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Diverting organic waste from landfills via insect biomanufacturing using engineered black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens).

Kate TepperOwain EdwardsAnwar SunnaIan T PaulsenMaciej Maselko
Published in: Communications biology (2024)
A major roadblock towards the realisation of a circular economy are the lack of high-value products that can be generated from waste. Black soldier flies (BSF; Hermetia illucens) are gaining traction for their ability to rapidly consume large quantities of organic wastes. However, these are primarily used to produce a small variety of products, such as animal feed ingredients and fertiliser. Using synthetic biology, BSF could be developed into a novel sustainable biomanufacturing platform to valorise a broader variety of organic waste feedstocks into enhanced animal feeds, a large variety of high-value biomolecules including industrial enzymes and lipids, and improved fertiliser.
Keyphrases
  • municipal solid waste
  • heavy metals
  • sewage sludge
  • water soluble
  • anaerobic digestion
  • life cycle
  • risk assessment
  • high throughput
  • fatty acid
  • aedes aegypti