摘要
The transition toward net-zero emissions requires new biorefinery platforms capable of converting underutilized organic residues into low-carbon fuels, materials, and agricultural products. Insect biorefinery has emerged as a promising circular approach because insects such as black soldier fly can transform heterogeneous agri-food residues into multiple value streams, including protein meal, lipid oil, frass, chitin-rich fractions, and functional bioproducts. While many studies emphasize insect biomass as an alternative feed or general bioproduct source, this keynote focuses on the lipid-upgrading dimension of insect biorefinery and its potential contribution to net-zero applications. In this presentation, recent progress in developing insect-derived lipid streams as renewable carbon resources will be discussed. Agri-food residues and food-processing by-products are first converted through insect cultivation, followed by fractionation to recover protein-rich biomass and lipid fractions. The lipid stream can then be refined and upgraded toward sustainable fuel precursors, including biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel-related pathways, through pretreatment, catalytic deoxygenation, and fractionation. In parallel, insect oil can also serve as a feedstock for bio-lubricant synthesis through hydrolysis and polyol esterification, creating higher-value products beyond conventional feed applications. Selected experimental results on BSF oil refining, distillation, catalyst validation, and bio-lubricant synthesis will be introduced to illustrate the technical feasibility of this product-diversification strategy. Beyond lipid products, the broader platform integrates protein meal, frass-derived soil amendments, chitin/chitosan materials, and potential carbon-management routes. System-level evaluation using life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis is essential to determine when insect lipid biorefinery can deliver real carbon benefits, especially considering feedstock variability, pretreatment energy, rearing conditions, drying demand, coproduct allocation, and market acceptance. By coupling waste valorization with lipid upgrading, insect biorefinery can move beyond feed substitution toward a carbon-value platform for sustainable fuels, bio-lubricants, nutrient recycling, and circular bioeconomy development.
