment. Apart from a thermophilic batch process and the well-known physical and chemical processes (B6hm, 1989), composting in this connection is a suitable process. One interesting combination is a prior biomethanization accompanied by mechanical phase separation (e.g. pressing) and subsequent composting. The advantages of mass and volume reduction involved in anaerobic treatment, apart from obtaining energy, can be combined with obtaining valuable materials in the form of marketable compost material. Over and above this, anaerobic pretreatment leads to a minimization of expenditure on capturing and treating the outlet air to remove the odours given off as a result of the open handling of wastes and composting. Against the background of the present costs mentioned above for the disposal of solid slaughterhouse wastes, economic viability of an anaerobic plant in connection with composting could easily be achieved, even without marketing the composted material.

Composting
On the basis of the new legal requirements on slaughterhouse wastes mentioned above, composting comes to the fore as an integrated, or even sole, disposal method. The fact that rumen contents are composted by only nine slaughterhouses in the 11 Federal States of former Western Germany (figures from 1986) (Zimmermann, 1986) can be ascribed both to lack of knowledge of the compostability of this material and to the more convenient and, until 1991 in some cases, cheaper possibility of disposal by dumping. With the exception of the dung occurring in the sheds and during vehicle washing no material from a

slaughterhouse fulfils a priori the necessary conditions for optimum composting. Rumen and stomach contents and screenings contain vegetable structural materials but at the same time have high water contents. Flotation tailings and fat from the grease trap contain no structural substances. Composting is only possible through the appropriate steps in processing, such as mechanical phase separation or mixing moisture sorbing and structural components with these liquid or pasty sludges (see Fig. 1). It has been shown in experiments that both fresh and anaerobically pretreated rumen contents, after mechanical dehydration to a dry matter content >- 20%, can be composted without additives with a bed depth of 1 m. With greater bed depths the dry matter content should be at least 22%. Pig stomach content can be mechanically dehydrated and composted just like rumen content. Where stack composting is carried out, a reaction time of approximately 6 weeks should be set. Anaerobic pretreatment of these substances reduces the reaction time by about a third and can remove the very unpleasant odours issuing (especially from pig stomach contents). By the use of strongly dehydrating machines ( D M > 3 5 % ) , such as screw presses, a waterabsorbing material can be produced from rumen and stomach contents. To the dehydrated substrates larger amounts of undehydrated flotation tailings and/or fat from the grease trap can then be added. Experiments with dehydrated rumen contents (DM=37-6%) and flotation tailings (DM = 8-8%) have shown that after about 6 or 8 weeks there is a finished compost. Because of the heating of this mixture to over 70C during cornposting decontamination is guaranteed. Related to the fresh weight of the substrates to be cornposted, rumen contents (DM = 12/,)) and flotation tailings (DM = 8-8%) can be mixed in the ratio of 5.9 rumen content: 1 flotation tailings (w/w). However, so far there has been no verification of these experiments on a large scale. Composting can be carried out either in stacks (see above) or in special composting tanks (bioreactors), possibly with final maturing in stacks (Schuchardt et al., 1988). Composting in stacks requires less investment and running costs than in reactors. The costs for stack composting can be put at between 40 and 80 deutschmarks per tonne of starting material. By composting in reactors, the process can be controlled better with regard to the exchange of respiration gases and temperature conditions than it can be in a stack. Thus the starting materials can be decontaminated, and the

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W. P. Tritt, F. Schuchardt

o d o r o u s and ammonia-laden outlet air can be captured and treated. T h e conditions for yearround composting of slaughterhouse wastes in stacks are a cover and a wind shield to the side of the composting material. To achieve decontamination during stack composting it is necessary to use intensive-turning machines and to turn at least twice a week during the high-temperature (over 50C) phase (Schuchardt, 1990).

and subsequent composting of the solids can, depending on local conditions and by using the process-specific advantages, be the ecologically most sensible, and economically most interesting, solution.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT T h e work was carried out as part of the R & D project 'Biological treatment of slaughterhouse waste' s u p p o r t e d by the G e r m a n Federal Ministry of Research and Technology in the framework of the scientific cooperation between G e r m a n y and Indonesia in the field of biotechnology.

SUMMARY
T h e rising costs of wastewater and waste removal in the wake of current legislation are forcing the slaughterhouses to rethink their present concepts for waste disposal and to find economical solutions. T h e solid and liquid wastes and residues of a slaughterhouse, on account of their composition, are ideally suited to biological processing and disposal. Whereas in the past the emphasis was on mechanical and aerobic treatment of the wastewater and d u m p i n g of the refuse, what is required now is processes whose performance is up to the very m u c h changed ecological and also economic requirements. As is already the case for other organically highly-contaminated wastewater, anaerobic techniques are an efficient, and at the same time operationally safe, purification process for treating slaughterhouse wastewater. While experience has already been gained in anaerobic wastewater treatment in large-scale plants there is only one plant for the biomethanization of cattle r u m e n contents, in Austria. Experience with this plant is still awaited. Especially for the treatment of solids-rich slaughtering residues or of wastewater, if the fluidmechanical properties are taken into account in planning the concept and scale of the reactor system, anaerobic technology as part of the overall concept can be an extremely economic solution. Composting, because of the advantages involved, will in future play a bigger part in the treatment and processing of slaughterhouse wastes. After suitable processing and mixing, composting is possible for most of the residues and waste materials. D e p e n d i n g on the a m o u n t of plant structural fibres available in the given mixtures, composting can be the sole m e t h o d of disposal for r u m e n and stomach contents, screenings, fat and the flotation tailings. T h e combination of prior biomethanization of solids-rich substrates

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