Development of an enhanced insect frass biofertilizer through exoskeleton by-product addition

通过添加外骨骼副产品开发增强型昆虫粪生物肥料

• 批准号: 568587-2021
• 负责人: Joseph, Alain
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: Nova Scotia Community College
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=723871
• 关键词: Development; enhanced; insect; frass; biofertilizer

Oberland Agriscience is a sustainable black soldier fly indoor farm, rearing insects on an industrial scale. Black soldier fly larvae production is unique in that every element of the insect rearing process yields a potential saleable product: larvae (rich source of protein and calcium), frass (excrement), shells (exoskeletons cast off during molting) and dead adult flies. Currently, Oberland Agriscience is selling their larvae as a protein powder supplement and their insect frass as a biofertilizer, with the company exploring how to best use the exoskeletons. Exoskeletons from the larvae and dead adult flies contain chitin, which is a polymer known to improve crop growth and mitigate crop stress. One potential use of this byproduct is adding the exoskeletons to the insect frass biofertilizer. The combination of chitin augmented frass may enhance crop benefits more than just insect frass alone, creating a superior insect frass biofertilizer product. However, it is unclear whether adding these exoskeletons to insect frass enhances crop yield, reduces crop stress damage, and offers other environmental benefits greater than just frass alone or synthetic fertilizer. As a result, Oberland Agriscience is looking to partner with Nova Scotia Community College to investigate the following objectives: 1) Determine if exoskeleton addition to insect frass enhances crop growth and reduces frost damage compared to frass and/or synthetic fertilizer alone, 2) Examine if exoskeleton addition to insect frass reduces nutrient leaching than frass and/or synthetic fertilizer alone, and 3) Test varying quantities of the byproduct being added to the insect frass to create the optimal formulation. Anticipated results will provide Oberland Agriscience critical information that will create a superior biofertilizer through the addition of other byproducts, reducing disposal costs. Together this will result in less insect byproduct entering landfills, while leading to increased yields in growing areas at risk of frost. In addition, the increased adoption this enhanced biofertilizer by national producers will reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizer and decrease nutrients being leached from agricultural systems to aquatic ecosystems across Canada.

Oberland Agriscience是一个可持续发展的室内黑苍蝇农场，以工业规模饲养昆虫。黑水虻幼虫的生产是独一无二的，因为昆虫饲养过程的每一个环节都产生了潜在的可销售产品：幼虫（丰富的蛋白质和钙来源）、粪便（排泄物）、壳（蜕皮期间脱落的外骨骼）和死亡的成虫。目前，Oberland Agriscience正在出售他们的幼虫作为蛋白质粉末补充剂，他们的昆虫粪便作为生物肥料，该公司正在探索如何最好地利用外骨骼。来自幼虫和死亡成虫的外骨骼含有甲壳素，这是一种已知可以改善作物生长和减轻作物压力的聚合物。这种副产品的一个潜在用途是将外骨骼添加到昆虫粪便生物肥料中。甲壳质增强的粪便的组合可以比仅仅昆虫粪便单独增强作物效益，产生上级昆虫粪便生物肥料产品。然而，目前还不清楚将这些外骨骼添加到昆虫粪便中是否会提高作物产量，减少作物胁迫损害，并提供比单独的粪便或合成肥料更大的其他环境效益。因此，Oberland Agriscience正在寻求与新斯科舍省社区学院合作，以调查以下目标：1）确定与单独的粪便和/或合成肥料相比，向昆虫粪便添加外骨骼是否增强作物生长并减少霜冻损害，和3）测试添加到昆虫粪便中的不同量的副产物以产生最佳配方。预期结果将为Oberland Agriscience提供关键信息，这些信息将通过添加其他副产品来创造出上级生物肥料，从而降低处置成本。这将减少进入垃圾填埋场的昆虫副产品，同时增加面临霜冻风险的种植地区的产量。此外，国家生产商越来越多地采用这种增强型生物肥料，将减少对合成肥料的依赖，并减少加拿大各地农业系统向水生生态系统流失的营养物质。