Last Monday the 25th, the President of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, opened the Entomo AgroIndustrial Research Centre in Cehegín (Murcia) and visited its installations. The dairy business Capsa Food belongs to its body of shareholders and acquired 15% in September as a sign of its strong commitment with the environment.
The President of the Region of Murcia attended the opening ceremony with Diego Amores, CEO of Entomo Agroindustrial.
Installations guaranteed by the European Commission
This Research Centre is an innovator in Europe and is dedicated to the study of the use of insects as bioconverters. With its 400-m2 surface, it is guaranteed by the European Commission, as well as Spanish scientific institutions.
Its installations are designed to recover all types of industrial waste, in order to create adequate technological transfer models that are suitable for a variety of clients. In addition, this centre allows for experimentation with new technologies for process optimisation and the generation of new production systems.
Pursuant to the studies that will be led at the Entomo Agroindustrial Research Centre, insect production will be industralised so that organic waste can be treated and transformed into something other than landfill material.
Basically, the aim is to help to change the world through Industrial Ecology – by means of the implementation of circular economy and bioeconomy, developing industrial projects for insect production – and thus to become a worldwide leading business in waste recovery.
The black soldier fly, a “bioconverter”
To transform its waste, Entomo implements a type of technology that bases the industrial application of the black soldier fly as a converter, transforming organic matter of a low added value (biowaste) into raw materials of a high added value. This species has been selected for three main reasons: it has a great capacity to convert a wide range of waste types; it can be industrially produced at high density; it is not considered a plague or an insect that could be potentially harmful to the environment.
These insects can feed on organic matter and generate high-quality products, such as protein (used for fodder and foods), industrial fats (detergents and industrial oils), chitin (water purification, agriculture, chemical industries, packaging and the pharmaceutical industry) or substrates with fertilising potential.
Some of the most outstanding products that can be generated by this new industry are those for the agri-food industry (hydrolysed flour and fats for animal feeding or ecological compost), farming or the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry (antimicrobial peptides, chitosan for various purposes or antibiotic fatty acids).
It is an adaptable technology than can be used in a wide range of areas, from restaurants to supermarkets, or an industrial transformation plant like the one opened in Cehegín.
ENTOMO AGROINDUSTRIAL is a company founded and led by Diego Amores and a solid scientific team, supported by a multidisciplinary group of professionals, all of which are examples in their field. Its aim is to search for industrial solutions for the treatment of organic matter through the use of insects. ENTOMO offers a technological solution in the field of Industrial Ecology by developing industrial projects for insect production geared towards the generation of value from organic matter (biowaste).
Entomo Agroindustrial has been awarded the Generacción Prize by DELOITTE and the COTEC Foundation; the Innovative SME Seal, awarded by the Directorate-General for Research of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; the Entrepreneur of the Year Prize (Employment, Business, Universities and Environment Department of Murcia); and the Start-Up of the Year Prize awarded by the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of the Region of Murcia.
