Integrating Life Cycle Assessment into Insect Biofactory Systems: Environmental Evaluation of Habrobracon hebetor Production.

This study evaluated the environmental impact of an insect biofactory that produces biological agents for controlling stored product pests. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the production of eggs and larvae of the natural host Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller, 1879) and its parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Say, 1836). We proposed the reuse of feed within the larval production process of E. kuehniella and compared the resulting environmental impacts with those of conventional chemical control using phosphine. The assessment was performed using SimaPro 9.5.1.2 software and the Environmental Footprint 3.1 method, covering 16 damage categories. Experimental data from the UNISC Biofactory were used to construct the life cycle inventory, which encompasses energy consumption, material inputs, and waste generation. Additional scenarios assessed the reuse of larval diet residues and compared the environmental performance of H. hebetor with phosphine, a conventional fumigant. The results indicated that the main environmental impacts are associated with electricity consumption and the larval diet composed of wheat flour and yeast. The reuse of residual diet reduced impacts in acidification and land use categories, whereas new feed showed better performance in climate change and particulate matter formation. The comparison between biological and chemical control showed lower environmental impacts with H. hebetor in all categories except water use. Overall, biological control using H. hebetor proved to be an environmentally favorable alternative or complement to chemical agents. Process optimization, energy efficiency, and integration of renewable sources may further reduce the environmental footprint of insect biofactories at larger scales.