Closing the loop with BSFL

[enola]

OK, I draw the line at eating the larva myself. I am sure I could collect the poop and feed it to the larva, then feed the larva to the chickens, WAY before I could eat the larva myself. My stomach thinks digesting larva is just wrong on so many levels. *****running to find a chair to hide under*****

 

[velacreations]

Velacreations, I just wanted to let you know that I'm very intrigued by your ideas. Figuring out a way of eliminating what would otherwise be a waste product while at the same time creating a livestock feed source is the kind of thinking that is necessary if ever we want to move to a more sustainable way of existence.

A viable alternative to conventional human fecal waste processing such as this would not only be a way to deal with sanitation issues, but could impact hunger and poverty issues as well. I've often felt we could feed the world's hungry if we all just ate bugs anyway. Feeding bugs raised on poop to chickens is not something that would gross me out in the least. Heck, I'm actually wondering if it would be more efficient to cut the chicken out of the picture entirely and just eat the processed larva ourselves.

I agree, and I know it's not for everyone, but nutrient recycling and more efficient livestock (insects) are tools we haven't really used in the majority of food production.

Yes, it is more efficient to cut out the chicken, and eat the bugs directly. Most people won't do that, and people here have chickens, so that's why I route through chickens. You can eat BSFL, and cutting out the chicken, you could produce all the protein you need directly from the BSFL. You'd want to clean them well, add a sterilization step, but BSFL can be and are consumed by humans.

You could also route through other, more palatable insects (mealworms, crickets), fish, other poultry, pigs, dogs, etc. I wouldn't give it to herbivores, but there are plenty of omnivores around to use up a protein source like that. And then, don't forget to integrate their manures, too!

Fecal recycling is really just one small part of the bigger picture, too. Urine +fecal recycling is where you can replace 90%+ of your diet with food grown on the nutrients in your wastes. A human adult produces enough urine to fertilize a hydroponic garden 150 square feet in size, year round. That's far more than you need for vegetables, and could produce a big chunk of your carbs/staples. If you only grow 6 months of the year, then 300 square feet, which again, in an intensive hydroponic setup, is a considerable amount of food.

Imagine systems like that, with a properly designed toilet, and hydroponic system linked together and semi-automated. Produce a daily rate of both veg and protein, right from home without significant external inputs.

The point being, that by closing the nutrient loop, we could produce the vast majority of our food with considerably less resources than we currently use.

If you are interested in integrations like this, check out our book/project on Amazon - Food Web: Concept

 

[velacreations]

OK, I draw the line at eating the larva myself. I am sure I could collect the poop and feed it to the larva, then feed the larva to the chickens, WAY before I could eat the larva myself. My stomach thinks digesting larva is just wrong on so many levels. *****running to find a chair to hide under*****

what about bug Tofu?

People don't like the idea of eating bugs in Western societies (even though you eat them in your flours and grains already), but luckily, we have other options, like chickens, fish, pigs, etc.

 

[velacreations]

and just for the record, I've eaten mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers. Once you get past your fear/yuk factor, it's not bad. Mealworms are the best, they have the texture of a Cheeto, which the taste of a pecan.

BSFL are rumored to taste good, I have never tried. I do know that they have a high fat content and can be used to make oils and biodiesel, with a protein byproduct.

you can buy cricket and mealworm flour, but it's expensive. But, added to cookies or bread or something like that, you wouldn't even notice you were eating them.

 

[TalkALittle]

OK, I draw the line at eating the larva myself. I am sure I could collect the poop and feed it to the larva, then feed the larva to the chickens, WAY before I could eat the larva myself. My stomach thinks digesting larva is just wrong on so many levels. *****running to find a chair to hide under*****

I completely understand that the majority of people would balk at the idea of eating bugs, especially those fed poop. But I'm not talking about frying up a plate of the crawly critters and eating it for lunch. It'd be near to impossible to get people to sign on to that idea. I'm envisioning the worms being dried and processed into a powder that would then become an additive to "regular" foods in much the same manner that things like whey or soy protein powder is. I'm willing to bet that a strawberry protein shake made with larva protein vs. one made with soy protein would probably still taste like strawberries--even if the larva were raised on poop.

 

[velacreations]

I completely understand that the majority of people would balk at the idea of eating bugs, especially those fed poop. But I'm not talking about frying up a plate of the crawly critters and eating it for lunch. It'd be near to impossible to get people to sign on to that idea. I'm envisioning the worms being dried and processed into a powder that would then become an additive to "regular" foods in much the same manner that things like whey or soy protein powder is. I'm willing to bet that a strawberry protein shake made with larva protein vs. one made with soy protein would probably still taste like strawberries--even if the larva were raised on poop.

Bug tofu would be easy to make, as well, and would work ok as a meat replacement in meals: http://www.popsci.com/c-fu-tofu-made-100-percent-mealworm-protein

I wonder how much of the commercially raised meat eats poop already? It's common in the poultry and pig industry to feed manures to animals.

 

[lazy gardener]

Interesting food for thought! I'll have to work on digesting these concepts! I got overly excited when I read about BSFL, then had my hopes dashed when I learned that it was not possible to keep a viable colony this far north. There are some interesting options out there for alternates to the typical leach field/septic tank in the country, and sewage treatment plants in the urban areas. IMO, we are a spendthrift society, which includes the way we process our wastes. I would like to see some studies done using the BSF to process human waste. Some of the important things to test for: Are there any pathogens in the larvae that crawl off? What is left in the bin after, say a 2 week withdrawal period? Pathogens, heavy metals, medication residue?

We get grossed out by some farming practices in less developed countries... use of human feces on garden crops, use of chicken manure in fish farming. Even in this country, folks get grossed out by the idea of eating an egg that came from a chicken butt (while it's ok to eat an egg from a styrofoam carton from the grocery store. Gross: Killing and processing your own meat, while it's ok to eat factory farmed meat in cello packs, including chicken which has been floating in a vat which includes feces left over from mechanical evisceration. Gross: eating lettuce from a home garden because a bug might have chewed or walked on it, while it's ok to eat vegetables with pesticide residue from the grocery store.

The bottom line is that we have pre-conceived notions of what is and is not an acceptable practice. Our water hogging sewage treatment plants just might have a run for their money from BSF farming! I'd love to see some studies on the practical application of this idea. It's along the same lines as what Vermont Compost Co. is doing with chickens and compost: Put chickens with a waste product and you end up with a win/win situation for all concerned.

 

[TalkALittle]

I wonder how much of the commercially raised meat eats poop already?

More now since they can no longer feed slaughterhouse remnants back to cows.

 

[TalkALittle]

I wonder how much of the commercially raised meat eats poop already? It's common in the poultry and pig industry to feed manures to animals.

Most people don't realize that they may be eating beef that was fed chicken poop. Wouldn't they rather eat chickens that were fed larva that were fed people poop, than eat beef that was fed chicken poop? The former is one step further from poop than the latter.

 

[velacreations]

Most people don't realize that they may be eating beef that was fed chicken poop. Wouldn't they rather eat chickens that were fed larva that were fed people poop, than eat beef that was fed chicken poop? The former is one step further from poop than the latter.

That's a good point. I think most people view human poop as worse than chicken poop, though I don't think there's a lot to back up that fear. Assuming the chickens don't live right above the cows, there's less time on the human/grub side as well, far less chance of contamination, and less processing.