Granted Patent B2

US 12,678,843 · App. 18/037,902 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Inventors: Subram Maniam Sarathy (Thuwal, SA); Ribhu Gautam (Thuwal, SA); Tsu-Fang Hong (Thuwal, SA); Bruce Russell Cowley (Riyadh, SA)

Assignee: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

B09B3/60B01J6/008B09B3/40B09B3/70C01B3/22C05F17/05C10L5/42B09B2101/70

Abstract

Claims (60)

1 . A waste treatment plant that integrates larvae-based natural processing with chemical processing for transforming animal waste into chemical products, the plant comprising:

a pretreatment unit configured to receive animal waste, moisturize the animal waste with water, provide black soldier fly, BSF, larvae, and load a tray with a mixture of the animal waste, water, and the BSF larvae;

a storage room configured to receive the tray and hold the tray between 10 and 14 days;

a separation mechanism configured to receive a content of the tray after the 10 to 14 days, and separate the BSF larvae from undigested animal waste;

a chitin and protein extraction unit configured to receive the BSF larvae and extract chitin and proteins; and

a thermo-processing unit configured to receive the undigested animal waste and extract bio-oil and bio-char,

wherein an amount of nitrogen in the animal waste is larger than 2.0% and an amount of nitrogen in the undigested animal waste is smaller than 1.5%.

2 . The plant of claim 1 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit comprises:

a tank of boiling water for inactivating the BSF larvae; and

a mechanical extraction mechanism configured to mechanically press the BSF larvae, to generate oil, pre-treated larvae and squeezed liquids.

3 . The plant of claim 2 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit further comprises:

a processing unit configured to grind the pre-treated larvae and further extract oil from the pre-treated larvae and discharge deffated larvae;

a decanter configured to extract water from the squeezed liquids; and

an oil distillation unit configured to distil the oil.

4 . The plant of claim 3 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit further comprises:

an esterification unit configured to receive the oil, alcohol, an acid, a base and steam to generate an ester.

5 . The plant of claim 4 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit further comprises:

a NaOH treatment tank configured to receive the deffated larvae and NaOH and generate chitin pellets and a protein solution.

6 . The plant of claim 5 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit further comprises:

a demineralization unit where the chitin pellets are demineralized; and

a centrifuge to remove a liquid from the demineralized chitin pellets.

7 . The plant of claim 6 , wherein the chitin and protein extraction unit further comprises:

a neutralization tank to neutralize the protein solution; and

a centrifuge to precipitate proteins from the protein solution.

8 . The plant of claim 7 , wherein the thermo-processing unit comprises:

a dryer configured to dry the undigested animal waste to generate dry undigested animal waste; and

a pyrolysis unit configured to pyrolyze the dry undigested animal waste to form the bio-char and the bio-oil.

9 . The plant of claim 8 , wherein the thermo-processing unit comprises:

a steam reformer configured to receive the bio-oil and natural gas and generate syngas.

10 . The plant of claim 1 , wherein the animal waste is chicken waste.

11 . A method that integrates larvae-based natural processing with chemical processing for transforming animal waste into chemical products in a waste treatment plant, the method comprising:

receiving, at a pretreatment unit, animal waste, moisturizing the animal waste with water, providing black soldier fly, BSF, larvae, and loading a tray with a mixture of the animal waste, water, and the BSF larvae;

placing in a storage room the tray and holding the tray between 10 and 14 days;

separating the BSF larvae from undigested animal waste, at a separation mechanism, from the tray, after the 10 to 14 days;

extracting chitin and proteins at a chitin and protein extraction unit from the BSF larvae; and

thermo-processing the undigested animal waste and extracting bio-oil and bio-char,

wherein an amount of nitrogen in the animal waste is larger than 2.0% and an amount of nitrogen in the undigested animal waste is smaller than 1.5%.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

inactivating the BSF larvae with boiling water; and

mechanically pressing, with a mechanical extraction mechanism 442 , the BSF larvae, to generate oil, pre-treated larvae and squeezed liquids.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

grinding the pre-treated larvae to further extract oil from the pre-treated larvae and discharging deffated larvae;

extracting water from the squeezed liquids; and

distilling the oil.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

esterifying the oil in the presence of alcohol, an acid, a base and steam to generate an ester.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

generating chitin pellets and a protein solution by applying a NaOH treatment to the deffated larvae.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

demineralizing the chitin pellets; and

removing a liquid from the demineralized chitin pellets.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

neutralizing the protein solution; and

precipitating proteins from the protein solution.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

drying the undigested animal waste to generate dry undigested animal waste; and

pyrolyzing the dry undigested animal waste to form the bio-char and the bio-oil.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

steam reforming the bio-oil and natural gas and generating syngas.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the animal waste is chicken waste.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (19)