From Pilot to Full Scale Operation

of a Waste-to-Protein Treatment Facility

Christian Zurbrügg, Bram Dortmans, Audinisa Fadhila, Stefan Diener
Just one slide on the rationale

Waste management is still a challenge in low income settings

 Organic solid waste is 50-80% of waste mass and is yet hardly recovered and recycled
 Strategies and policies are more and more including aspects of circular economy

Current organic waste recovery/recycling still faces a «value chain» challenge

 Compost typically has limited value and customers are not where the product is
 Biogas often suffers from cheap energy competition
 Char production (or biomass fuel) is promising but limited to dry materials

How else can we create value from waste?

Possibilities Lohri C.R., et al. (2017). Treatment technologies for urban solid biowaste to
create value products – a review with focus on low and middle income settings.
Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology. 16/1, pp 81–130.

PHYSICO- THERMO–
DIRECT BIOLOGICAL
CHEMICAL CHEMICAL
USE TREATMENT
TREATMENT TREATMENT

TECHNOLOGIES PROCESSES

Direct  Direct Direct  Com‐ Vermi‐ Black An‐ Fer‐ Trans‐ Lique‐
Densi‐ Pyro‐ Gasifi‐
land animal com‐ post‐ compost‐ Soldier Fly aerobic men‐ esteri‐ fact‐
fication lysis cation
application feed bustion ing ing treatment  digestion tation fication ion

PRODUCTS
Resi‐ Digest‐ Gly‐ Pellets/
Worms
due ate cerol briquettes

Bio‐ethanol Bio‐ Bio‐

Compost Larvae Biogas Char oil Gas
diesel

Meat/fish Crops Transport Cooking fuel/

production production fuel heat/electricity

Animal
husbandry Agriculture Bio-energy
END–USE
Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens

Eggs Larvae feed on organic material

• Fruits & vegetables Creates
• Food waste
Mating Young larvae value from
• Slaughterhouse waste
• Chicken manure waste
• Human faeces

Adult fly Larvae Conversion of 1 ton of food

~1 month
waste into 250 kg fresh larvae Good substitute
within 12 days • Fishmeal
• Soymeal
Pupae Prepupae Larvae contain ~40% protein
and ~30% fat

Material reduction of 70-85%

dry matter
Engineering BSF

Engineered life cycle Waste treatment

Control over: Waste treatment requires

• # prepupae a steady mass production
• # eggs
of small larvae
• # flies
• 5‐DOL production
 Engineering of the
• Survival rate
• Retention rate life-cycle
• Development time
• …
Pilot facility: Surabaya, Indonesia
Engineering BSF
Post-processing BSF
Costing BSF
Costing BSF (1 t/day)

Activity Unit Euro/Year % of total

Rearing units 31%
Labour 2483 Scaling to x5 without much addition
Consumables 1095
Annual equipment costs 1526
Other units 56%
Labour 4966 Scaling will require some automation
Consumables 881
Annual equipment costs 3545
$
Indirect costs 2174 13%
Total 16’670 100%

Labour 45%
Consumables 12%
Equipment 30%

t/d
Challenges
Waste-derived products
Waste Sourcing BSF Treatment Technology & markets

Nursery

Treatment

Cherry-picking or solving Quality control!

public challenges? Multiple revenue streams!
BSF research conducted

Sustainability aspects
Economy
Technology implementation • Time-motion-studies
Pilot facilities • Economy of scale
Process engineering • Sweden: optimization of • Development of business
rearing facility models
Life cycle
• Feeding substrates
• Indonesia: treatment of Environment
• Reproduction cycle
MOSW • LCA
• Greenhouse gas emissions
Operation
• Tanzania: fish feed • Circular economy (integrated
• Waste treatment technology
production from fruit waste systems)
• Rearing facility
Education/Dissemination
Product safety
• Beginners Guide
• Health risks (pathogens, heavy
• MOOC-Module
metals, pharmaceuticals)
• Post-treatment options
BSF - LCA

120
Life cycle analysis study in Indonesia 100
Fishmeal transp.

Fishmeal prod.

Methods Results

GWP [kg CO2/ton waste]
80 BSF: Other

• Measurement of CH4 and • Direct GHG emissions 60 Composting: Energy

N2O during BSF treatment significantly lower for BSF 40

BSF: LPG

BSF: Electricity
• Comparison with other than composting 20 Composting: Direct

organic waste treatment • Electricity consumption and 0

emission
BSF: Direct emission

technologies (composting) source of electricity most ‐20

OVERALL GWP

relevant for LCA BSF larvae composting Standard composting

Treatment option
Conclusions

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