Process and apparatus for handling animal powder

Process for evaluating animal meal comprises forming a pumpable mesh of water and animal meal (8) or oils (9) of different consistency; conveying the mash under pressure to a gasifier (2) formed as an entrained bed reactor; converting the mash with technical oxygen or a gasifying agent containing free oxygen to a crude synthesis gas; adjusting a gasifying temperature at which the inorganic components of the meal melt and can be removed from the reactor as molten slag (17); directly or indirectly cooling the crude gas leaving the gasification chamber; cooling and granulating the slag by contacting with water in a cooling or quenching chamber (3) connected to the gasification chamber; and cleaning and conditioning the cooling crude gas to produce synthesis gas or energetic gas. An Independent claim is also included for a device for carrying out the process. Preferred Features: The mash contains up to 70 wt.% animal meal and 30 wt.% oil or water. The mash is gasified at pressures between atmospheric and 70 bar, preferably 10-30 bar and at temperatures of 1100-1700, preferably 1200-1600 degrees C. A fluxing agent (10) made from SiO2, CaO, Al2O3 or Fe2O3 is added to the mash to lower the melting point of the inorganic components of the meal. The gasification crude gas and the liquid slag are cooled together in a cooling chamber connected to the gasification chamber.