Upcycling livestock processing waste to bioplastics for sustainable meat production systems: material quantification and environmental impact

IF 11.2 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Resources Conservation and Recycling Pub Date : 2025-05-11 DOI:10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108356

Cunling Jia , Shunli Wang , Lili Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Significant amounts of slaughterhouse waste (SHW) are generated from livestock processing industry and could pose substantial environmental risks. Given its versatile properties, SHW can be upcycled into high-value product – bioplastics. This study presented the first global estimation of livestock processing waste, specifically SHW, across 193 countries and regions. Meanwhile, the bioplastics potentially produced from SHW and wastewater were analyzed. The results revealed that 103 million tonnes of SHW and 2699 million tonnes of wastewater were produced in 2022, with the potential to generate 31.3 million tonnes of bioplastics. Integrating biomethane production into bioplastic manufacturing in slaughterhouses can reduce fossil energy consumption and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon reduction of 1.4 – 46.9 tons CO₂-eq/d was observed from a typical slaughterhouse. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the effective recycling of bioplastics from SHW and wastewater, thereby advancing the circular economy and environmental sustainability of the global meat industry.

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将牲畜加工废物升级为可持续肉类生产系统的生物塑料：材料量化和环境影响

牲畜加工业产生了大量的屠宰场废物，可能造成严重的环境风险。鉴于其多用途特性，SHW可以升级回收为高价值产品-生物塑料。本研究首次对193个国家和地区的牲畜加工废物，特别是小禽畜废物进行了全球估计。同时，分析了水厂污水和废水生产生物塑料的潜力。结果显示，2022年将产生1.03亿吨水废物和26.99亿吨废水，可能产生3130万吨生物塑料。将生物甲烷生产纳入屠宰场的生物塑料生产可以减少化石能源消耗并减少温室气体排放。从一个典型的屠宰场观察到碳减排1.4 - 46.9吨二氧化碳当量/天。本研究的发现为有效地从SHW和废水中回收生物塑料提供了有价值的见解，从而促进了全球肉类行业的循环经济和环境可持续性。

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来源期刊

Resources Conservation and Recycling 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

22.90

自引率

6.10%

发文量

625

审稿时长

23 days

期刊介绍： The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns. Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.