Life Cycle Assessment in the Rendering Industry

Angel RamirezPostgraduate ResearcherHarper Adams University College (HAUC)

Dr. Robert Wilkinson, Director of Studies (HAUC)Dr. Andrea Humphries, Supervisor (HAUC)Mr. Stephen Woodgate, Supervisor (Technical Director EFPRA)

76th Annual ConventionNATIONAL RENDERERS ASSOCIATION, USSan Francisco CA, US20 October 2009

Angel RamirezPaul Foxcroft PhD Scholar 2009-2012

Academic Background• (MSc) Industrial Ecology

2007 (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg,Sweden)

• Mechanical Engineering 2004 (Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral(ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuador)

Experience• Life Cycle Assessment of

the Ecuadorian shrimp aquaculture at ESPOL

• Research and support to projects related to energy and environment at ESPOL

• Environmental consultancy, air emissions and noise engineering

2,000 students350 staffT/O £18m

Specialist HE providerStrong business linksLand & environment

Rural community Central Government

Regional AgenciesRural/Urban ‘bridge’

Research Business

International

OurInfluence

OurPartnerships

TheInstitution

OurFocus

Harper Adams University College

Harper Adams University College

The Paul Foxcroft Scholarship• Awarded to a Postgraduate Researcher

in the area of maximising the utilisation of animal by-products.

• In this case: Carbon Footprint for the Rendering Industry

Overview

1. Objectives of the project2. Schedule of the project3. Methods4. Information and data5. Preliminary Results6. Discussion7. Conclusions

Objectives of the Research Project

1. To develop and validate a transparent energy and greenhouse gas life cycle assessment toolkit for the UK rendering industry

2. To help the UK rendering industry to identify green house gas emissions reduction or offset opportunities

Initial Questions

• Can rendered products be considered as renewable energy sources?

• Can carbon and nitrogen be stored in rendered products?

Work Schedule

• Phase 1 (Jan 2009 – Jan 2010)– Energy and Green house gas data of as many UK

rendering plants as possible (gate-to-gate approach)• So far 5 out of 20 plants

• Phase 2 – whole life cycle including livestock

production, slaughtering, and use or consumption (cradle to grave approach)

• Phase 3– Comparison with alternatives

Carbon footprint

• Definition: “The total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual or organisation, event or product. It should be expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).” The Carbon Trust

• In industry– Organisation (Greenhouse Protocol)– Product (The Product Approach)

The Product Approach

• Standards– Life cycle assessment LCA (ISO 14040: 2006 – ISO 14044:

2006)– Life cycle greenhouse gas emission of goods and services (BS

PAS 2050:2008)

Raw Materials

Manufacturing

Distribution / Retail

Consumer use

Disposal / Recycling

Data for Energy and Greenhouse gas LCA

•Type and quantity of all inputs and outputs for each process-Material inputs-Product outputs-Co-products-Waste

Inputs / outputs Energy used Direct gas

emissionsDistribution /

Transport

•Type , source and quantity of all energy used

•Electricity•Other fuels

•Type and quantity of direct GHG emissions

Per functional unit (product or service unit)

•Vehicle type, average distance for all transport•%full or shared with other products•% full on return

Category 2 Category 3

Category 1

Animal By-ProductsIn the UK Categorised…..

According to

“Risk” to Animals and Humans

EU legislation

Category 1

Category 1 Highest RiskContains TSE Animals ~ BSE & scrapie

Specified Risk Materials [SRM]

e.g. Skull/ brain, spinal cord, cattle intestines etc

or dangerous contaminants

e.g. Dioxins and PcB’s

Uses.. After Rendering

Cement manufacture

Energy… Heat ~ Power

Category 2

Category 2

Fallen Stock ~ animals died on farm

or rejected as unfit for human consumption

Uses….. Biogas or Composting after pressure processing

Uses.. After RenderingEnergy… Heat ~ PowerOleochemical “splitting”Organic fertiliser

Category 3

Category 3“Fit for Human

Consumption”

Veterinary inspection

Uses….. Biogas or Composting

Uses.. After RenderingEnergy… Heat ~ Power, Oleochemical “splitting, Organic fertiliser.

Pet food & Animal Feed*

* Approved in principleNot back to same speciesNeeds final approval

Allocation within LCA• Product: any goods or service• Co-product: any of two or more products coming from the same unit

process or product system (economic value for holder)• Waste: substances or objects which the holder intends or is required

to dispose of (no or negative economic value for holder)• Allocation: partitioning the input or output flows of a process or a

product system between the products system under study and one or more other product systems

ProcessProduct

Co-Product

Wastes

How to allocate ?

Animal Production

Meat industry

Milk

Meat

Skins

Offal and bone

Fallen stock

Emissions to air (CH4, N2O, others)

WastesLiquid discharges

Inputs- energy- feeds- fertilizer- others

Allocation (%)ABP meat

mass 30 - 50 70 - 50market price < 5 > 95“Waste” 0 100

Life cycle of rendered products (Category 1)

Animal production /

meat industry

Rendering Energy Recovery

Disposal / Recycling

cradle-to-grave

gate-to-gate

Life cycle of rendered products (Category 3)

Raw Materials:

Animal production /

meat industry

Rendering Further processing

Consumer use

Disposal / Recycling

cradle-to-grave

cradle-to-gate

gate-to-gate

How to allocate between fats and proteins?

Rendered Proteins

Rendered Fats

Offal and bone

Fallen stock

Emissions to air (CO2, CH4, N2O, others)

WastesLiquid discharges

Inputs- energy-others

Rendering

Biogenic and Fossil Carbon

CO2 in theatmosphere

photosynthesis

Decaying plantsFossil Fuels

CO2 in decaying matter and waste

Respiration and decomposition

intake

years

Biogenic Carbon Cycle

Fossil CarbonIs not part of the natural carbon cycle

Methodolgy

• Phase 1, Gate-to-gate approach (rendering process)

• 4 Plants in UK - 1 plant (cat 1)1 plant (cat 2)2 plants (cat 3)

• Energy• CO2 related to energy use (heat and electricity)• Aggregated yearly data for 3 years (2006, 2007, 2008)

Methodology

• Plants classified based on yield of rendered fat & protein– High: 50 – 60 % (1 plant , cat 3 material, vacuum evaporator)– Low: 30 – 41 % (3 plants, rotodisc dryer)

• GHG emissions expressed - Per kg animal by product (ABP) (input to rendering)- Per kg dried rendered product (DRP) (output from rendering)- Per kg condensate

• Energy: kJ

• Global Warming Potential: kg CO2

Constants used

• Natural Gas UK– Gross Calorific Value : 54 MJ/kg– Carbon content: 75% (FOSSIL)

• Tallow (rendered fats)– Gross Calorific Value : 39 MJ/kg– Carbon content: 75% (BIOGENIC)

• Electricity of UK– 0.53702 kg CO2 / kWh (5 years average by DEFRA 2008)

Energy (kJ/kg)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

ABP DRP condensate

low yieldhigh yield

Partition of energy (kJ/kg DRP)

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

low yield high yield

Tallow HeatGas Heat (exc CHP)CHP Gas HeatCHP Gas electricityGrid electricity

Fossil and biogenic CO2 (kg CO2/kg DRP)

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

low yield high yield

Tallow (biogenic)GasElectricity (Grid)

Fossil CO2 (kg CO2/kg DRP)

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

fossil+biogenic fossil fossil+biogenic fossil

low yield high yield

tallowgaselectricity

Example: Fossil CO2 (kg CO2/kg DRP)

0.0

0.5

0 20 40 60 80 100

% of fuel with 0 GWP

Some Global Warming Potentials(kg CO2 / kg)

DRP (gate-to-gate)Preliminary, not to reference

0.1– 0.4

Animal Production(cradle-to-gate)

(Williams AG et al, 2006)beef pig poultry16 6.4 4.6

Soybean meal (cradle-to-gate)Argentina -Rotterdam 0.726

Daalgard R et al ,2008

In Argentina 0.3 - 0.7

Cited studies in Panichelli L 

et al, 2008

Palm oil (South Asia to Europe)(cradle-to-gate)

(Reijnders L and Huijbregts MAJ, 2006)2.8 – 19.7

Fate of carbon (alternatives)

Alternative Final Destination of carbon (most likely)

Land spreading / dumping / Landfill *

Carbon Cycle

Anaerobic digestion to obtainbiogas

Carbon cycle but maybe offset of fossil fuels 

Incineration or Co‐incinerationCarbon Cycle but maybe offset of fossil fuels 

*Raw ABP are not allowed to be landfilled in EU

Fate of carbon (rendered products)

Main uses Final Destination of carbon (most likely)

Animal feeds/ pet food Carbon Cycle

Fertilizers Carbon Cycle

Oleochemicals/soap Carbon Cycle or ??

Energy and fuelsCarbon Cycle but maybe offset of fossil fuels 

Conclusions• A life cycle perspective should be used when analysing

GHG emissions from the rendering industry.

• Appropriate allocation of GHG emissions between animal products, by products and rendered products is critical.

• Carbon in rendering products cannot be considered stored.

• Life cycle comparisons with alternative to rendered products are required.

Thank you

Angel Ramirez00672040@harper-adams.ac.ukwww.harper-adams.ac.uk

Special acknowledgements toThe Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, Inc.