(MENAFN – Swissinfo) Black soldier fly larvae are able to digest large amounts of organic waste, while simultaneously producing animal feed, biofuels and fertilizers without consuming raw materials.
This content is published on 16 January 2021 – 10:30 16 January 2021 – 10:30 Armando Mombelli
A journalist originally from Ticino and the Grisons, I am primarily concerned with federal politics, business, energy and innovation.
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Startup TicInsect, based in the southern Swiss region of Ticino, plans to set up Switzerland’s first bio-waste treatment plant, where several hundred million of these voracious insects will work.
Most of us may wonder what flies are for, especially when they are constantly buzzing in front of our noses and don’t stop bothering us. Believe it or not, these insects can perform very useful tasks for us such as making a significant contribution to reducing resource waste, deforestation and climate change. They can be valuable allies in creating a circular and sustainable economy.
Accelerated biological conversion
The pesky flies can recycle, cleanly and efficiently, a large amount of food waste generated by industry, households and agriculture.
Nearly three million tonnes of organic waste are generated in Switzerland every year. In the absence of a suitable separate collection system, most end up in incinerators. Getting rid of material with high nutritional and energy value is not only a waste but an economic mistake, ‘said Elisa Filippi, founder and CEO of TicInsect.
Filippi, who has a degree in animal production science, opened a laboratory in the Italian-speaking city of Tesserete last year with the aim of showing how organic waste can be managed and processed in new ways. The workers at this pilot plant are tens of thousands of black army fly larvae, a variety that is highly resistant to disease, cold and other environmental factors, and easy to handle and accustomed to living in crowded conditions wherever they find them. organic matter. The larvae are very greedy and can eat pizza in a matter of a few hours.
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