Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, launched the first project in the region to recycle organic waste and use it in the production of animal and fish feed using insects, with the aim of providing sustainable economic opportunities by addressing the challenges resulting from the accumulation of waste in natural ways through the recycling and use of organic waste in feed production .Sorry, the video player could not load the file.
The project relies on the cultivation and use of “black soldier fly” insects that feed on food scraps, then themselves become animal feed, and their waste turns into organic fertilizer that is converted into animal feed and proteins, organic fertilizers, and industrial oils .
The ministry had signed a memorandum of understanding with Circa Biotech , to set up the first project in the region to use insects to produce feed from organic waste. The signing of the agreement followed a tour of the company’s headquarters in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. On this occasion, Her Excellency Maryam Al Muhairi said: This agreement comes within the framework of the UAE’s continuous efforts to achieve sustainable food security based on innovation, green development, and limit the effects of climate change, and is one of the innovative solutions to achieve These trends are to address the challenges resulting from the accumulation of waste by relying on solutions based on nature whose role is to create sustainable economic opportunities that enhance the flexibility of food supply chains by transforming waste from an environmental burden into an economic resource .
through the project, Circa Biotech Limited will produce organic fertilizers at a rate of 1.5 tons per month, and will later expand its production by treating 200 tons of food waste per day and recycling it into the food value chain to contribute to meeting the increasing local demand for animal feed for livestock, and reducing dependence on powders. Fish in the aquaculture industry, which is witnessing instability and an increase in prices due to the scarcity of supply, knowing that its cost reaches 70% of the cost of the aquaculture industry .
The produced feed is characterized by its richness in proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins and its high nutritional value, and the possibility of harvesting the larvae every 14 days due to the short life cycle of the fly, which lasts 45 days, and the high fertility that it enjoys, and the fact that it does not carry diseases and does not cause any damage or pests, and it is a non-invasive species. It is controlled within an industrially controlled environment and sensors that record real-time temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide, and within well-thought-out lighting that ensures optimal use of resources and low consumption of water amid low impacts of climate change and emissions .
The first goal of Circa Biotech Limited, which has previously participated in several entrepreneurship competitions in the UAE, is to improve the management of organic waste in megacities, especially organic waste that is directly disposed of in landfills, as the share of each person in the UAE is about 197 kg. of food waste annually, can be processed to produce high-quality organic fertilizers used in aquaculture and animal production near these cities .
