Director General of SIDA and the Vice-Chancellor of SLU visited the Greenhouse

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  • Cecilia Lalander from the Environmental Engineering group shows Karin Holmgren, Carin JĂ€mtin and Esse Nilsson the larvae at different stages.

  • Everyone wanted to feel the heat being generated in the process!
    Photo: Malin Plantingï»ż

On Wednesday (13/2-2019) the Director General of SIDA Carin JÀmtin and the Vice-Chancellor of SLU Karin Holmgren honoured us with a visit to our BSF facility. Also on the visit, from SIDA, were Senior Research Advisor Eva Ohlsson and Policy Advisor Esse Nilsson, and from SLU Pro Vice-Chancellor, international relations Ylva Hillbur, Head of SLU Global Sara GrÀslund and communicator Malin Planting.
During the visit we demonstrated the concept of turning waste into value by converting it into larval biomass that can be used as animal feed. We in the group were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm with which the visitors put their hands into the fly larvae compost in order to feel the heat being generated in the degradation process and the movement of the larvae.


  • The visit finished with a group photo

Click here to see SLU news coverage of this visit 

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Besök av SIDA:s generaldirektör och SLU:s rektor i vÀxthuset

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  • Kretsloppstekniks Cecilia Lalander visar upp larverna i de olika stadierna för Karin Holmgren, Carin JĂ€mtin och Esse Nilsson

  • Alla ville kĂ€nna pĂ„ vĂ€rmen som alstras i processen.
    Photo: Malin Planting

I onsdags (13/2-2019) fick vi Àran att visa bÄde SIDA:s generaldirektör Carin JÀmtin och SLU:s rektor Karin Holmgren vÄr fluglarvsbehandling. Med pÄ besöket frÄn SIDA var Àven forskningssekreterare Eva Ohlsson och ÀmnesföretrÀdare Esse Nilsson och frÄn SLU vicerektor internationella relationer Ylva Hillbur, SLU Globals enhetschef Sara GrÀslund och kommunikatör Malin Planting.
Under besöket visade vi upp konceptet om hur mervÀrde kan skapas ur organiskt avfall genom att omvandla avfallet till fluglarver som kan anvÀndas som djurfoder. Vi i gruppen överraskades med vilken entusiasm besökarna stack ner hÀnderna i fluglarvskomposterna för att kÀnna pÄ vÀrmen som alstras i nedbrytningsprocessen och av larvernas rörelse.


  • Besöket avslutades med en gruppbild

Click here to see SLU news coverage of this visit

Continue reading Besök av SIDA:s generaldirektör och SLU:s rektor i vÀxthuset

Nils Ewald, M.Sc. thesis on fatty acid composition of BSF larvae

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After almost half a year of work, Nils Ewald presented his master’s thesis last week for the audience at the Department of Molecular Sciences. In the thesis he investigated the relation between the fatty acid composition of the Black soldier fly larvae, and the different waste materials that were fed to the larvae. From the work it was found that the larvae contains a high proportion of saturated fatty acids, but that the growth of the larvae, as well as the fatty acid composition of the substrate, affects the fatty acid profile of the larvae. Since Black soldier fly larvae was a new topic for many in the audience, there came a lot of curious questions such as: Are the larvae safe to use? What are the ethical aspects of producing insects?
There is still a lot we don’t know about the Black solider fly, but the only way to find out more is by further investigating the creature. For the future, the hope is that it will be possible to publish the results from the study in a scientific journal.

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Nils Ewald, examensarbete om fettsyrasammansÀttning av BSF-larver

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Efter nĂ€stan ett halvt Ă„rs arbete presenterade Nils Ewald sin examensarbetare förra veckan för publiken vid Institutionen för molekylĂ€ra vetenskaper. I avhandlingen undersökte han förhĂ„llandet mellan fettsyrasammansĂ€ttningen hos amerikanska vapenflugslarver och de olika avfallsmaterial som matats till larverna. FrĂ„n arbetet konstaterades att larverna innehĂ„ller en hög andel mĂ€ttade fettsyror, men att tillvĂ€xten av larverna, sĂ„vĂ€l som fettsyrasammansĂ€ttningen i substratet, pĂ„verkar fettsyraprofilen hos larverna. Eftersom amerikanska vapenflugslarver var ett nytt Ă€mne för mĂ„nga i publiken fanns det mĂ„nga nyfikna frĂ„gor som: Är larverna sĂ€kra att anvĂ€nda? Vilka Ă€r de etiska aspekterna av att producera insekter?

Det finns fortfarande mycket vi inte vet om den svarta fasta flugan, men det enda sÀttet att ta reda pÄ mer Àr genom att undersöka varelsen ytterligare. För framtiden Àr hoppet att det gÄr att publicera resultaten av studien i en vetenskaplig tidskrift.

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Ny publication: Polymers 2019, 11, 287; doi:10.3390/polym11020287

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Materialet som tillverkades frÄn de avfettade larverna.

A Protein-Based Material from a New Approach Using Whole Defatted Larvae, and Its Interaction with Moisture
Nazanin Alipour, Björn VinnerÄs, Fabrice Gouanvé, Eliane Espuche and Mikael S. Hedenqvist

Ett proteinbaserat material frĂ„n hela avfettade larver frĂ„n Amerikansk Vapenfluga presenteras. Efter att larvfetterna avlĂ€gsnats och en plasticizer tillsats kunde materialet kompressionsgjutas till plattor/fim. Fettet som var rikt pĂ„ mĂ€ttade fettsyror har en möjlig anvĂ€ndning som smörjmedel. Aminosyrorna som var i majoritet var aspartansyra/asparagin och glutaminsyra/glutamine. Infraför spektorskopi visade att proteinmaterialet hade hög andel av starkt vĂ€tebundna ÎČ-sheets, detta indikerade pĂ„ hög aggregering för proteinet. För att utvĂ€rdera fukt-protein interaktionen utvĂ€rderades materialets vattenupptag. Upptaget av vĂ€tska följde ett BET type III moisture sorption isotherm, vilket kunde passas in i en Guggenheim, Anderson och de Boer (GAB) eekvation. GAB, kombinerat med klusterstorleksanalyser visade att vattnet bildade kluster i materialet redan vid lĂ„ga fukthalter.och att klustrens storlek ökade med ökad luftfuktighet.

Continue reading Ny publication: Polymers 2019, 11, 287; doi:10.3390/polym11020287

New Publication Polymers 2019, 11, 287; doi:10.3390/polym11020287

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The material that was produced by the defatted larvae.

A Protein-Based Material from a New Approach Using Whole Defatted Larvae, and Its Interaction with Moisture
Nazanin Alipour, Björn VinnerÄs, Fabrice Gouanvé, Eliane Espuche and Mikael S. Hedenqvist

A protein-based material created from a new approach using whole defatted larvae of the Black Soldier fly is presented. After removing the larva lipid and adding a plasticizer, the ground material was compression molded into plates/films. The lipid, rich in saturated fatty acids, can be used in applications such as lubricants. The amino acids present in the greatest amounts were the essential amino acids aspartic acid/asparagine and glutamic acid/glutamine. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the protein material had a high amount of strongly hydrogen-bonded ÎČ-sheets, indicative of a highly aggregated protein. To assess the moisture–protein material interactions, the moisture uptake was investigated. The moisture uptake followed a BET type III moisture sorption isotherm, which could be fitted to the Guggenheim, Anderson and de Boer (GAB) equation. GAB, in combination with cluster size analysis, revealed that the water clustered in the material already at a low moisture content and the cluster increased in size with increasing relative humidity. The clustering also led to a peak in moisture diffusivity at an intermediate moisture uptake.

Continue reading New Publication Polymers 2019, 11, 287; doi:10.3390/polym11020287

Center for Global Safe WASH Seminar at Emory

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Sahar Dalahmeh, Researcher at Kretsloppsteknik is currently visiting the Center for Global Safe WASH at Emory to develop co-operation between SLU, Emory University, and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan in research and education about microbiological and pharmaceutical risks associated with the use of wastewater in agriculture. As part of the CGSW Seminar Series, Sahar presented her research on the “Use of Wastewater Streams in Agriculture: Potential Benefits and Risks Based on Experiences in Sweden, Jordan and Uganda”.

CGSW Seminar – Sahar DalahmehDownload

Center for Global Safe WASH Seminarium vid Emory

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Sahar Dalahmeh, forskare vid Kretsloppsteknik besöker för nĂ€rvarande Center for Global Safe WASH pĂ„ Emory för att utveckla samarbetet mellan SLU, Emory University och Royal Scientific Society of Jordan i forskning och utbildning om mikrobiologiska och farmaceutiska risker i samband med anvĂ€ndning av avloppsvatten inom jordbruket. Som en del av CGSW Seminar Series presenterade Sahar sin forskning om ”AnvĂ€ndning av avloppsvattenströmmar i jordbruk: potentiella fördelar och risker baserade pĂ„ erfarenheter i Sverige, Jordanien och Uganda”.

CGSW Seminar – Sahar DalahmehDownload

Vilka konstruktions- och driftsförhÄllanden pÄverkar avlÀgsnandet av föroreningar frÄn avloppsvatten i biokolfilter?

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I denna studie, som publicerades i tidskriften Water, bedömde vi hur flera konstruktions-/driftsparametrar pÄverkar effektiviteten för biokartfiltrering i avlÀgsnande av organiskt material (COD) och nÀringsÀmnen (Tot-N, NH4-N, Tot-P, PO4-P) frÄn avloppsvatten. Vi jÀmförde processeffektiviteten hos olika biomassamodeller, biokoldiametrar, hydrauliska och organiska belastningshastigheter (HLR och OLR) och ett kontrollfiltermedium (sand) och relaterade det till filtermediaegenskaper, sÄsom porositet och kemisk sammansÀttning av media.

Vi fann att: i) all borttagning av COD var hög oberoende av alla de studerade parametrarna, ii) borttagning av Tot-P och NH4-N pÄverkades av biokolsdiametern, och iii) borttagning av Tot-N var högre med biokol av tall-gran Àn med sand. Varken HLR eller OLR visade sig signifikant pÄverka avlÀgsnandet av de studerade parametrarna vid de testade nivÄerna.

Klicka hÀr för att fÄ tillgÄng till hela artikeln: Perez-Mercado, L., Lalander, C., Berger, C., & Dalahmeh, S. (2018). Potential of Biochar Filters for Onsite Wastewater Treatment: Effects of Biochar Type, Physical Properties and Operating Conditions. Water, 10(12), 1835.

Kontakt: Sahar Dalahmeh

Which design and operating conditions affect pollutant removal from wastewater in biochar filters?

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In this study, published in the journal Water, we assessed how several design/operating parameters affect the efficiency of biochar filtration in removing organic matter (COD) and nutrients (Tot-N, NH4-N, Tot-P, PO4-P) from wastewater. We compared the process efficiency of different biochar parent materials, biochar diameters, hydraulic and organic loading rates (HLR and OLR) and one control filtering media (sand), and related it to filtering media properties, such as porosity and chemical composition of the media. 

We found that: i) all the COD removal was high regardless of all the studied parameters, ii) Tot-P and NH4-N removal were affected by the biochar diameter, and iii) Tot-N removal was higher with pine-spruce biochar than with sand. Neither HLR nor OLR were found to significantly affect the removal of the studied parameters at the tested levels.

Click here to access the full paper: Perez-Mercado, L., Lalander, C., Berger, C., & Dalahmeh, S. (2018). Potential of Biochar Filters for Onsite Wastewater Treatment: Effects of Biochar Type, Physical Properties and Operating Conditions. Water, 10(12), 1835.

Contact: Sahar Dalahmeh