Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
2621 MORGAN CIR
KNOXVILLE,TN 37996-4540
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
A major challenge in advancing the BSF industry is to provide high-value and unique applications of BSF products beyond substitution for soybean and fishmeal. There are a few promising uses of the BSF products we have identified from our technical skills and knowledge base, albeit very limited information in the literature. We will address several areas of knowledge gap that will lead to the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and biobased fertilizer and soil enhancers. We expect to demonstrate feasibility and provide the BSF industry a few opportunities to capture the values that can drive the establishment of even larger and more advanced waste upcycling systems.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
60%
Applied
30%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
We intend to use insects to address the challenges of environmental sustainability, renewable energy, and biobased agricultural products to achieve a more circular bioeconomy. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) has an extremely high efficiency (1:1.4 larvae:feed, compared to 1:2.3-3.8 for other insects) in converting a wide range of wastes to high-protein (~44%) and high-oil (~35%) biomass. However, there is limited knowledge in scalable refining of the larvae and applications beyond feed. We have identified two novel applications, i.e. sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from BSFL's unique lauric acid-rich lipid, and biofertilizer converted from the biorefining byproduct (chitin- and protein-rich residue after extraction of soluble proteins). There are a few knowledge gaps we will address. Our objectives are to: 1) Investigate the fractionation of BSFL (fresh and dried) to maximize yield and quality of protein and oil; 2) Evaluate and optimize the conversion of BSFL lipids to SAF; 3) Determine the potential benefits of BSF hydrolysates for soil and plant health; and 4) Conduct BSF biorefining system modeling, and economic and life cycle analysis.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Investigate the fractionation of BSFL (black soldier fly larvae, dried and fresh) to maximize yield and quality of protein and oil: Processing and fractionation will be performed using a dry or fresh (as-is) BSFL. Dry fractionation involves drying of the larvae prior to fractionation, which is energy intensive and could create denatured and insoluble proteins. However, such dry biomass is ideal for lipid extraction. Fractionation of larvae as-is is ideal for protein extraction, but requires an aqueous and centrifugal separation. Both processes can be done on large scale and will be examined and compared in this work. Impurities that can lead to thermal instability and fuel oxidation will be measured and removed by absorptive treatments. For protein extraction, the conventional alkaline extraction of solubilizable proteins will be used, as well as protein extraction after additional demineralization treatments. The protein extraction residue as well as the adult fly will be used for protease hydrolysis to create peptides to be further revaluated as biofertilizer.Objective 2: Evaluate and optimize the conversion of BSFL lipids to HEFA SAF (hydrotreated esters and fatty acids sustainable aviation fuel): BSFL preprocessing in Obj 1 will yield lipid fractions with different purity levels and compositional properties. These properties have implications for the SAF fuel properties as well as the overall economics and sustainability of BSFL derived HEFA SAF. It is therefore important to assess the impact of the BSFL lipid fractions obtained through the extraction, fractionation, and purification steps in this project to establish relationships between the fractions, their performance during conversion to HEFA SAF, and the quality of SAF fuels produced. Catalyst synthesis and characterization of the fuels will be performed.Objective 3: Determine the potential benefits of BSF hydrolysates for soil and plant health: The residue remaining after the extraction of oil (for SAF) and solublizable protein (for animal feed) from BSFL and is still protein- and chitin-rich and its hydrolysate can be a valuable soil amendment that provides a complex source of organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and other nutrients (e.g. phosphorus, sulfur, potassium etc.). BSF hydrolysates may also have specific effects on soil microbial communities: on one hand, chitin as a soil amendment can increase microbial diversity, specifically enhancing saprophytic beneficial microbes and suppressing pathogens; and lauric fatty acids and chitin conjugates of fatty acids (present in adult fly hydrolysate) may have antimicrobial properties. We will test the hypotheses that adding BSF hydrolysates will have several key benefits related to soil health such as: (1) increasing soil organic matter, (2) increasing available nutrients and reducing trace gas losses, (3) increasing plant growth, and (4) increasing beneficial microbial populations and functional diversity.Objective 4: Conduct BSF biorefinery system modeling and process, economic, and life cycle performance analysis: We will develop a series of models to integrate processes investigated in this project into a conceptual biorefinery plant. The conceptual biorefinery plant will be scaled up and holistically evaluated through technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA). Additionally, the rationale for conducting TEA and CLA analyses is self-evident as adoption of any or all parts of this conceptual BSF biorefinery depend on their economical feasibility and their environmental profiles. Uncertainty analysis will be conducted to examine the strengths and weaknesses of processes within the biorefinery and identify important economic and environmental drivers that require additional improvements.