HYDROCARBONS PRODUCTION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/579,310, filed on October 31 , 2017, entitled "AN APPLICATION FOR

PRODUCING HYDROCARBONS, ANIMAL FEEDS, AND FERTILIZER BY

UPCYCLING MUNICIPAL AND AGRICULTURE WASTE WITH INSECTS," and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/658,724, filed on April 17, 2018, entitled "INSECT LARVAE WASTE PROCESSING FOR HYDROCARBONS EXTRACTION," the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to methods and devices for processing waste for extracting hydrocarbons, and more specifically, to methods and systems for upgrading the hydrocarbons extracted from the insect larvae.

DISCUSSION OF THE BACKGROUND

[0003] Landfilling and incineration are two major methods of municipal waste management. Landfilling the waste is relatively simple, low investment, and cost. It involves excavating a large hole into the earth, depositing the waste inside, and then covering the waste with the excavated ground. However, the landfilled facilities occupy large portions of land and causes problems due to water pollutions, poisons and hygienic issues. To solve these problems, waste management by incineration has been implemented especially that the waste heat can be used for electricity generation. However, this method requires a large investment and high operating costs, and yields low-calorific products due to the moisture in the unseparated waste.

[0004] In this regard, note that the municipal waste is not well separated in developing countries, usually containing about 40% to 50% food waste and 30% plastics and liquids. These factors lead to burning difficulties, poor economic returns, greenhouse gas exhausts, and additional pollutions to the environment. As a result, most household waste is directly landfilled. This solution, beside being plagued by the problems noted above, also requires the separation of the organic waste from the plastic waste.

[0005] The waste management can be improved by using various insects that devour the waste and turn part of it into body fat and larva waste. These products can then be processed to generate agriculture fertilizer, insect protein powders, and biofuels. However, the generated insect fat is not appropriate for direct use in an internal combustion engine due to its high water and free fatty acid content. These unfavored properties lead to problems to covert the insect fat to biodiesel by conventional catalyzed transesterification process.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a new process for upgrading the insect fat resulted from insect larvae so that the application of insect biofuel is feasible. SUMMARY

[0007] According to another embodiment, there is a method for upgrading bio- oil accumulated in insect larvae. The method includes receiving the insect larvae; processing the insect larvae to generate the bio-oil; preparing a transition-metal based catalyst; and upgrading the bio-oil extracted from the insect larvae in the presence of the transition-metal based catalyst.

[0008] According to another embodiment, there is a plant for upgrading bio-oil accumulated in insect larvae. The plant includes a tank for processing municipal waste with the insect larvae; a dryer for drying the insect larvae to generate dried insect larvae; an extraction tank for extracting the bio-oil from the dried insect larvae; and a reactor for upgrading the insect bio-oil to upgraded alkane-like biofuel in the presence of a transition-metal based catalyst.

[0009] According to still another embodiment, there is a method for upgrading bio-oil accumulated in insect larvae. The method includes receiving the insect larvae; processing the insect larvae to generate the bio-oil; preparing a transition- metal based catalyst; and applying a catalytic hydrodeoxygenation process to the bio-oil extracted from the insect larvae.

BRIEF DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a method for extracting and upgrading bio-oil from insect larvae; [0012] Figure 2 shows a tank that is designed to hold agricultural manure and insect larvae;

[0013] Figure 3 shows a tank that is designed to hold municipal waste and insect larvae;

[0014] Figure 4 shows a system for extracting a gas and liquid fertilizer from the waste produced by the insect larvae;

[0015] Figure 5 shows a system for extracting bio-oil from insect larvae;

[0016] Figure 6 shows a chemical composition of the original bio-oil;

[0017] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for preparing a catalyst;

[0018] Figure 8 shows a reactor that is used to upgrade the bio-oil based on the catalyst discussed above;

[0019] Figure 9 illustrates the reacting mechanisms to produce hydrocarbons from saturated fatty acids in bio-oil by using a hydrogenation process;

[0020] Figure 10 illustrates the reaction mechanisms to produce hydrocarbons from unsaturated fatty acids in bio-oil by using the hydrogenation process;

[0021] Figure 11 illustrates the average composition of the upgraded bio-oil using a Ni-based catalyst;

[0022] Figure 12 illustrates the gas composition of the gas produced in the reactor; and

[0023] Figure 13 is a schematic illustration of a controller for processing the bio-oil. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following description of the embodiments refers to the

accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to municipal waste processed with black soldier fly and wax moth larvae. However, the invention is not limited to this scenario, but it may be used for other type of waste that includes organic material and/or other larvae.

[0025] Reference throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more

embodiments.

[0026] According to an embodiment, waste management can be improved by using two kinds of insects, black soldier fly and wax moth. According to this new solution, unseparated municipal waste is processed into agriculture fertilizer, insect protein powders, and high ignition quality biofuels. The black soldier fly larvae may be used to process organic waste and the wax moth larvae may be used to digest plastic bags. The unsorted waste can be converted to bio-oil and protein through the insects' biological metabolisms during their larval stage. The processed waste and larva manure can be further transformed into liquid fertilizer or compost for agriculture use. Meanwhile, those unprocessed polymers with high molecular weight, such as plastic bottles, lunchboxes, and Styrofoam can be recycled by the traditional way.

[0027] In one embodiment, the collected larvae and biomass may be developed into animal feeds and fuels. This process can not only upcycle the municipal waste into multiple products that can eliminate the environmental impacts, but it can also solve the municipal waste accumulation problems that are due to the increasing population.

[0028] While the following embodiments discuss mainly the use of the black soldier fly and the wax month waste processing and bio-oil extraction, those skilled in the art would understand that all the embodiments discussed herein may be used with other insects and/or insect larvae and other type of waste. Further, although the embodiments discussed herein are discussed with regard to two insects, the same embodiments will work with only one insect or more than two insects.

[0029] The black soldier fly is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, between 45°N ~ 40°S. It has been reported that the fly does not spread diseases or pathogens because the adult fly lives only a short time and does not need food during its short life (as contrasted with house flies, which spread disease and other pathogens). During the larval stage, they live on organic waste, such as animal manures, disposals, and agriculture waste and convert the waste into black brown, and odor-reduced liquids which can be used as agriculture fertilizer. Also, the black soldier fly prepupa is reported to contain 25% to 35% oil and 40% to 55% protein by dried weight, based on different feeds. The biomass yield is relatively higher than most crops, such as corn, rapeseed, and soybean. Even more, the time for larva to get mature is about 20 to 30 days. This means that from a biomass production point of view, it is more efficient to grow these larvae than growing the crops noted above.

[0030] The wax moth is an insect native to Saudi Arabia and considered as a pest to bee farms as the wax moth larvae destroys the comb by eating the wax inside. Very recently, the wax moth larvae have been found to be able to digest plastics (polyethylene) efficiently as the plastic chemical structure is very similar to the bee wax. The wax moth prepupa is reported to contain 32% to 52% oil and 32% to 48% protein. This demonstrate a great potential to convert plastic waste into valuable biomass for sustainable cities, industry and agriculture.

[0031] As a result, an efficient, economic, and sustainable insect-based waste processing method is now discussed for solving the mixed waste problem. One or more features of this method are now summarized, followed by a detailed discussion of the method. According to an embodiment, the combination of two insect larvae, black soldier fly and wax moth is proposed to process organic waste and to digest plastic waste. This combination reduces unsorted municipal waste as well as produces agriculture fertilizers, hydrocarbons (alkanes), and protein powder at industrial scale.

[0032] In accordance with one embodiment, a specially designed tank is required to process the different types of waste. The waste processing tank allows the insects to digest up to a 1 ton of household waste and 1.5 tons of livestock's manure. Functions such as the automatic larva collection and larva manure separation from wet dust and unprocessed waste are embodied in this tank.

[0033] In one embodiment, the larva manure is converted to liquid fertilizer by biological treatment. The food waste and plastic bags mixed in the municipal waste are processed while the other leftovers, such as plastic bottle, can be recycled and the degraded waste can be composted.

[0034] In accordance with another embodiment, the process converts waste into bio-oil and protein. The oil-and-solvent free biomass is grinded to powder and packaged for animal feeds. In yet another embodiment, the process uses catalysis conversion of larva bio-oil into hydrocarbons (alkanes). This and another novel processes are now discussed in detail.

[0035] According to an embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 , a waste processing method receives in step 100 waste. The waste may be municipal waste, farm waste (animal manure), or any other waste that includes organic material. In step 102, one or more types of insects and/or insect larvae are added to the waste. In this embodiment, two types of insects are added to the waste, the black soldier fly and the wax month. In step 104, after the insects and/or their larva have been added to the tank including the waste, conditions inside the tank are maintained so that larvae growing conditions are promoted. These conditions, at a minimum, include the temperature and humidity inside the tank.

[0036] After the larvae have grown and matured, in step 106 the larvae are collected and separated from their own waste. Their own waste may be used as liquid fertilizer. The larvae (called biomass herein) are then processed in step 108 with dedicated devices and following specific processes (all to be discussed later) for generating the bio-oil. However, this bio-oil is of low quality in terms of burning efficiency. Comparing to conventional biodiesel production method, the method described in this embodiment can better upgrade the insect fat without considering the water content and FFA percentage. Thus, in step 1 10, a catalyst is prepared for upgrading the bio-oil and in step 1 12 the bio-oil is processed in the presence of this catalyst to obtain an upgraded oil, which is efficient for burning purposes. The steps of this method and the devices used for these steps are now discussed in more detail.

[0037] Figure 2 shows a tank 200 that is used by the insect larva to process the waste. This tank is more appropriate for waste that includes agricultural waste, e.g., chicken, camel, and cattle manure. The feedstock for larvae nutritional resources can be designed so that a greater yield in terms of insect fat can be obtained. The tank 200 has a body 202 that is open at a top region 202A. This opening is covered with a mesh 204, which is designed to be so fine to prevent any other insect leaving or entering the tank. Waste 206 is placed inside the tank together with insect larva 208. Insect larva 208 may be only the black soldier fly, only the wax month, or both of them. After the waste 206 and insect larva 208 have been placed on a first filter 210, the top opening of the tank is closed by mesh 204. First filter 210 is designed to allow processed waste 208', having particles with a diameter of 10 mm or less, to pass through to a second filter 212. The second filter 212 allows waste 208" (liquid larva manure), having particles with a diameter of 1 mm or less, to pass through. The processed waste 208" is used for compositing and making solid fertilizer.

[0038] Tank 200 has a valve Vo located at the top region for supplying water to the larvae and the waste. A controller 214 controls a pump 216 for spraying the water from a reservoir 218. This water spray controls the humidity and temperature (desired to be between 30 and 35 °C) inside the tank. Controller 214 may be connected to a temperature sensor 220 and/or a humidity sensor 222 (both located inside the tank) for controlling the temperature and humidity of the tank. Tank 200 also has a water recycling and washing system 224 that includes an upper valve Vim and a lower valve V ₂ out for removing/moving the waste through the tank. The same pump 216 (or a different pump), when instructed by controller 214, may inject water at the upper valve Vim. The water may be extracted at lower valve V ₂ out and collected at a reservoir 226. The waste in this reservoir may be used for agricultural purposes while the water may be returned, after being purified, to source 218. A valve V ₂ may be located at the bottom of the tank and a corresponding pump 228 is connected to this valve to suck out the liquid larva manure 208".

[0039] Figure 3 shows another tank 300 that may be used for processing municipal waste. Tank 300 has a body 302 having the shape of a box. An opening 302A in the tank is covered with a mesh incubator 310. Mesh incubator 310 is designed to hold insects 320 to breed and new born larva 322 to drop from the net into the tank 300. Various valves V0, Vim, V ₂ out, and V ₂ have similar roles as the valves in the tank in Figure 2 and their description is omitted herein. Also similar to the tank 200 in Figure 2 are the various pumps, controller and water reservoirs. For these reasons, the same elements as in Figure 2 are labeled with the reference numbers from Figure 2 and their description is omitted. Filter 210 allows processed waste having particles with a diameter of 30 mm or less to pass through and filter 212 may have the same mesh size as the filter in the tank 200.

[0040] A collection slope device 330 may be provided inside the tank 300 for allowing the larvae 322 to move to higher ground as they do not like wet conditions toward the end of their growth. The collection slope device 330 may be a ramp placed inside the tank 300. The collection slope device 330 may be connected to a collection box 332 that may extend along three sides of the tank 300. The collection box is used to collect the larvae.

[0041] Step 104 of the method illustrated in Figure 1 is now discussed. Either of the tanks discussed above are configured to process a given amount of waste, for example, 1 ton of municipal waste. To obtain the optimal black soldier fly (BSF) larva growing condition, the temperature is controlled in the range of 28°C to 34°C and the moisture in the range of 55% to 70%. Temperature and moisture data is collected by controller 214 for waste conversion rate and biomass yield prediction. Also, controller 214 may be configured to maintain these parameters in the indicated ranges by using the various pumps discussed above.

[0042] Because the collected waste composition can vary from time to time, an optimization model for production may be used. The model includes parameters as, moisture, temperature, input load, time and sugar content. To achieve the maximum upcycling value, the production model include following step of taking out 25 larvae from the waste processing tank, for example, from the 14 ^th to 21 ^th day of the prepupal stage, and use a solvent extraction method to determine the average oil and protein weight and concentration to estimate the whole larvae population.

[0043] As the BSF larvae becomes mature, they tend to move to dry places for metamorphosis. At this time, the larvae need to be separated from waste and collected for processing. Thus, step 106 of the method discussed above with regard to Figure 1 uses the water supply to collect the larvae. Thus, as soon as the maximum value output from the biomass production model discussed above is obtained, it is possible to start filling the tank 200 and/or 300 with water to separate the larvae from the waste residual. In one application, it is possible to fill up the processing tank with water, for example, at a rate of 5 cm per hour and keep the water height for another hour to force the larvae to climb up from the bottom of the tank 300, along the collection slope device 330, to arrive at the collection box 332. Then, the method may repeat the water filling procedure until all the larva moves out from the tank and drop into the collection box 332.

[0044] The BSF prepupae collected in the collection box are going to be processed for oil and proteins production as discussed later. Those BSF prepupae that mature earlier than other larvae may be selected to be used for the next generation. In one application, the small-scale BSF larvae yield from different types of waste is tested and reported as follows. The larvae are incubated at 27 °C with 60-75% humidity and inoculated at a ratio of 1000 larvae per kg of different types of organic waste. After 10 days, the organic waste conversion yield and crude fat content are determined. As shown in Table 1 , three types of organic wastes were converted into BSF biomass with different yields.

Table 1

Cattle Pig Chicken Food

Input

manure manure manure waste

Biomass (g) 127.6 207.4 327.6 29.6

Biomass yield (%) 12.8 20.7 32.8 3.0

Crude fat (g) 38.2 60.4 98.5 3.5

Fat yield (%) 29.9 29.1 30.1 11.8

[0045] The biomass noted in Table 1 is BSF larva dried weight. Biomass is produced from 1000g of organic waste. Crude oil is extracted by petroleum solvent extraction method, as discussed later. The fat yield is the percentage of fat in total biomass. From the results in Table 1 it is noted that chicken manure achieved the highest yield at 32.8%, followed by pig manure at 20.4%, cattle manure at 12.8%, and food waste at 3.0%. Therefore, chicken manure could be the most valuable resource used to culture BSF larva.

[0046] The BSF larva discussed above was used to process the organic part of the waste. For this reason, the tank 200 is used with the BSF larva. If desired, the wax moth larvae may now be used to process the plastic part of the waste. The wax moth larvae are used with the tank 300 shown in Figure 3. Thus, the waste that is processed with tank 300 may be the waste discarded from tank 200, i.e., the waste from which the organic part has been removed with the BSF larvae. However, it is also possible to process "fresh" waste in tank 300, i.e., waste that includes besides plastic material (e.g., plastic bags) organic material. In other words, the waste may be processed first in tank 200 with BSF larva and then further processed in tank 300, with wax moth larvae or the other way around.

[0047] Returning to step 104, 1 kg of newly incubated wax moth (WM) larvae is set in the waste process tank 300, after the original waste was processed by the BSF larvae. From the experiments, the temperature is controlled in the range from 33°C to 37°C and moisture from 30% to 40%. As with tank 200, the temperature and moisture data may be collected from tank 300 for waste conversion rate and biomass yield prediction.

[0048] The wax moth larvae can be taken out of the tank on the 28 ^th to 30 ^th day as the metamorphosis is happening from the 25 ^th to the 28 ^th day. The collection of prepupae is conducted in the same way as for collecting the BSF larvae. By repeating the water filling procedures (discussed above with regard to the BSF larvae) two times, most of the wax moth larvae can be collected. [0049] A small-scale wax moth larvae yield from plastic bags (polyethylene) is tested and reported as follows. Wax moth larvae were inoculated at a ratio of 1000 larvae per kg of plastic bags, and incubated at 27 °C with 60-75% humidity. After 20 days, the plastic waste conversion yield and crude fat content were determined. As shown in Table 2, the fat yield from plastic bags (polyethylene) is 42%. Wax moth larvae are used in this step to degrade the household plastic bags (polyethylene) and about 80 g of ethylene glycol is produced as a byproduct.

Table 2

WM Larva Polyethylene

Biomass (g) 120.1

Biomass yield (%) 12.0

Crude fat (g) 50.4

Fat yield (%) 42.0

Protein yield (%) 48.2

Ash (%) 3.2

[0050] The biomass in the table refers to wax moth larva dried weight. The larvae were fed with 1 kg plastic bags. Crude fat is extracted by petroleum solvent extraction method and the fat yield is the percentage of fat of the total biomass.

[0051] During the entire BSF larvae upcycling process, 50% to 80% of the organic part of the waste is reduced. During the wax moth larvae upcycling process, approximately 20% to 30% of the plastic part of the waste is degraded. During both processes, semi-processed organic waste 208' is removed with the water flow provided by valve Vim (see Figures 2 and 3) and associated pump and this waste is passed through two filters 210 and 212. This process is now discussed with regard to Figure 4. Figure 4 shows a system 400 for extracting gas and liquid fertilizer from waste processed with larva. [0052] More specifically, at the end of the BSF larvae collecting step 106, which takes place in tank 402 (which may have the configuration of tank 200 or 300), the V ₂ valve is opened to collect the liquid larva manure 208". Then, valves Vi are opened to enable the water recycling system 224 to repeat the washing procedure to wash down the larva manure. The larva manure pump 228 is started to transport the brown dark liquid 208" to a deodorant tank 410 to remove the smell and modify the liquid 208" into liquid fertilizer that is suitable for agriculture use. The process of removing the odor may include adding a bacteria mixture containing about 20% - 30% lactic acid bacteria, 30% - 40% yeast, and 0.75% bacillus. The odor can be removed after 2 - 3 days as it is described by the CN Pat. No. 103011543 B. The gas generated in the deodorant tank 410 during the biological deodorant process is pumped and compressed with a gas compressor 412 and then stored in a tank 414, for energy generation use. The rest of the content of the deodorant tank is pumped by pump 420 into a storage unit 422 as liquid fertilizer. The liquid fertilizer may then be packaged for being sold. At the packaging step of the fertilizer, it is possible to adjust the fertilizer composition by adding N, P, S, and minerals, such as K, Ca, and Mg to meet the needs from the farms.

[0053] The whole process may be monitored by the controller 214. Controller 214 controls not only the water supply from source 218 and its distribution with the sprayer 430 inside the tank 402, but may also monitor the temperature and humidity inside the tank with corresponding temperature and humidity sensors 220 and 222. Based on these readings, the controller 214 opens and closes the various valves Vo, Vi , and V2 and also may heat the tank 402 with a heater 215, for maintaining the desired temperature. [0054] The wet dust condensed at the bottom of the processing tank 402 may be used for composting. The production of organic compost from municipal refuse or garbage is well known, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,486, which teaches a method to produce organic compost including the steps of shredding the refuse; adding water to saturation; adding earthworms; keeping the water content at more than 80% at least 30 days; and keeping the mixture at a temperature from 30 to 54 °C degrees and with a moisture of at least 45% during more than 4 months.

[0055] In one embodiment, at the end of the wax moth larvae processing procedure, after the V ₂ valve has been closed, the controller 214 may instruct the water supply system 224 to fill up the waste processing tank with water so that light waste, such as plastic bottles, can be collected at the top of the waste processing tank. Regarding the heavy waste, such as beverage cans, they will sink and deposit at the bottom of the waste processing tank. At the end of the cycle, the heavy waste may be recycled based on the traditional methods.

[0056] By applying this waste processing technology, the municipal waste that is treated within the tank noted above is projected to reduce up to 45% as well as to increase the recycling rate of the municipal waste. Given the large amount of today municipal waste, 45% is a considerable achievement.

[0057] Having collected the larvae in step 106, the process advances to step 108 for extracting the bio-oil. A method for oil extraction from biomass is now discussed with regard to Figure 5, which illustrates an oil extraction system 500. The oil extraction system 500 receives the collected larvae at a dryer 502 and dries the biomass. The resulting product may be grinded into powder.

[0058] In one application, the collected live larvae are dried in the dryer 502 at 120 °C degree for about 30 minutes. After the drying process, the half-dried larvae may be exposed to sun and dehydrated. This method can be well adopted in Saudi Arabia due to the dry climate and always-sunny days. This procedure saves energy.

[0059] The biomass powder is now pressed in an oil pressing machine 504 for extracting the bio-oil. The biomass powder may be obtained by milling the dried larvae. About 41 % of oil can be extracted by the oil pressing machine. For example, such a machine may have a maximum biomass input of about 15 kg, has its temperature controlled at 60°C - 70°C, its pressure is about 55 Mpa, and has a working efficiency of about 150 kg/hr.

[0060] The resulted bio-oil is pumped by pump 506 to an oil storage tank 508. The pressed biomass, which still contains a large percentage of oil, is then moved to an extraction tank 510. A solvent, which is stored in a solvent tank 512, is also provided to the extraction tank 510. For example, a petroleum solvent, hexane, is added to the biomass in the extraction tank 510. Note that a valve Vi controls the amount of solvent entering the extraction tank 510. The weight ratio of hexane to dried biomass is selected to be about 10: 1. The temperature inside the tank is selected to be 300°C to evaporate the oils that contain less than 12 carbons. The evaporated oil and solvent vapor mixture is transported to the condensation trap 516.

[0061] The temperature of the extraction tank 510 may be controlled with a thermal device 514, which may heat or cool the extraction tank as desired. By setting the boiling temperature of the desired fatty acids and triglycerides in the extraction tank, oil can be evaporated with the petroleum solvent and transported to the condensation trap 516 for condensation. The condensed oil is stored in the storage tank 508 and the petroleum solvent is recycled with a pump 520 to the extraction tank 514. The condensation trap 516 cools down the evaporated oil at about 80°C.

[0062] Before the collection of oil-free biomass, the solvent condensation trap valve V ₄ is opened and the extraction process line valves Vi , V ₂ , and V3 are closed. The evaporated solvent is pumped by pump 519 to the 0°C solvent condensation trap 518 and then transported to the solvent tank 512. This process recycles the solvent for other batches and removes the solvent from the biomass. The biomass and ashes left in the extraction tank 510 are then taken out from the tank and packaged as animal feeds.

[0063] Next, the bio-oil stored in the storing tank 508 needs to be upgraded. In this regard, the BSF-oil stored in this tank is mainly composed of triglycerides, saturated fatty acids (SFA) (such as Laurie, Myristic, Palmitic acid) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) (as Oleic and Linoleic acid). Figure 6 presents a complete composition of the BSF-oil. Since the extracted fat from insect is of poor quality in terms of using the conventional catalytic transesterification method to convert the crude fat into biodiesel, a newly designed approach, catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) oil-upgrading process is incorporated to upgrade the insect crude fat. As previously discussed, step 110 prepares a specific catalyst for the HDO process. This step of catalyst preparation is now discussed with regard to Figure 7.

[0064] According to an embodiment, a catalyst is synthetized for the HDO of BSF-oil based on transition metals supported on activated carbon (AC) or alumina (Y-AI2O3). For instance, nickel-based catalysts such as Ni/AC, Ni/ Y-AI2O3 were tested as well as a bimetallic catalyst made of the alloy of nickel and molybdenum over alumina, i.e., NiMo/ Y-AI2O3. A method for preparing these catalysts is now discussed with regard to Figure 7.

[0065] In step 700, the catalyst support is prepared. The support of the catalyst (i.e., AC or alumina) is grounded and sieved if the particle size is higher than one millimeter, to reduce the mass transfer resistances when carrying out the HDO reaction. After the particle size reduction, the AC or the Y-AI2O3 is washed using deionized water. This step can be performed in any container, for example, a beaker, by mixing either Y-AI2O3 or AC with deionized water in excess (15 to 20 times the pore volume of the support). Once the support powder and the water are mixed, it may be stirred for 3 hours. In one application, this step is repeated as necessary. Then, the solid phase is separated by vacuum filtration and dried in an oven at a temperature between 383 K and 393 K for 8 hours. After the washing, the filtration and the drying, the support may be sieved again.

[0066] In step 702, the metal-containing solution is prepared. To prepare the metal-containing solution with the right amount of catalyst, the pore volume of the support should be known first. To estimate the pore volume of the support, a physisorption for the support is performed. Based on this information, the solution is prepared by adding the amount of the metallic salt or metal precursor, required to achieve the concentration of the catalyst desired on the support and then pouring water until the porous volume is reached. For example, Table 3 below illustrates the pore volume for the two support materials discussed above. Table 1. Pore volume of each the catalysts support.

[0067] To upgrade 100 g of BSF-oil, 5 g of catalyst with an 8%wt content of nickel has been used. Therefore, the concentration of the metal-containing solution needs to guarantee 435 mg of the active metal on the 5 g of support after the calcination. Thus, the mass concentration of the nickel in the solution needs to be at least 0.074 g _N i/mL _Solution for Y-AI2O3 support and 0.122 g _N i/mL _Solution for AC support. In terms of the nickel precursor used, nickel (II) nitrate hexahydrate (Ni(N03)6H20), the concentration of the solution needs to be at least

0.517 g _N i(No ₃ )6H ₂ o/mLsoiution for Y-AI2O3 and 0.345 g _N i(No ₃ )6H ₂ o/mLsoiution for AC.

[0068] In the same way, to synthetize the bimetallic catalyst with an 8%wt of both metals using the above method, a solution with a concentration of each metal catalyst needs to be prepared, i.e., to prepare 8%NiMO- YAI2O3, the support has to be impregnated by using a solution of 0.074 g/mL of nickel and 0.074 g/mL of molybdenum.

[0069] Next, the catalyst is impregnated in step 704 into the support material. This step uses the metal-containing solution prepared in step 702 and the support prepared in step 700 to carry on the impregnation. The impregnation may be carried out using the Incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) method, also called capillarity impregnation. According to this method, 5 g of the prepared catalyst support is firstly loaded into a container, for example, a beaker. Then, the solution which contains the metal is added drop by drop into the beaker while the mixture is being stirred until a paste-like consistency is achieved. In other words, this step continues until the solution volume added to the support material is the same as the pore volume of the support material.

[0070] After the impregnation step 704, the catalyst is dried in an oven at 393 K for 4 hours and then calcined in step 706. The calcination is done in a nitrogen atmosphere when the AC support is being used, whereas the calcination is carried out in air atmosphere when the catalyst is supported on alumina. This step is carried in a furnace at 823 K over 5 hours. In step 708, the metal content of the calcinated catalyst is measured. By performing a Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) test, the reduction temperature of the catalyst is assessed as well as the amount of hydrogen needed to reduce the metal onto the support. Thus, the metal loading could be estimated. It is important to notice that the amount of metal catalyst estimated by using the TPR test is merely an approximation that can be used for monometallic catalysts. Nevertheless, to know the actual amount of metal catalyst, either monometallic or bimetallic catalyst, Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectometer (ICP/OES) could be used. It is an accurate and reliable way to measure the metal loading. In case the content of metal loaded onto the support material is lower than the desired one, in step 710 a decision is made that the impregnation and calcination processes need to be repeated until the correct loading is achieved, and thus the process returns to step 704.

[0071] A qualitative criterion to check that the metal is loaded onto the catalyst is by comparing the support material BET surface area with the catalyst BET surface area. If the active metal is correctly impregnated on the support material, the BET surface area needs to decrease after the calcination process. If the determination of step 710 is that the metal content of the catalyst is correct, the process moves to step 712 to load the catalyst into the reactor for upgrading the bio-oil (step 112), which is now discussed.

[0072] A reactor 800 that may be used for the process of upgrading the bio-oil (step 112) is now discussed with regard to Figure 8. The reactor 800 has a motor 802 connected to a stirrer 804 that is placed in a chamber 806 of the reactor. A pressure sensor 808 and a temperature sensor 810 are placed inside the chamber for measuring the pressure and temperature of the reactor. A controller 812 is connected to these sensors for receiving the measured data. The controller 812 is also connected to the motor 802 for controlling the rotation speed of the stirrer 804. A heater 814 is located on or within a wall 801 of the reactor 800. A gas inlet 820 and a gas outlet 822 are fluidly connected to the chamber 806 for inserting the bio-oil and also for extracting a gas. Corresponding valves are provided for opening and closing the access of these oils to and from the corresponding storage tanks. A size of the reactor 800 can vary from lab sizes, e.g., able to receive grams or kilograms of material, to industrial sizes, e.g., able to receive tens to thousand of kilograms of material.

[0073] Having this reactor, the catalyst needs to be reduced in-situ. In this embodiment, 5 g of the synthesized catalyst and 150 ml_ of deionized water are loaded into the chamber 806 of the reactor 800. Then, the air inside the reactor is purged by shutting completely the vessel with a lid 826 and flushing 3 times argon at 50 psig and then hydrogen is flushed one last time at the same pressure. After the air removal, the reactor is charged with 500 psig of hydrogen, followed by stirring at 1100 rpm, adding the catalyst and heating it to 650 K at a heating rate of 6 K/min for 4 hours. Note that controller 812 controls the motor 802 for achieving the 1100 rpm of the stirrer 804 and the heater 814 for achieving the 673 K at a heating rate of 6 K/min. Then, the reactor is cooled to 298 K (room temperature) and dried by using vacuum for 18 hours. Now, the reactor is ready for processing the bio-oil from step 108.

[0074] As the catalyst reduction was carried out in-situ, an HDO test could be started just after the vacuum drying of the reduced catalyst. For this test, 100 g of BSF-oil 830 are fed into the chamber 806. Then, the reactor is set up by flushing with hydrogen at 50 psig for 4 times to remove any gas inside the container and guarantee the hydrogen atmosphere. After this purging, the reactor is charged with 500 - 550 psig of hydrogen.

[0075] Once the experimental setup is completed and the reactor is loaded with the bio-oil to be upgraded, the stirring rate is fixed at 1000 rpm while the chamber 806 is being heated at 5 K/min until a temperature about 673 K is reached. After 5 or 6 hours, the heater 814 is switched off and the chamber 806 is slowly cooled to room temperature.

[0076] After this process, the BSF-oil 830 has been refined by removing the carboxyl group from the Fatty Acids (FA) along with some cracking reactions. The carboxyl group removal is performed by the following three different reactions:

Decarboxylation (DCX) R-COOH→ R-H + C0 ₂ (R1)

Decarbonylation (DCN) R-COOH + H ₂ → R-H + CO+ H2O (R2)

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) R-COOH + 3H ₂ → R-CH3 + 2H ₂ 0 (R3) [0077] The reaction mechanism to produce alkanes from SFA is presented in Figure 9. This simplified mechanism shows the DCN, DCX and HDO reactions followed by a final stage of hydrocracking. The hydrocracking step is the foundation for the light hydrocarbons produced after the reaction.

[0078] Similarly, the reaction mechanism for an UFA (see Figure 10), with only one double bond (n: 1), follows the same reactions and produce the same

compounds. Nevertheless, the UFA (n: 1) upgrading process requires one mole of hydrogen more than the SFA upgrading process when the DCN or the DCX reactions are performed. For instance, to produce an alkane from a UFA (n: 1) by following the DCN and DCX reactions, one more mole of hydrogen is required when compared to the SFA process. With respect to the HDO reaction, the number of moles of hydrogen required to produce alkanes from UFA (n: 1) and SFA are the same, 4 moles of hydrogen for each type of FA.

[0079] Based on the above mechanisms and the BSF-oil compositions, the main components in the liquid product are heptadecane and undecane, due the high concentration of the Cis and C12 fatty acids in the bio-oil. However, other alkanes are found in the upgraded BSF-oil in a lower concentration as well, such as

pentadecane, tridecane, along with traces of lighter hydrocarbons with less than 10 carbons, due to the hydrocracking reactions, and others.

[0080] In addition, as light gaseous compounds as CO and CO2 are produced by the CDN and CDX reactions, some gas phase side reactions are carried out such as the methanation of both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and the Water-gas shift reaction (WGSR). Methanation reactions occur by the reaction of these gaseous compounds with hydrogen and produce methane and water, whereas WGSR forms hydrogen and CO2 by using CO and water vapor as reactants. These reactions are summarized as follow:

Methanation of CO2 CO2+ 4H ₂ <→ CH ₄ + 2H ₂ 0 (R4)

Methanation of CO CO+ 3H ₂ <→ CH ₄ + H2O (R5)

Water-Gas Shift Reaction (WGSR) H ₂ + CO2 <→ CO + H2O (R6)

[0081] The gas and the liquid phases resulting due to the above noted reactions (R1) to (R6) are collected and can be characterized both chemically and physically. From the analysis of the liquid products from reactor 800, the BSF-oil conversion calculated for both monometallic and bimetallic catalysts is up to 90%. With respect to the alkanes content, a synergetic effect is presented by the bimetallic catalyst. Thus, the content of alkanes (<Cn-Cis) in the liquid phase by using NiMo catalysts was higher than Ni catalyst, 73.11 % and 69.05%, respectively. The average composition of the oil phase is shown in Figure 11 and the composition of the gas produced by the BSF-oil upgrading is shown in Figure 12.

[0082] One will note that by using the catalysts discussed above with regard to the method illustrated in Figure 7, the production of methane and carbon dioxide are significant comparative to other methods. Therefore, the methanation of the carbon oxides are advantageous according to these embodiments.

[0083] Based on methods discussed above and the various tanks and reactors illustrated in the figures, a plant for upgrading bio-oil generated by an insect may include a tank (200, 300) for processing municipal waste with insect larvae, a dryer (502) for drying the insect larvae to generate dried insect larvae, an extraction tank (510) for extracting the bio-oil from the dried insect larvae, and a reactor (800) for upgrading the bio-oil to upgraded bio-oil in the presence of a metal transition based catalyst.

[0084] The various controllers discussed above may be implemented in a computing device. The computing device is illustrated in Figure 13. The computing device 1300 includes a processor 1302 that is connected through a bus 1304 to a storage device 1306. Computing device 1300 may also include an input/output interface 1308 through which data can be exchanged with the processor and/or storage device. For example, a keyboard, mouse or other device may be connected to the input/output interface 1308 to send commands to the processor and/or to collect data stored in storage device or to provide data necessary to the processor. In one application, the processor controls the temperature and/or humidity in various tanks, and this information may be provided through the input/output interface to various other components of the plant. Results of this or another algorithm may be visualized on a screen 1310.

[0085] The disclosed embodiments provide methods and devices that upgrade an insect-based bio-oil. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. [0086] Although the features and elements of the present embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.

[0087] This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.