Using insects to turn waste into 'gold'

Chua Kai-Ninh spends a lot of time during the day making sure that his animals are well fed and grow fast.

However, she is no ordinary farmer and these are no ordinary animals.

Changing the way we look at waste

Black soldier flies do not sting and they grow very quickly, making them ideal insects for urban farming.

Chua and his partner Phua Jun Wei founded the startup Insectta in 2017. They are battling Singapore's food waste crisis with the help of an ally few would have thought of. black soldier fly.

The idea behind Insectta is that nothing goes to waste, says Chua. "Waste can be re-imagined as a resource if we change the way we think about production methods and how we deal with waste," she said.

In 2020, Singapore generated 665 thousand tons of food waste but only 19% of it was recycled. Chua says the company feeds black soldier fly larvae up to 8 tons of leftovers a month, including by-products received from soybean factories and breweries, such as such as used beans and cereals.

The Insectta can then dry-burn the larvae of the black soldier fly into fodder and turn the insect's excrement into agricultural fertilizer.

While there are many companies that use insects for waste management, including Goterra, Better Origin and AgriProtein, Insectta is extracting more of its agricultural products from black soldier flies.

With funding from the Trendlines Agrifood Foundation and government grants, Insectta is procuring high-value biomaterials from the by-products of these larvae.

From insects to biomaterials

 Ms. Chua Kai-Ning co-founded the black soldier fly larvae farm Insectta.

Ms Chua told CNN:  'During our research and development, we realized that a lot of precious biological materials that already have market value could be extracted from these flies. The company hopes its biomaterial can revolutionize the growing insect-based product industry and change the way we look at waste."

When the black soldier fly larvae develop into adults, they form a cocoon that, after about 10 to 14 days, will become adults. Insectta has developed proprietary technology to extract biological materials from the outer shells they leave behind.

One of these biomaterials is chitosan , an antibacterial agent with antioxidant properties sometimes used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Insectta has an ultimate goal of producing 500kg of chitosan per day and is working with Singapore-based Spa Corporation Esprit to use chitosan in moisturizers.

Insectta is also collaborating with mask brand Vi-Mask. The company hopes to use chitosan from black soldier flies to create an antibacterial layer in its products.

Currently, Vi-Mask uses chitosan from crab shells to make the lining of the mask. The company says that switching to insect-based chitosan is an eco-friendly move because Insectta's chitosan is more sustainably sourced.

Sustainable biomaterials

According to Thomas Hahn, a researcher at the Frauhofer Institute of Biotechnology in Germany, crab shells are one of the main sources of chitosan. Hahn worked on insect-based chitosan production with chemical engineer and biologist Susanne Zibek. According to Ms. Zibek, chitosan can replace synthetic thickeners and preservatives in cosmetics.

The extraction of chitosan from shellfish involves chemical processes and the treatment of large amounts of water. Insectta's extraction techniques involve fewer chemicals, like sodium hydroxide, than the traditional extraction process, says Ms. Chua, making it a more sustainable alternative.

The market for insect biomaterials will grow as companies look to reduce their environmental impact, Ms. Zibek said. She said there is a shift in consumer perception and people want sustainable products. "We can support that by replacing synthetic products with chitosan," she said.

Overcoming prejudice

To expand the market for black soldier fly materials, Insectta needed to overcome prejudice against insects. Ms. Chua said that when people think of larvae, they first think they are gross and harmful to humans. However, by putting the benefits of this insect first, the company can change people's stigma.

There is an ongoing scientific debate about insect consciousness. But keeping black soldier flies is more humane and sustainable than raising livestock because insects require less water, energy and space to thrive.

However, instead of running its own farms, Insectta plans to sell the eggs to local black soldier fly farms and collect their shells at these farms to then extract the biological material. .

"We don't just want insects to feed the world, but we also want insects to power the world," Ms. Chua said.