Environmental impact of food waste bioconversion by insects: application of life cycle assessment to process using Hermetia illucens.

Abstract Food waste management strategies are mainly focused on waste minimization, but the search for new solutions to waste valorization is also a viable and potentially advantageous alternative. In this context, the aim of this study is to assess the potential environmental impacts of food-waste bioconversion into compost and dried larvae through the action of Hermetia illucens, by applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In international scientific literature, there are many studies concerning the utilization of insects for food-waste bioconversion, but very few articles relate to the application of LCA in this sector and none of these refers to Hermetia illucens. Furthermore, the process of bioconversion through Hermetia illucens is a very attractive option, considering that it represents a potential valuable solution to two problems: food waste management on the one hand and, on the other, the rising global demand for feed (dried larvae can be used in aquaculture feed production) or the competition between land use for energy crops and for food crops (dried larvae are a fat-rich resource potentially usable for the production of biodiesel). In particular, the LCA results presented in this study refer to the assessment of the potential environmental impacts of a pilot plant in which H. illucens is employed for food-waste treatment. From 10 tonnes of food-waste input, 300 kg of dried larvae and 3,346 kg of compost are produced. Three different functional units were used to carry out the analysis: the input of the production process, therefore 1) food-waste; the output composed of dried larvae, for which 2) the protein content (fundamental characteristic for using this product in aquaculture) and 3) the lipid content (to be used for biodiesel production) are considered. Results related to the functional unit of 1 tonne of food waste treated show a value of 30.2 kg CO2 eq in terms of Global Warming Potential, 215.3 MJ in terms of Energy Use, and 0.661 m2a in terms of Land Use. When compared with alternative sources of raw material for feed or biodiesel, these results show that the most significant benefits of insect production are connected to Land Use, while Energy Use is the main burden, and the estimation of Global Warming Potential is still affected by many uncertainties.

[1]  J. Ball.  Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security , 2014 .

[2]  A. Walkley,et al.  AN EXAMINATION OF THE DEGTJAREFF METHOD FOR DETERMINING SOIL ORGANIC MATTER, AND A PROPOSED MODIFICATION OF THE CHROMIC ACID TITRATION METHOD , 1934 .

[3]  R. Salomone,et al.  Environmental impacts of olive oil production: a Life Cycle Assessment case study in the province of Messina (Sicily) , 2012 .

[4]  Monia Niero,et al.  Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems--part II: methodological guidance for a better practice. , 2014, Waste management.

[5]  A. van Huis.  Potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security. , 2013, Annual review of entomology.

[6]  I. D. Boer,et al.  From environmental nuisance to environmental opportunity: housefly larvae convert waste to livestock feed , 2015 .

[7]  Corinne Le Quéré,et al.  Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis , 2013 .

[8]  S. Diener,et al.  Conversion of organic material by black soldier fly larvae: establishing optimal feeding rates , 2009, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[9]  S. Solomon.  IPCC (2007): Climate Change The Physical Science Basis , 2007 .

[10]  P. Kaufman,et al.  Black soldier fly Hermetia illucens Linnaeus (Insecta: Diptera: Stratiomyidae) , 2009 .

[11]  Hans-Jürgen Dr. Klüppel,et al.  The Revision of ISO Standards 14040-3 - ISO 14040: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework - ISO 14044: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines , 2005 .

[12]  A. El-Ansary,et al.  On the Nutritional Value of Edible Insects , 2018 .

[13]  Jeroen B. Guinee,et al.  Handbook on life cycle assessment operational guide to the ISO standards , 2002 .

[14]  R. Schaeffer,et al.  Land use competition for production of food and liquid biofuels: An analysis of the arguments in the current debate , 2010 .

[15]  G. Newton,et al.  A value added manure management system using the black soldier fly , 1994 .

[16]  S. Wuertz,et al.  When a turbot catches a fly: Evaluation of a pre-pupae meal of the Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) as fish meal substitute — Growth performance and chitin degradation in juvenile turbot (Psetta maxima) , 2012 .

[17]  S. Bae,et al.  Potential Usage of Food Waste as a Natural Fertilizer after Digestion by Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) , 2009 .

[18]  O. Schlüter,et al.  Potential and challenges of insects as an innovative source for food and feed production , 2013 .

[19]  W. Ng,et al.  Bioconversion of food waste to energy : a review , 2014 .

[20]  Sen Yang,et al.  Pilot-scale biodegradation of swine manure via Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) for biodiesel production , 2014 .

[21]  H. Elghobashy,et al.  The utilization of soybean products in tilapia feed - a review. , 2008 .

[22]  N. G. Wright,et al.  The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste , 2014 .

[23]  Maria Teresa Moreira,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture Feed and Application to the Turbot Sector , 2012 .

[24]  Yoshiko Wada,et al.  Chemical composition, functional properties, and bioactivities of rapeseed protein isolates , 2008 .

[25]  M. Doyle,et al.  Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in chicken manure by larvae of the black soldier fly. , 2004, Journal of Food Protection.

[26]  G. Defoliart,et al.  An overview of the role of edible insects in preserving biodiversity , 1997 .

[27]  M. M. van Krimpen,et al.  Replacement of soybean meal in compound feed by European protein sources : effects on carbon footprint , 2014 .

[28]  Stefan Diener,et al.  Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens and effects on its life cycle , 2015 .

[29]  J. Tomberlin,et al.  Sensory Analysis of Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Fed Enriched Black Soldier Fly Prepupae, Hermetia illucens , 2011 .

[30]  F. G. Barroso,et al.  Insects for biodiesel production , 2012 .

[31]  R. Popa,et al.  Enhanced Ammonia Content in Compost Leachate Processed by Black Soldier Fly Larvae , 2012, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

[32]  J. V. van Loon,et al.  An Exploration on Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Production by Insect Species Suitable for Animal or Human Consumption , 2010, PloS one.

[33]  G. Defoliart.  The Human Use of Insects as Food and as Animal Feed , 1989 .

[34]  Naveen Kumar,et al.  Jatropha curcus ─ A sustainable source for production of biodiesel , 2005 .

[35]  J. Tomberlin,et al.  Fly Prepupae as a Feedstuff for Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss , 2007 .

[36]  Ziniu Yu,et al.  From organic waste to biodiesel: Black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, makes it feasible , 2011 .

[37]  GeNr R. DnFolnnr.  The Human Use of Insects as Food and as Animal Feed , 2022 .

[38]  D. Oonincx,et al.  Environmental Impact of the Production of Mealworms as a Protein Source for Humans – A Life Cycle Assessment , 2012, PloS one.

[39]  A Bernstad Saraiva Schott,et al.  Food waste minimization from a life-cycle perspective. , 2015, Journal of environmental management.

[40]  D. C. Sheppard,et al.  Black Soldier Fly Prepupae A Compelling Alternative to Fish Meal and Fish Oil , 2008 .

[41]  A. Hubert,et al.  Insect biorefinery in Europe: ‘DESigning the Insect bioRefinery to contribute to a more sustainABLE agro-food industry’ , 2015 .

[42]  Aninidita Karmakar,et al.  Properties of various plants and animals feedstocks for biodiesel production. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[43]  Gilles Tran,et al.  State-of-the-art on use of insects as animal feed. , 2014 .

[44]  P. Adler,et al.  Development of the Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) in Relation to Temperature , 2009, Environmental entomology.

[45]  Tami Barry,et al.  Evaluation of the Economic, Social, and Biological Feasibility of Bioconverting Food Wastes with the Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) , 2004 .

[46]  J la Cour Jansen,et al.  Review of comparative LCAs of food waste management systems--current status and potential improvements. , 2012, Waste management.

[47]  Ziniu Yu,et al.  Double the biodiesel yield: rearing black soldier fly larvae, Hermetia illucens, on solid residual fraction of restaurant waste after grease extraction for biodiesel production. , 2012 .

[48]  J. Hackstein,et al.  Methane production in terrestrial arthropods. , 1994, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[49]  A. Mehlich,et al.  Photometric determination of humic matter in soils, a proposed method , 1984 .

[50]  Thammarat Koottatep,et al.  BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE FOR ORGANIC WASTE TREATMENT - PROSPECTS AND CONSTRAINTS , 2011 .

[51]  N J Themelis,et al.  Assessment of the state of food waste treatment in the United States and Canada. , 2010, Waste management.

[52]  Sven Lundie,et al.  LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS , 2005 .