(CNN)Singapore-based farmer Chua Kai-Ning spends a lot of her day making sure that her animals are well fed and growing fast.
But she’s no ordinary farmer, and these aren’t ordinary animals. Chua and her partner, Phua Jun Wei, founded startup Insectta in 2017. They are battling Singapore’s food waste crisis with the help of an unlikely ally: the black soldier fly larva.
“The concept behind Insectta is that nothing goes to waste,” said Chua. “Waste can be reimagined as a resource if we change how we think about our production methods, and how we deal with waste.”
In 2020, Singapore generated 665,000 metric tons of food waste — only 19% of which was recycled. Read MoreChua said the company feeds the black soldier fly maggots up to eight tons of food waste per month, including byproducts received from soybean factories and breweries, such as okara and spent grain.
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteWith over 2 billion metric tons of waste produced annually, there’s an urgent need to change the way we handle our trash. Startups like Insectta say they have a solution. The Singapore-based company uses black soldier fly larvae to convert food waste into fertilizer and animal feed (pictured). Now, the startup is developing a method to extract high-value biomaterials like chitosan and melanin from the black soldier flies. Scroll through to learn more about cutting-edge waste management solutions.Hide Caption 1 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteRecycling Technologies also uses circular waste management solutions to tackle plastic waste. The UK-based company uses “chemical recycling” that breaks down plastics using high temperatures into an oil-like liquid called Plaxx. This is then used to manufacture more plastic, increasing the sustainability of the production process.Hide Caption 2 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteThis smart-bin from Bin-e has sensors and uses artificial intelligence to recognize and sort objects. It automatically opens when approached with trash, compresses waste, and notifies the waste disposal company when the bin is full — automating waste management. Hide Caption 3 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteSome companies are trying a different approach: to minimize the waste produced in the first place. Apeel uses plant-based materials to create a tasteless, biodegradable exterior “peel” for fruits and vegetables to extend their shelf-life. In May, it announced an imaging technology that would allow monitoring of ripeness, nutritional content and other indicators of the quality of the produce. Hide Caption 4 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteLoop is reducing single-use packaging by partnering with a range of brands including Häagen-Dazs, Pantene and The Body Shop, to sell their products in containers which buyers can return after use, to be cleaned and reused. Initially available only online, Loop is now available in retail stores around the world. Hide Caption 5 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteShareWaste connects those who want to get rid of food scraps sustainably with composting operations, helping users find eco-conscious solutions for organic waste in their area. Compost enriches soil quality and helps it stay moist — even a small amount of compost in the upper layer of soil helps retain up to 27,000 gallons of water per acre. Hide Caption 6 of 7
Photos: These startups are revolutionizing how we manage wasteToo Good to Go connects consumers with bakeries, restaurants and supermarkets. The vendors offer customers “surprise bags” containing surplus food at the end of the business day. Launched in 2016, the company says that its venture, involving over 42 million users, has helped save over 88 million meals to date.Hide Caption 7 of 7
Insectta can then flash dry the maggots into animal feed, and turn the insects’ excrement into agricultural fertilizer. While there are plenty of companies using insects to manage waste, including Goterra, Better Origin and AgriProtein, Insectta is extracting more than agricultural products from black soldier flies. With funding from Trendlines Agrifood Fund and government grants, Insectta is procuring high-value biomaterials from the byproducts of these larvae. “During R&D, we realized that a lot of precious biomaterials that already have market value can be extracted from these flies,” Chua told CNN Business. The startup hopes its biomaterials can revolutionize the growing insect-based product industry and change the way we look at waste.
The larvae can eat up to four times their body weight in food waste a day.
Bugs to biomaterials
As the maggots grow into adults, they form a cocoon, emerging about 10 to 14 days later as a fully-grown fly. Insectta has developed proprietary technology to obtain biomaterials from the exoskeleton they leave behind.
This startup is creating 'real' dairy, without cowsOne of these biomaterials is chitosan, an antimicrobial substance with antioxidant properties sometimes used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Insectta aims to eventually produce 500 kilograms of chitosan a day and is now collaborating with Singapore-based Spa Esprit Group for the use of its chitosan in its moisturizers. Insectta is also collaborating with face mask brand Vi-Mask, which hopes to use black soldier fly chitosan to make an antimicrobial layer within its products.Currently, Vi-Mask uses chitosan from crab shells in the lining of its face masks. The company says that the switch to insect-based chitosan is an environmentally friendly move, as Insectta’s chitosan is more sustainably sourced.
A more sustainable source
At present, crab shells are one of the primary sources for chitosan, according to Thomas Hahn, a researcher with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Germany. Hahn has studied insect-based chitosan production with chemical engineer and biologist Susanne Zibek. According to Zibek, chitosan could replace synthetic thickeners and preservatives in cosmetics.
The first products made with Insectta’s chitosan are currently in development. Chua says the startup is now looking for further collaborations within the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.Chitosan extraction from shellfish involves chemical processes and large amounts of water. Chua said that Insectta’s extraction techniques involve fewer chemicals, like sodium hydroxide, than traditional extraction processes, making it a more sustainable alternative. Zibek said the insect biomaterial market will grow as companies look to lower their environmental impact. “There’s a change in consumer awareness, and people want sustainable products,” she added. “We can support that by substituting synthetic products with chitosan.”
Overcoming the ‘gross factor’
To widen the market for its black soldier fly materials, Insectta needs to challenge the stigma against insects.”When people think of maggots, the first thing they think is that they’re gross and harmful to people,” Chua said. “By putting the benefits first, we can transform people’s ‘gross factor.'”
Chua says black soldier flies do not bite and they grow very quickly, making the insects ideal for urban farming.There is ongoing scientific debate about the consciousness of insects. But Phua said rearing black soldier flies is more humane and sustainable than rearing livestock, as insects need less water, energy and space to grow.
Rather than running its own farms, however, Insectta plans to sell eggs to local black soldier fly farms, and collect exoskeletons produced by these farms to then extract the biomaterials.”We not only want insects to feed the world,” Phua added, “we want insects to power the world.”
Source: edition.cnn.com