Empowering the Poor

1. Empowering the Poor Transforming Putrescent Waste by means of Larvae and Redworms by Dr. Paul Olivier paul.olivier@esrla.com Oct 12, 2013 Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

2. Imagine Suppose we were asked to imagine one of the best possible ways to dispose of putrescent waste, to imagine a totally natural process that would effect an enormous reduction in weight and volume within a matter of just a few hours. This process should require no energy, no electricity, no chemicals, not even water. It should be totally self-contained and not emit a drop of effluent, and aside from a small amount of carbon dioxide, it should not produce methane or any other greenhouse gases.

3. Simple & Easy to Operate The unit housing this process should operate with the simplicity of a garbage bin. It should have no moving parts, and it should require very little servicing and maintenance, very little expertise or experience to operate. It should not emit offensive odors, and it should drive away houseflies and other filth-bearing flies. This simple and inexpensive unit could be situated out-of-doors in a shaded area, and any number of units could be coupled together to handle unlimited quantities of waste.

4. On-site Recycling of Food Waste This bioconversion process should not demand the introduction of anything foreign or exotic. It should be powered by a creature commonly found throughout the whole world, and even though it may have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, it should not be associated in any way with the transmission of disease. In view of the wide variability of putrescent waste presented to it, this benign creature should possess one of the most robust digestive systems within nature.

5. Ideal Bioconversion Agent It must have the ability to thrive in the presence of salts, alcohols, ammonia and a variety of food toxins. In addition to food waste, it should be able to digest the feces of swine, poultry, cattle and so forth. Upon reaching maturity, it should be rigidly regimented by evolution to migrate out of the waste and into a collection bucket without any human or mechanical intervention. This self-harvesting grub should represent a bundle of nutrients that should rival in commercial value the finest fish meal.

6. Reintegration of Nutrients Why not insist upon the reintegration into the feed chain of most of the nutrients contained within putrescent waste? Why allow bacteria to break down and devalue these complex nutrients? Does such a process exist? Hopefully it will become clear that the process described above does indeed exist, and that it represents one of the cleanest, most efficient, and most economical way to recycle most types of fresh putrescent waste.

7. The Black Soldier Fly The agent chosen for this bioconversion process is the larva of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetiaillucens, a tropical fly indigenous to the whole of the Americas, from the southern tip of Argentina to Boston and Seattle. During World War II, the black soldier fly spread into Europe, India, Asia and even Australia.

8. BSF Larvae Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

9. A Beneficial Fly Unlike most other flies, BSF adults do not go into houses, they do not have functional mouth parts, they do not eat, they do not regurgitate on human food, and therefore, they are not associated in any way with the transmission of disease. Adults do not bite, bother or annoy humans. Their activity is limited solely to mating and egg-laying. Note that only females visit waste. Males never come near waste, since males do not lay eggs.

10. Only Females Near Waste When females visit waste to lay eggs, they do not come into physical contact with the waste. They lay their eggs above or to the side of the waste, never on the waste, otherwise they run the risk of their eggs being eaten along with the waste. A female produces about 900 eggs in her short life of 5 to 8 days. Housefly adults, by contrast, live up to 30 days, and during this long period, they must eat, and in so doing, they are actively engaged in the spread of disease.

11. Life Cycle BSF eggs are relatively slow in hatching: from 102 to 105 hours. The newly hatched larvae crawl onto the waste and eat it with amazing speed. BSF larvae pass through five stages or instars. Upon reaching maturity, they are about 25 mm in length, 6 mm in diameter, and they weigh about 0.2 grams. Under ideal conditions, it takes about two weeks for the larvae to reach maturity, and another two weeks for the mature larvae to pupate and emerge as adults.

12. Life Cycle However under conditions of stress, maturation and emergence can take up to six months. Here we see incredible flexibility and adaptability. These larvae are also tough and robust. They can survive under conditions of extreme oxygen deprivation. It takes, for example, approximately two hours for them to die when submerged in rubbing alcohol. They can be subjected to over one thousand g’s of centrifugation without harming them in any way.

13. A Smell That Drives Away Flies BSF larvae have a very distinctive smell (not offensive to humans) that drives away houseflies and all other filth-bearing flies. This info-chemical, a natural fly-repellant, assures the absence of flies wherever BSF larvae are present.

14. Texas Experiment In an experiment conducted in Texas over a period of one year, it was noted that BSF larvae can digest over 15 kg/day of restaurant food waste per square meter of feeding surface. This capacity can be greatly extended if the residue is frequently stirred or aerated. A 95% reduction in the weight and volume of this waste was also noted. This means that for every 100 kgs of restaurant food waste deposited into a unit, only 5 kg of a black, friable residue remained!

15. 20% Fresh-to-Fresh It was also noted that roughly 20% by weight of fresh food waste converted into fresh larvae. This food waste had an average dry matter content of 37%, and the prepupae had an average dry matter content of 44%. On a dry matter basis, the bioconversion of food waste situates at almost 24%. The following flow diagram is based upon an input of 100 kg of food waste per day:

16. Flow Diagram

17. All that Remained of a Huge Pumpkin after 24 Hours

18. Larvae Devouring Watermelon

19. Larvae Eating Fish and Fruit Waste

20. Larvae EatingHorse Manure Fresh Horse Manure

21. Larvae EatingHorse Manure 40 minutes later

22. Larvae EatingHorse Manure 24 hours later

23. Larvae Eating Armadillo flesh and shell eaten within less than 24 hours

24. Larvae EatingAlligator Waste flesh eaten within less than 24 hours

25. 4-inch Layer of Larvae In contrast to red worms and earthworms, BSF larvae have the ability to eat and digest just about any type of putrescent waste, including meat and dairy products. The moment waste is deposited into the unit, the larvae secrete powerful digestive enzymes into the waste long before it begins to rot and smell.

26. Powerful Enzymes Since thermophilic and anaerobic bacteria play no part in this process, BSF larvae are able to conserve and recycle most of the nutrients and energy within the waste. The following pictures illustrate just how fast BSF larvae eat and digest food waste:

27. Time Lapse Making Waste our Greatest Resource

28. Input of 6 Kg’s Food Waste Making Waste our Greatest Resource

29. 1.5 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

30. 3 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

31. 4 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

32. 7 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

33. 9 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

34. 22 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

35. 24 Hours Later Making Waste our Greatest Resource

36. Migration and Pupation Upon reaching maturity, BSF larvae change color from beige to black, their mouth parts transform into a digger, they empty their guts of waste, and they set out in search of an ideal pupation site. BSF larvae will crawl over 50 meters in search of an ideal pupation site. An ideal pupation site consists of a dark, dry area providing refuge or cover for the mature prepupal larvae.

37. An Ideal Pupation Site BSF migration initially appears to be a random search for a way out of the waste. If a ramp of an upward inclination lies at the edge of the waste, they will make every effort to negotiate this ramp. If the ramp has an angle less than 40 degrees, the larvae will have no problem climbing it.

38. Exiting the Disposal Unit At the summit of the ramp, an exit hole is provided, and this hole discharges into a collection bucket. BSF larvae are totally self-harvesting. They abandon the waste only when they have reached their final mature prepupal stage, and they crawl out of the waste and into a bucket without any mechanical or human intervention. Hence the biopod: made out of medium density polyethylene by means of the roto-molding process. Biopods are fabricated in Saigon using 90% recycled plastic.

39. Round, not Rectangular These biopods resemble garbage bins, but these bins are somewhat special in that they possess two small ramps. These ramps begin at the bottom of the biopod and spiral up to the top. Note that the shape of the biopod is round. This is very important, since rectangular or square units with corners have a low crawl-off efficiency. Larvae tend to get stuck in corners and eventually die there.

40. Top View of Biopod The Larvae Climb Both Ramps US Patent 6,780,637

41. 4-Foot Biopod Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

42. 4-Foot Biopod Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

43. Round and Small To enhance crawl-off efficiency, the processing vessel must not only be round: it must be relatively small. Therefore the maximum diameter of the biopod is restricted to a nominal 4 feet (actually 1.11 meters). This assures that the larvae can easily and quickly find ramps and evacuate the waste as they mature. Abiopod of this size is easy to transport, and it fits nicely onto standard wooden pallets. Its small size makes it easy to stir. Stirring provides oxygen and dissipates heat. Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

44. Biopod in a Mesophilic Bin Stirring allows larvae to feed three-dimensionally – not just on the surface of the waste. Three-dimensional feeding within a biopod allows larvae to dispose of 5 to 10 times more waste than two-dimensional surface feeding. The bottom of the biopod can be perforated so as to allow liquids to drain out. These liquids could be allowed to drain into a container for eventual disposal off-site. Or they can be allowed to flow into a bed of biomass and biochar. Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

45. Hole Pattern Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

46. Biopod on Base Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

47. Mesophilic Bin for Raising Red Worms The mesophilic bin below the biopod can house red worms. BSF larvae are raised in the biopod above, while redworms are raised in the mesophilic bin below. Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

48. First Biopod in BinhDinh Here we see the first biopod set up in BinhDinh province as well as the first larvae harvested from it: Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

49. Large Capacity Any number of biopods can be coupled together to handle large quantities of waste. In a tropical setting, mating, egg-laying and waste consumption can all take place in the same enclosure. Adults mate in lateral fly screen extensions of the same enclosure where larvae eat waste. After mating, females have free access to biopods to lay their eggs. It is not necessary for humans to manipulate or transfer eggs or newly hatched larvae. Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation

50. Large Capacity Empowering the Poor through Waste Transformation