Upcycling food waste using black soldier fly larvae: Effects of further composting on frass quality, fertilising effect and its global warming potential

Song, Shuang; Ee, Alvin Wei Liang; Tan, Jonathan K.N.; Cheong, Jia Chin; Chiam, Zhongyu; Arora, Srishti; Lam, Weng Ngai; Tan, Hugh Tiang Wah

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125664

Cited by 74 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…To varying degrees, application of HF to seedlings as a top-dressing increased shoot dry weight of seedlings in an organically-rich compost based growing medium, and two potting mixes based on garden soil, bark chips, and coir fibre. These results reinforce findings of other studies that similarly demonstrated increases in plant growth in response to application of BSFF-based fertilizers [8][9][10]12]. HF also produced similar increases in shoot growth to two other standard fertilizers, chicken manure pellets and a commercial organic fertilizer [9,13].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…In our experimental system, highest shoot and root growth of test plants occurred when HF was applied at over 4 g, but less than 8 g, per pot, in the region of 1-2% soil volume. Other studies using lettuce and pak choi [10,12] have also reported stunting effects on plant growth when BSFF was applied at high volumes. However, these previous studies applied BSFF at rates in the region of 30-50% soil volume, far higher than the maximum rate of HF used in our study (8 g HF ≈ 2% total soil volume).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…As a by-product, the BSF frass (BSFF) consists of a mixture of leftover feed material, insect skins and faeces, and microorganisms [7,8]. In recent years, there have been a number of studies exploring the potential of frass as a fertilizer, and several reports of how BSFF can have positive effects on plant growth, yield, soil structure and the soil microbiome [8][9][10][11][12][13]. BSFF may also provide additional benefits such as increasing soil organic matter and supplying micronutrients such as copper and zinc, that are essential for plant growth and development [8,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, variability in the effects of BSFF on plant performance can occur due to differences in the larval diet [11] and variation in climatic conditions [14]. Other studies have indicated there may be an "optimum" soil concentration of BSFF, and that once this concentration is exceeded plant growth may be inhibited [10,12]. This variability indicates that the results obtained from different sources of BSFF, and results obtained under different environmental conditions, may not be directly transferrable to new products or different growing situations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glasshouse Evaluation of the Black Soldier Fly Waste Product HexaFrass™ as an Organic Fertilizer

Borkent

Hodge

2021

Insects

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The mass farming of the black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L.), to produce insect-based feed for livestock and fish, results in considerable amounts of insect frass, which contains substantial amounts of organic matter and bioavailable nutrients. Insect frass has shown good potential as a soil amendment and organic fertilizer. This study examined the effects of HexaFrass™ on the growth of common vegetables and herbs under glasshouse conditions. In an organically-rich potting mix, HexaFrass™ increased shoot dry weight by an average of 25%, although this effect was variable among test plants. In other trials, application of HexaFrass™ caused an increase in plant growth similar to that obtained by applying chicken manure and a commercial organic fertilizer. Increases in shoot and root dry weight showed quadratic relationships with HexaFrass™ dose, indicating that application of excessive quantities could lead to plant inhibition. Shoot:root dry matter ratio tended to increase with HexaFrass™ dose suggesting there was no specific stimulation or enhancement of root growth. Overall, these results provide further evidence of the potential of insect frass as an effective organic fertilizer for vegetables and herbs.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glasshouse Evaluation of the Black Soldier Fly Waste Product HexaFrass™ as an Organic Fertilizer

Borkent

Hodge

2021

Insects

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“…In the last years, there have been several studies investigating the fertilization effects of frass under greenhouse (e.g. Gärttling et al 2020;Klammsteiner et al 2020;, Setti et al 2019Song et al 2021) and field (e.g. Anyega et al 2021;Beesigamukama et al 2020a, b, Quilliam et al 2020 conditions, so that knowledge on the applications of BSF frass fertilizers is building up.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compilation of Black Soldier Fly Frass Analyses

Gärttling

Schulz

2021

J Soil Sci Plant Nutr

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In the context of black soldier fly (BSF) rearing, often the residues from production — mainly faeces but also undigested substrate — are addressed as frass in a broader sense. As BSF production is expanding, the valorization of BSF frass as organic fertilizer is gaining importance. However, in contrast to established organic fertilizers, little is known on the properties and variation of this by-product, which is essential for assessing possible application purposes. To elaborate a first overview on this relatively new waste stream, BSF frass analyses from the literature and anonymized frass analyses enquired from BSF producers were compiled. For a possible agricultural use as a fertilizer, their nutrient patterns were assessed. With a balanced nitrogen:phosphorous pentoxide:potassium oxide (N:P2O5:K2O) ratio of 1:0.9:1.1, BSF frass can be characterized as a slightly alkaline (pH 7.5), nutrient-rich compound fertilizer, with the nutrient and especially the micronutrient contents showing high variation. The comparably high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and low shares of ammonium nitrogen indicate a limited immediate nutrient release and point to possible applications of frass as a long-term fertilizer. The use of frass as an organic fertilizer as one element in a fertilization strategy is promising. By improving nutrient cycling back to the field, BSF frass can represent an important element of sustainable circular agriculture. However, more information on BSF feed and production systems needs to be combined with the nutrient analyses to better understand the variation in frass nutrient contents.

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Opportunities for circular bionutrient economy in Kenya: Sanitation and waste stream characterization

Midega

2022

Urban Agric & Regnl Food Sys

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The majority of people in low-and middle-income countries, such as Kenya, lack effective sanitation and waste management systems. Circular bionutrient economy (CBE) is emerging as a framework to safely reuse organic wastes in agriculture. This study aimed to characterize waste and sanitation systems in Kisumu City, Kenya, with a view to exploring opportunities for CBE in the Lake Victoria basin. Sanitation was characterized through a case study approach in a populous informal settlement, and waste was quantified in two markets in the city. The main toilet facility was pit latrine, although there were also some urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs). One toilet served about 36 people. Over a 1-mo period, the UDDTs yielded approximately 64,400 L of urine, whereas about 67,500 L of fecal sludge was emptied from the pit latrines, out of which only about 33,000 L (48.9%) was properly disposed of. About 3 t of waste was generated daily from the markets, 95% of which was organic, and was disposed of at an open dumpsite. Organic waste, including human excreta, contains large amounts of organic matter and plant nutrients, and can be processed for agricultural nutrient cycles. Additionally, black soldierly larvae can effectively convert organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer and high protein biomass for animal feeds. These results suggest an opportunity for a CBE system in the region for sustainable organic waste management and urban sanitation, and with opportunity to improve livelihoods and equity.

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Upcycling food waste using black soldier fly larvae: Effects of further composting on frass quality, fertilising effect and its global warming potential

Cited by 74 publications

References 60 publications

Glasshouse Evaluation of the Black Soldier Fly Waste Product HexaFrass™ as an Organic Fertilizer

Glasshouse Evaluation of the Black Soldier Fly Waste Product HexaFrass™ as an Organic Fertilizer

Compilation of Black Soldier Fly Frass Analyses

Opportunities for circular bionutrient economy in Kenya: Sanitation and waste stream characterization

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