Black Soldier Fly Processing Plant To Be Built In The U.S.

Black Soldier Fly Processing Plant To Be Built In The U.S. Innovafeed’s Decatur, Ill., pilot plant is using black soldier flies (BSF) to turn small amounts of a corn processing co-product into backyard chicken treats. With the help of an $11.8 million grant from the USDA, the company plans to supersize production. A facility under design in partnership with ADM will produce 60,000 metric tons of insect protein for animal and pet food, 20,000 metric tons of oil for poultry and swine rations and 400,000 metric tons of fertilizer. “We broke ground for our pilot facility in 2023 and completed the construction within 10 months,” says Maye Walraven, Innovafeed. “The pilot site has been operational since the end of 2023.” Innovafeed (Vol. 46, No. 4) introduced its BSF technology in France, where it operates two industrial plants, one of which is significantly expanding. It’s adjacent to a wheat processing plant and a biomass plant at Nesle and uses wheat bran and ethanol byproducts as BSF feedstock. The U.S. plant will be built adjacent to ADM’s corn processing wet mill plant. Feedstock will be transferred via pipeline, and the Innovafeed plant will use recovered waste heat from ADM in its process. It’ll have the capability of using 300,000 tons of byproduct. Walraven indicates the pilot plant research will help determine the final design of the U.S. commercial facility. Pilot plant research will also explore the incorporation of other feedstocks for specific rations. Operating it helped identify differences in density and viscosity between the wheat and corn coproducts and needed design changes. “Our Nesle facility expansion is still ramping up,” says Walraven. “Once it’s running at full scale, we’ll begin constructing the U.S. plant, likely sometime in 2026.” The pilot plant currently produces about 110 lbs. of dried larvae a week. It’s marketed as a treat for backyard chickens and sold through Decatur area hardware stores. The company has announced partnerships with two U.S. pet food brands and is exploring other markets. The USDA grant was made under the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. Frass (manure) produced by the BSF contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It’s considered a soil amendment, improving soil health with its slow-release nutrients. Added benefits include the ability to store carbon and increase organic matter in the soil. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Innovafeed, 3130 N. Brush College Rd., Decatur, Ill. 62521 (sales@innovafeed.com; www.innovafeed.com/en).

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