Research Projects
LIFE Waste4Growth
The main objective of LIFE Waste4Growth is to strengthen the circular economy by converting insect frass—the primary byproduct of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) rearing—into organic, biostimulant fertilizers. According to EU Regulation 2021/1925, insect frass is a mixture of insect excrement, undigested feed substrate, and shed exoskeletons produced during insect rearing. Currently, insect frass is used for biogas production, which means its potential is not fully exploited. By converting insect frass into high-quality organic biostimulant fertilizers, LIFE Waste4Growth supports more sustainable, productive, and climate-resilient agriculture in Europe. The project builds on the results of LIFE Waste2Protein (2019–2023, LIFE18 ENV/DE/000011), which developed the modular, decentralized ReFarmUnits technology for the treatment of bio-waste using insects.
InnoAssistent
REPLOID Deutschland GmbH (formerly madebymade GmbH) is developing and implementing a systematic process at its facility in Pegau (Saxony) for formulating and optimizing feed recipes based on biogenic residues and waste materials for fattening the larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens).
While established livestock farming can draw on decades of research on feed optimization, feed formulation development for insects has so far been based primarily on a trial-and-error approach. This project replaces this approach with a data-driven, scientifically sound method that holistically considers macro- and micronutrients, physical substrate properties, and the nutritional physiology of the larvae.
The developed feed formulation products will be sold to operators of decentralized insect farms, improving their bioconversion efficiency, reducing production costs, and enabling the utilization of a broader range of regional organic waste materials.
Market launch of a liquid plant fortifier made from insect frass extracts
REPLOID Deutschland GmbH (formerly madebymade GmbH) is introducing a novel liquid plant fortifier at its Pegau site (Saxony) that is derived from the insect frass of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens). The product combines resource efficiency, a circular economy, and high horticultural efficacy and is intended for use in both professional agriculture and hobby gardening.
The project involves developing the regulatory approval and standardization strategy, producing a pilot batch, and creating logistics, sales, and marketing concepts for various target groups (e.g., farmers, hobby gardeners). Through the use of an efficient extraction and processing method, an odorless, fast-acting plant fortifier with biostimulating properties is created, which increases plants’ resistance to drought stress, heat, and diseases.
The project increases the value added from regional waste materials, reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fertilizers, and contributes to the regional circular economy and bioeconomy in the Free State of Saxony.
BioMade
REPLOID Deutschland GmbH (formerly madebymade GmbH) is collaborating with DBI – Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg to develop an innovative process for the energy recovery of insect waste—the byproduct of breeding and processing the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)—using a two-stage biogas process.
Insect production generates significant amounts of waste, a mixture of substrate residues, excrement, and insect exoskeletons. The BioMade project is developing a specially adapted, two-stage biogas process that simultaneously produces biogenic hydrogen and methane and directly integrates the legally required sanitization of the substrate—without additional external process steps. This efficiently harnesses the energy potential of this material stream and further closes the sustainable cycle of insect production.
The findings provide the scientific basis for the widespread application of this process in the growing insect farming industry—as a contribution to the circular economy, the bioeconomy, and the energy transition.