Insects for biodiesel production

F. Manzano-Agugliaro, M.J. Sanchez-Muros, F.G. Barroso, A. Martínez-Sánchez, S. Rojo and C. Pérez-Bañón

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2012, vol. 16, issue 6, 3744-3753

Abstract: In this paper, the fat content of insects is studied for its utilization in the production of biodiesel. The study has shown the great fat potential of insects, highlighting a large number of species with an ether extract higher than 25%, including a large number in excess of 30% and some even reaching levels close to or above 77%. Moreover, a review of the main criteria to be considered for the selection of insect species for biodiesel production is carried out. It was observed that the fat content varies widely between orders, species, and their stages of development – larva, prepupa, pupa, nymph or adult – with the larval stage being that at which the most fat is accumulated. Furthermore, variations in the fat content were observed within the same species due to factors such as origin (wild or bred in captivity) or type of diet. This last factor is one of the most important to take into account for the selection of insect species with the objective of using their fat in the production of biodiesel. The principal conclusion of this study is that insects, through the development of their life cycle, can be fed with agricultural, industrial or urban by-products in order to accumulate a large amount of fat with potentially excellent quality (fatty acids C16–18), for conversion into energy through biodiesel production. Moreover, the resulting protein can also be used as a protein source in animal feed. Therefore, insects are a renewable source of protein and energy.

Keywords: Insect; Fat; Biodiesel; Production; Lipid content (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032112002006
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:16:y:2012:i:6:p:3744-3753

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.03.017

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().