INSECTERA – GREEN TRANSITION TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BASED ON A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
- Luísa M.D.R.S. Martins - Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering,, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
- Ana Paula Ribeiro - Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
- Andreia Figueiras - Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
- Available online in Detritus - Volume 33 - December 2025
- Pages 16-19
Access restricted to subscribed members only
Released under All rights reserved
Copyright: © 2025 CISA Publisher
Abstract
Extracting valuable platform chemical from waste biomass is a crucial part of the path to developing a circular, sustainable materials economy. As a particularly significant example, recent developments at the insect biorefinery - utilization of insect biomass - are herein discussed. The focus is placed on the valorization of Hermetia illucens (commonly known as Black Soldier Fly, BSF) waste created during their industrial production process. In particular, pupae exuviae of BSF are used in studies aimed at obtaining useful raw materials, such as chitin and chitosan, for another industry sectors, namely the health industry.Keywords
Editorial History
- Received: 17 May 2025
- Revised: 19 Sep 2025
- Accepted: 31 Oct 2025
- Available online: 17 Nov 2025
References
G. Alciatore, D.A. Peguero, M. Gold, C. Zurbrügg, M. Niu, F. Bargetze, A. Mathys, Preservation of agri-food byproducts by acidification and fermentation in black soldier fly larvae bioconversion, Waste Management, 2024, 186, 109-118,
DOI 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.05.043
https://recuperarportugal.gov.pt/
https://www.insectera.pt/english/
Lai-Foenander AS, Kuppusamy G, Manogoran J, et al. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.): a potential small mighty giant in the field of cosmeceuticals. Health Sci Rep. 2024; 7:e2120.
DOI 10.1002/hsr2.2120
R.N. Tharanathan, F.S. Kittur, Chitin - the undisputed biomolecule of great potential. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2003, 43(1):61-87 DO
DOI 10.1080/10408690390826455
M.A Matica, F.L. Aachmann, A. Tondervik, H. Sletta, V. Ostafe, Chitosan as a Wound Dressing Starting Material: Antimicrobial Properties and Mode of ActionInt. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(23), 5889;
DOI 10.3390/ijms20235889
P. Feng, Y. Luo, C. Ke, H. Qiu, W. Wang, Y. Zhu, R. Hou, L. Xu, S. Wu, Chitosan-Based Functional Materials for Skin Wound Repair: Mechanisms and Applications, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 2021, 9,
DOI 10.3389/fbioe.2021.650598