Abstract
BackgroundAs a major lignocellulosic biomass, which represented more than half of the world’s agricultural phytomass, crop residues have been considered as feedstock for biofuel production. However, large-scale application of this conventional biofuel process has been facing obstacles from cost efficiency, pretreatment procedure, and secondary pollution. To meet the growing demands for food, feed, and energy as the global population continues to grow, certain kinds of insects, many of which are voracious feeders of organic wastes that may help address environmental, economic, and health issues, have been highlighted as a source of protein and fat.ResultsThe biorefinery studied includes initial corn stover degradation by yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), followed by a second stage that employs black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.), to utilize the residues produced during the first stage. These two insect-based biorefinery yielded 8.50 g of insect biomass with a waste dry mass reduction rate of 51.32%, which resulted in 1.95 g crude grease from larval biomass that produced 1.76 g biodiesel, 6.55 g protein, and 111.59 g biofertilizer. The conversion rate of free fatty acids of crude grease into biodiesel reached 90%. The components of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contained in corn stover hydrolyzed harmoniously, resulting in declines of 45.69, 51.85, and 58.35%, respectively. Moreover, fluctuations in lipid, protein, and reducing sugar were also analyzed.ConclusionThe investigation findings demonstrated that successive co-conversion of corn stover by insects possessing different feeding habits could be an attractive option for efficient utilization of lignocellulosic resources, and represents a potentially valuable solution to crop residues management, rise of global liquid energy, and animal feed demand.
Highlights
As a major lignocellulosic biomass, which represented more than half of the world’s agricultural phytomass, crop residues have been considered as feedstock for biofuel production
The biorefinery studied includes initial corn stover degradation by yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), followed by a second stage that employs black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.), to utilize the residues produced during the first stage
First‐stage biorefinery: biomass yield, waste reduction, and feed conversion Utilization of Corn stover (CS) by yellow meal worm (YMW) led to fresh insect biomass of 53.57 g and dry larval mass of 15.78 g (Table 2)
Summary
As a major lignocellulosic biomass, which represented more than half of the world’s agricultural phytomass, crop residues have been considered as feedstock for biofuel production. The rapid expansion of the world economy, an increase of the global population, and improvement of the standard of living have created an enormous burden on conventional energy resources and the environment [1]. Wang et al Biotechnol Biofuels (2017) 10:304 toward the use of biomass as renewable and low-cost raw materials for liquid energy generation [5]. Crop residues left on the field represent more than half of the world’s agricultural phytomass [6]. The contributions from agricultural residues were estimated to be 27.2, 21.9, and 26.7% for corn, wheat, and rice straw, respectively [7]. CS has been identified as a suitable raw material for biofuel production due to its high cellulose content and its vast availability [11, 12]
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