Rendering plant emissions of volatile organic compounds during sterilization and cooking processes

Abstract

The rendering process emits odorous volatile compounds in the atmosphere; if these volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not handled properly they can cause a serious environmental problem. During this process not all emitted compounds are odorous and hazardous but some of them have been found associated with health problems. Samples were collected in the plastic bags from the Arnout rendering plant. In this study, VOCs emission from two different processes (cooking and sterilization) was compared. For the analysis of various emitted compounds, gas chromatograph and mass spectrophotometer were used. A sterilization process was added in the rendering plant to inactivate the prion protein from meat bone meal prepared during the rendering process. The identification of mass spectrum was performed by using a mass spectral database system. The most odorous classes of compounds identified were aliphatic hydrocarbons (HCs) (29.24%), furans (28.74%), aromatic HCs (18.32%), most important sulphur-containing compounds (12.15%), aldehyde (10.91%) and ketones (0.60%). Emissions released during cooking and sterilization were 32.73×10² and 36.85×10² mg m⁻³, respectively. In this study, it was observed that after the addition of the sterilization process VOCs’ emissions were increased. A total of 87 mg m⁻³ dimethyl disulphide (DMS) was detected only during the cooking process, whereas dimethly trisulphide (DMTS) was detected in both cooking (300 mg m⁻³) and sterilization (301 mg m⁻³) processes. About 11 mg m⁻³ of DMS was detected during the cooking process, which was a small concentration compared with 299 mg m⁻³ found during the sterilization process. At high temperature and pressure, DMTS and DMS were released more than any other sulphur-containing compounds. A condenser was applied to control the combined emission and it was successful in the reduction of VOCs to 22.83×10² mg m⁻³ (67% reduction).

• VOCs
• rendering
• emission
• odorous compounds
• aldehyde
• sulphur-containing compounds

This research work was completed in the Laboratory of Environmental Organic Chemistry and Technology at Ghent University Belgium, authors would like to thanks all supporting staff and friends.