Industrial Symbiosis

Industrial Symbiosis (Co-location) in Insect Production for Energy Capture

BSF industrial symbiosis describes a system where insect production integrates with nearby industries to share resources and energy. Innovafeed  applies this concept by co-locating its facility with two industrial partners to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

First, a starch manufacturer supplies agricultural by-products such as wheat bran and wheat slurry. These materials serve as direct feed for the larvae. Second, a wood biomass turbine at a renewable energy plant provides power for the insect production facility.

The wheat slurry enters the system at around 80 °C. The facility captures this heat and uses it to maintain optimal temperatures in the breeding area. This process reduces total energy demand by about 20%.

The wood biomass turbine also produces waste heat in the form of hot water at 60 °C. The facility recovers this heat and uses it for operations. It supplies about 53% of the total energy demand. The remaining energy comes from the renewable plant as steam (29%) and local electricity (18%).

This BSF industrial symbiosis model delivers strong environmental benefits. It reduces CO₂ emissions by 80% and lowers fossil resource use by 83% compared to systems without symbiosis.