Global regulatory agencies have banned specified risk material (SRM) from use in human or ruminant food and pharmaceutical, biological, medical or cosmetic applications. Rather than losing this resource through disposal or incineration, there is the potential to render SRM into tallow for biodiesel production. ATFCAN facilitated a biosafety study to assess if any risks or environmental concerns might be associated with using animal tissues for biodiesel production.

As an alternative fuel, biodiesel provides several benefits. It can be used in most diesel equipment with little to no modifications, it can reduce greenhouse gas and tailpipe emissions, and its production is less capital intensive than other alternative fuels.

Engaged by ATFCAN, a team of prominent international specialists on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) examined all the stages in processing SRM into tallow for biodiesel production. The team also identified several gaps in current knowledge where additional research would be beneficial prior to undertaking a quantitative risk assessment.

A study concluded that biodiesel manufactured using SRM-derived tallow as a feedstock poses negligible risk to human and animal health. The study also identified research gaps which were addressed at a biosafety workshop held in Ottawa, Ontario. The details are published in a report, “Biodiesel from Specified Risk Material Tallow: an Appraisal of TSE Risks and their Reduction”.

To supplement the data currently available, the University of Toronto is developing a methodology for testing various biodiesel production processes, to assess deactivation capabilities. A screening method for proteins in non-aqueous media is also being developed at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. This methodology should become a valuable tool for confirming the absence of TSE-inducing agents in biodiesel produced from SRM and other animal waste products. In a separate segment of work, the Saskatchewan Research Council is creating new in-house capacity to produce protein materials for use in research programs.

The biosafety study project’s consortium included the International Energy Agency’s Implementing Agreement on Advanced Motor Fuels, Natural Resources Canada, the United States Department of Energy, the National Technology Agency of Finland, and ATFCAN. To obtain a copy of the Biosafety Report please email biodiesel@atfcan.com. To download a PDF copy of "Biodiesel from Specified Risk Material Tallow: An Appraisal of TSE Risks and their Reduction", please click here. To download a PDF copy of "Detection of Prion Proteins and TSE Infectivity in the Rendering and Biodiesel Manufacture Processes", please click here. To download a PDF copy of "Safety of Animal Fats for Biodiesel Production: a Critical Review of Literature", please click here.