Estimation of the economy of heterotrophic microalgae- and insect-based food waste utilization processes

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

An estimation of the economy of Hermetia illucens and Chlorella pyrenoidosa cultivations as food waste treatment with benefits was carried out. For both organisms, a process scale was assumed to treat 56.3 t of wet food waste per day, which is equivalent to the amount of food waste appearing in a catchment area of 141,000 inhabitants. Using hypothetical insect and heterotrophic microalgae cultivation processes, a daily production of 3.64 t and 7.14 t dried biomass, respectively, can be achieved. For the cultivation of H. illucens, equipment and daily operational costs were estimated at 79,358.15 € and 5,281.56 €, respectively. Equipment and operational costs for the C. pyrenoidosa cultivation was 50 and 6 times higher, respectively. The higher costs reflect the more complex and advanced process compared to H. illucens cultivation. The internal return rate for a plant lifetime of 20 times revealed an economic benefit when C. pyrenoidosa biomass is produced. Nevertheless, both processes were found economically feasible when dried biomass is directly commercialized as food without any further downstream processing. However, extraction and purification of special chemicals, such as unsaturated fatty acids and pigments, can significantly increase the revenue.

Original languageEnglish
JournalWaste Management
Volume102
Pages (from-to)198-203
Number of pages6
ISSN0956-053X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.02.2020

    Research areas

  • Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Equipment cost, Food and feed, Food waste, Hermetia illucens, Operational cost
  • Chemistry

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Filter Devices having a Microwave Resonator
  2. Cyberspace Battleground
  3. Konfiguration der PPS
  4. Efficiency
  5. Ankunft einer Katze
  6. Introduction: Converging the Yet-Separate Theoretical Discourses of Testimony Studies
  7. Who is doing asylum in Niger? State bureaucrats’ perspectives and strategies on the externalization of refugee protection
  8. Introduction to the Psychology of Entrepreneurship
  9. Promoting neighbourhood sharing: infrastructures of convenience and community
  10. Linking stakeholder survey, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes
  11. Erosion modelling designed for water quality simulation
  12. Steven R. Jungkeit: Spaces of Modern Theology: Geography and Power in Schleiermacher’s World
  13. Die Entwicklung der Rechtschreibkompetenz beim Textschreiben
  14. The constructs of sustainable supply chain management
  15. The Principles of Public International Law and their Influence on Space Contracts
  16. Does outcome expectancy predict outcomes in online depression prevention? Secondary analysis of randomised-controlled trials
  17. Grünes Bruderholz
  18. Cultural change in Asia and beyond
  19. What do first-year students need? Digital badges for academic support to enhance student retention
  20. What Is Popular Art?
  21. Monitoring European wildcat Felis silvestris populations using scat surveys in central Spain
  22. Practicing Willkommenskultur
  23. Niche segregation in microhabitat use of three sympatric Cyrtodactylus in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Central Vietnam
  24. Integration of prosumer peer-to-peer trading decisions into energy community modelling
  25. Pitfalls and potential of institutional change: Rain-index insurance and the sustainability of rangeland management
  26. Atelier
  27. Jurisdiction and applicable law in cases of damage from space in Europe
  28. The Age of Open Strategic Autonomy
  29. Reply to
  30. Ñizolke zugu Dios ñi Nütxam pu Chilemapuche ñi zugun mew:
  31. GOMBRICH,ERNST,HANS, BETWEEN PATHOS AND ORNAMENT
  32. Das digitale Bild gibt es nicht
  33. The Ethical Risks of Analyzing Crisis Events on Social Media with Machine Learning
  34. NFDI4DS Infrastructure and Services
  35. Entfremdungsriten
  36. Managerhaftung, D&O und Mittelstand
  37. Kleine Geschichte des Design
  38. Interference of magnesium corrosion with tetrazolium-based cytotoxicity assays
  39. FILTEREINRICHTUNG MIT MIKROWELLENRESONATOR
  40. Einleitung
  41. The dawn of chelonian research
  42. Facing Apathy in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Death Watch”

Press / Media

  1. Radio Bremen 2