At InBiRa - The Insect Biorefinery, we use the larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) to obtain higher-value products from biological waste materials such as canteen waste or overstocked food. To do this, we chemically convert the fats and proteins into various esters which can be used as fuels or lubricants.
Funding period and reference number
28.10.2021 until 31.10.2024
Funding reference number: Bioök_2076425
Project objectives
The insect larvae grown on the waste and residual materials are separated into a fat and protein fraction during primary refining. The project partners are developing specific process steps for the conversion of the fractions into higher-value products, i.e. secondary refining. The aim is to plan and build a complete large-scale plant at the Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart. In this, the respective process steps, starting with the fattening of the larvae, through the separation of the fat and protein fractions and their refining to the respective finished end product, are to be carried out and evaluated on a pilot scale.
Susanne Zibek
Dr.-Ing.Coordination of Interfacial Processes / Lecturer
Christian Schmidle M.Sc.
Doctoral student, Bioraffinery-technology
Muhand Elamin M.Sc.
Doctoral student, Bioraffinery-technology