National Chengchi University researchers researching food recycling with black soldier fly larvae in Taipei; Bioconverter handles 300 kg waste per cycle

National Chengchi University researching food recycling through fly larvae

03.08.2026, 13:27 Uhr Taipei - Taiwanese researchers are converting restaurant waste into organic animal feed and fertilizer using black soldier fly larvae. Students in National Chengchi University’s International Master’s in Applied Economics and Social Development program recently toured a hotpot restaurant where a bioconverter could process as much as 300 kilograms of food waste.

( CONNECT ) When National Chengchi University students recently visited a local hotpot restaurant, they wanted more than lunch. The students in the Taipei-based university’s International Master’s in Applied Economics and Social Development program were learning about how a bioconverter at the restaurant used black soldier fly larvae to recycle food waste into animal feed and organic fertilizer, said a July 21 university news article .

“What struck me most was how scalable this model could be,” said IMES student Ha Do. “A single machine handling this much waste with minimal labor makes me think about what it could mean for large commercial complexes looking for solutions for their own food waste footprint.”

The bioconverter is a closed-loop, low-risk process that needs only a single worker to operate, said National Taiwan University Professor Cheng-Jen Shih, who built the machine. The bioconverter features seven tiers. Newly hatched larvae start at the top tier and gradually move down as they grow and consume food waste. At the bottom tier, they are removed and turned into protein-rich feed and compost.

The machine will help Taiwanese restaurateurs, farmers, and others comply with a ban on feeding food waste to livestock that the island will enact in late 2026, Shih added. The ban aims to prevent uncooked or improperly heated food waste from spreading diseases among animals.

“This experience offered students a direct window into how academic research in sustainable waste management translates into scalable, real-world application,” said the news article. “It bridges classroom concepts such as social innovation and sustainability into active industry practice.” ce

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