Bone meal

• CAS: 68409-75-6
• Catalog Number: ACM68409756
• Category: Main Products
• Molecular Weight: 0
• Synonyms: Calfer Mineral;Kikuchi-Light;Ossein bone

Case Study

Bone Meal as a Phosphate Amendment for Immobilising Pb, Zn and Cd in Contaminated Soil

Sneddon, I. R., et al. Environmental pollution 144.3 (2006): 816-825.

The immobilisation of Pb, Zn and Cd in soil, to reduce the leachability of these metals and thus their environmental risk, was investigated using bone meal, a commercially available source of bone apatite, as an amendment to a mine-impacted made-ground.
Triplicate leaching columns were packed with the made-ground, and amended with bone meal at two mass ratios (1: 25 and 1:10) and also left unamended as controls; the columns were irrigated daily with a synthetic rain solution, at pH 2.0, 3.0 and 4.4 in turn, and the leachates were monitored over 18 months to assess metal release dynamics under sustained weathering.
Key Findings
· Within the first 100 days, leachate concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd were substantially reduced in all bone-meal-amended columns compared with controls; the 1:10 amendment maintained suppressed releases of these metals for the duration of the 18-month trial, whereas the 1:25 columns exhibited an increase in Zn and Cd leachate concentrations beginning at about 300 days.
· Sequential extractions (DTPA and water) demonstrated that Pb and Cd were more tightly retained in the amended soils than in controls, consistent with stronger immobilisation; the authors note that Pb behaviour was compatible with formation of sparingly soluble lead phosphate, while the temporary immobilisation of Cd and Zn in the lower-rate treatment could reflect surface-limited sequestration mechanisms (adsorption/ion exchange) or time-limited phosphate precipitation that becomes unsustainable as apatite dissolution and phosphate availability decline.

Meat and Bone Meal as a Sustainable Protein Alternative in Gilthead Seabream Aquaculture Feed

Moutinho, Sara, et al. Aquaculture 468 (2017): 271-277.

This study examined the application of Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) as a partial protein replacement in formulated diets for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) juveniles, assessing its impact on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and economic efficiency.
Three extruded diets with matched proximate targets (45% crude protein, 20% crude lipid) were formulated to provide 0% (MBM0), 50% (MBM50) and 75% (MBM75) of dietary protein from MBM. Triplicate groups of seabream juveniles (initial mean weight 25 g) were reared in a flow-through system and hand-fed to apparent satiation for 12 weeks.
Key Findings
· Growth and feed utilization: Fish fed MBM50 performed comparably to the control (MBM0) in terms of growth rate and feed efficiency, indicating no biological penalty at 50% FM-protein replacement. In contrast, MBM75 produced lower growth and poorer feed efficiency, although feed intake increased under MBM75 (the text reports the opposite trend for feed intake relative to growth/feed efficiency).
· Body composition and nutrient retention: Whole-body composition was largely unaffected by diet composition, except that crude lipid and energy content were lower in fish fed MBM75. Retention of protein and essential amino acids did not differ among diets, whereas energy retention was reduced with MBM75.
· Economic performance: Inclusion of MBM reduced production costs; diets containing MBM delivered a lower economic conversion ratio (€ per kg fish produced). The best economic outcome (maximum profit per kg fish) was associated with MBM50.