Sulphur removal using char and ash from meat and bone meal pyrolysis

Nowadays, meat and bone meal (MBM) is an important residue which must be managed. Thermal treatments applied to MBM, like pyrolysis or gasification, are being investigated as potential management methods for energy recovery. Due to its high metal content, the solid residue produced in these processes could be used for the removal of some components (as H2S) of the gas produced in pyrolysis and gasification. The aim of this preliminary study is to evaluate the sulphur removal capacity of char produced from MBM pyrolysis and MBM ash, and to compare it with the capacity of a commercial dolomite. The breakpoint time of the experimental curves obtained with ash and char were lower than in the case of dolomite. Therefore, it is indicative of this is not a suitable use for char and ash from MBM pyrolysis processes.

► Synthetic gasification gas with a 0.5 vol.% of H2S was studied.
► Char and ash from meat and bone meal and calcined dolomite were studied at 700 and 900 °C.
► Ash from meat and bone meal at 900 °C, shows a desulphurization efficiency similar to calcined dolomite.