Meat and bone meal
Categories: Industry stubs | Granular materials | Meat processing
Meat and bone meal (MBM) is a by-product of the rendering industry. It is typically about 50% protein, 35% ash, 8-12% fat, and 4-7% moisture. It is primarily used in the formulation of animal feed to improve the amino acid profile of the feed. Feeding of MBM to cattle is thought to have been responsible for the spread of BSE. In most parts of the world, MBM is no longer allowed in feed for ruminant animals. However, in some areas, including the US, MBM is still used to feed monogastric animals.
In Europe, some MBM is used as ingredients in petfood but the vast majority is now used as a fossil-fuel replacement for renewable energy generation, as a fuel in cement kilns, landfilling or incineration.
Meat and bone meal has around two thirds the energy value of fossil fuels such as coal and is carbon neutral; the UK in particular widely uses meat and bone meal for the generation of renewable electricity.
Meat and bone meal is increasingly used in cement kilns as an environmentally sustainable replacement for coal.
External link
PDM Group Information on the use of meat and bone meal for renewable power generation.
Description of meat & bone meal from a major rendering company