Environmental Impact Scenarios of Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste Treatment with Black Soldier Fly Larvae based on a Life Cycle Assessment
Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2023
Navarro Ferronato, Riccardo Paoli, Francesco Romagnoli, Gianluca Tettamanti, Daniele Bruno, Vincenzo Torretta

Biowaste treatment with Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae is an alternative option for organic waste valorization. Its environmental impacts should be assessed and compared with conventional treatment options. The research aims to evaluate the treatment of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) with BSF larvae through a life cycle assessment (LCA). This study employed data inventories from literature and aimed to provide a wide range of production parameter values to identify the potentialities of BSF treatment in the best-case and worst-case scenarios. The SimaPro9, the database Ecoinvent3.5, and the impact assessment method IMPACT 2002+ have been employed for the analysis. A sensitivity analysis of relevant parameters was conducted, considering the avoided impacts that can be obtained thanks to the exploitation of larvae proteins for bioplastics or fishmeal production. Research findings highlight six main environmental impact indicators: respiratory inorganics (kg PM2.5-eq), ozone layer depletion (kg CFC-11-eq), terrestrial ecotoxicity (kg TEG soil), land occupation (m2 organic arable), global warming (kg CO2-eq), and non-renewable energy (MJ primary). The most relevant process generating impacts is BSF breeding, followed by boiling, storage, and OFMSW treatment. The environmental performance is better when the conventional fishmeal substituted, thanks to BSF larvae production, is made from areas 10,000 km far, implementing a 100% renewable energy scenario, reducing the energy consumption by 50%, increasing the lifespan of the equipment to 15 years, and products are employed locally. The current study represents the first attempt to evaluate the global higher or lower environmental impact scenario related to OFMSW treatment through BSF larvae. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].


Keywords
BSF | Circular economy | Hermetia illucens | LCA | Solid waste management | Sustainable development
DOI
10.1007/s11356-023-27140-9
Hyperlink
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-023-27140-9

Ferronato, N., Paoli, R., Romagnoli, F., Tettamanti, G., Bruno, D., Torretta, V. Environmental Impact Scenarios of Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste Treatment with Black Soldier Fly Larvae based on a Life Cycle Assessment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2023, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp.1-19. ISSN 0944-1344. Available from: doi:10.1007/s11356-023-27140-9

Publication language
English (en)
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