Saponification of fatty slaughterhouse wastes for enhancing anaerobic biodegradability

The thermochemical pretreatment by saponification of two kinds of fatty slaughterhouse waste – aeroflotation fats and flesh fats from animal carcasses – was studied in order to improve the waste’s anaerobic degradation. The effect of an easily biodegradable compound, ethanol, on raw waste biodegradation was also examined. The aims of the study were to enhance the methanisation of fatty waste and also to show a link between biodegradability and bio-availability. The anaerobic digestion of raw waste, saponified waste and waste with a co-substrate was carried out in batch mode under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.