New preprint: Lemke et al. (2026) Preprints

In this case study, we document how Briquette du Kivu, a youth-led social enterprise in Bukavu (eastern DRC), turns urban organic waste into clean cooking fuel, animal feed, and fruit trees using black soldier fly larvae as a central bioconversion step. By feeding market and household food waste to larvae, BdK cuts waste volumes by around 70–80% and converts the residue into a carbon-rich feedstock for charcoal briquettes, while simultaneously producing protein-rich larvae for local livestock producers and frass fertilizer for a tree nursery. From our perspective, this work shows that insect-based waste valorisation can function as a viable business that generates local jobs and a longer-burning, competitively priced alternative to wood charcoal, while diverting hundreds of tons of organic waste and the equivalent of more than a thousand trees’ worth of charcoal each year.

References

2026

Organic waste to clean energy: Briquette Du Kivu as a model for valorising urban waste into charcoal in the DR Congo (preprint)

Noah B. Lemke, Antoine Clipelle, Charles Chigemezu Nwokoro, Thomas Klammsteiner, and Murhula Zigabe Guido

Apr 2026

Abstract doi Bib

\textlessem\textgreaterBriquette du Kivu \textless/em\textgreater(\textlessem\textgreaterBdK\textless/em\textgreater) is a social enterprise operating in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a region facing persistent food insecurity and environmental degradation linked to prolonged conflict. To reduce dependence on wood-derived cooking fuels and associated deforestation, estimated at approximately 300 hectares of forest lost annually, BdK produces clean-burning charcoal briquettes from locally available organic waste. Because food waste cannot be directly carbonized due to its high moisture content, BdK’s process first employs black soldier fly larvae (BSFL, \textlessem\textgreaterHermetia illucens\textless/em\textgreater; Diptera: Stratiomyidae) to bio-convert organic substrates into a stabilized residue (frass) while substantially reducing substrate volume. The resulting frass is then carbonized in specialized kilns, mixed with a clay binder, extruded into long cylinders and then sun-dried to produce the final fuel product. In addition to providing a renewable cooking fuel, the system generates protein-rich insect larvae that are sold locally as livestock feed, while a portion of the frass is used as fertilizer in BdK’s fruit tree nursery. The nursery supplies grafted trees to regional households, contributing to food production and supplemental income generation. By integrating waste management, insect bioconversion and fuel production, BdK’s model demonstrates how small-scale circular bioeconomy systems can simultaneously address waste accumulation, energy access and livelihood development in conflict-affected regions.
@misc{lemke_organic_2026, title = {Organic waste to clean energy: {Briquette} {Du} {Kivu} as a model for valorising urban waste into charcoal in the {DR} {Congo} (preprint)}, shorttitle = {Organic {Waste} to {Clean} {Energy}}, url = {https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202604.1428}, doi = {10.20944/preprints202604.1428.v1}, language = {en}, urldate = {2026-04-20}, publisher = {Preprints}, author = {Lemke, Noah B. and de Clipelle, Antoine and Nwokoro, Charles Chigemezu and Klammsteiner, Thomas and Guido, Murhula Zigabe}, month = apr, year = {2026}, keywords = {black soldier fly larvae, organic waste valorisation, Unpublished, biochar, rainforest conservation, Sub-Saharan Africa}, dimensions = true, file = {2026-04-20-Lemke-Preprints.pdf} }