Mixed microalgae-food waste cake f or feeding of Hermetia illucens larvae in characterizing the produced biodiesel

Abstract

The industrial use of insects, their products, interactions, or activities has been known as industrial entomology. The current study focused on evaluating the effect of mixing the organic food waste with its half percentage of microalgae on the biodiesel production and characterization. The black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) were reared on the organic waste (OW) (fruits, vegetables, and kitchen) only and OW mixed with microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris. Additionally, the levels of oxidants and antioxidants in the biodiesel, after the antioxidants' incorporation (ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, and catechin), were evaluated. The BSFLBD was produced from lipid extraction of BSFL biomass by chloroform/methanol mixture, followed by acid catalyzed esterification and alkaline catalyzed transesterification. The biodiesel yield from the larvae fed on mixed OW-microalgae for 14 days was enhanced by 1.4 folds than the yield of OW group. The unsaturated oleic acid has the most dominant pattern in the fatty acid profile of BSFBD, even in different cases. Lauric (12:0) and myristic (14:0) acids constitute the majority of the methyl ester component of the biodiesel, with amounts of 25.6 and 7.1 for larvae fed on OW, and 25.9 and 7.7 for those fed on OW-microalgae. Following the antioxidants addition, the oxidant’s concentration decreased in the biodiesel especially in the insects fed on mixed OW-microalgae. The microalgae added to the organic food waste enhanced the biodiesel quality and quantity of BSFL biomass. Also, the introduction of antioxidants didn’t only improve the efficiency of the biodiesel, but also helped in the management of the stress parameters.