BLOOD4GOODS Operational Group: Obtaining high added value products from slaughterhouse residual blood as a sustainable and low-cost management alternative.

It is estimated that slaughterhouses in Spain generate 5.1 million tons of by-products per year, of which 200 million kg is blood. This by-product is particularly concerning from an environmental perspective, given the high volumes generated, its pollutant load, and its complex composition, which make its management difficult. Currently, despite its great potential for obtaining high-value-added products, it is mostly managed as SANDACH waste. Although this represents a significant administrative and legal burden and associated costs, it is the only economically viable alternative for most companies.

On the one hand, having an on-site protein recovery system, taking into account the currently available alternatives, entails an estimated minimum cost of around €5 million, which is a very high price that the vast majority of companies in the sector cannot afford. One alternative could be centralized treatment systems; however, they also require a significant investment at the industrial level, in terms of the environmental impact of the activity (on-site activity does not generate new environmental impacts), which limits their development.

Furthermore, they also have a significant environmental impact due to the carbon footprint of transporting waste. Currently, only large slaughterhouses located in Catalonia and the Mediterranean Basin manage blood this way, which accounts for around 30% of the total.

The meat sector needs to focus on taking advantage of the opportunities presented by slaughterhouse blood and rely on science and technology to develop low-cost management alternatives that can be adopted by companies and transform it from an undesirable waste into a valuable resource.