Let’s be positive and dream about the future. We are not so far away from long-distance space trips. When we are talking about circularity on earth, it is nice to have, but when we are talking about long-distance space trips then circularity is a must have. Then it is mandatory to build a type of circular system where waste from one process becomes a resource or materials for another one and re-enter the system. In this connection, I assume that it is interesting to mention that Norbite’s first project was related to space.

CEO
Norbite
Sweden-based Norbite, which recently joined the insect industry, contributes to the solution of two important world problems at the same time with its field of activity. The first of these problems is plastic pollution, with the second being supplying sustainable food. Although it may be a bit difficult for us to think that these problems have a single solution, Norbite CEO Nathalie Berezina explains this in a very clear way for us.
“Norbite has created, controlled and protected a process using a specific insect, Galleria mellonella, whose digestive activities enable it to convert plastic waste into proteins and lipids,” says Berezina. And adds: “Norbite’s disruptive approach offers a new economic reality for the end-of-life polymeric materials for which there are no viable re-use or recycling solutions to-date.” In this recycling method, insects grown with polymeric materials are also utilized in industrial applications such as feed and food.
Norbite CEO Berezina shared an intriguing detail about the company’s first project, which was related to space, and answered our questions about Norbite’s promising recycling methods for the future.
Miss Berezina, firstly could you tell us a bit about Norbite? What could you tell us about your company’s field of activity and practices?
Norbite was established in July 2020. Based on a novel insect – based biorefinery technology, we tackle the problems of plastic waste pollution and transfer plastic waste into valuable bioproducts as proteins and lipids. Thus, Norbite focuses on two prominent global issues as plastic pollution and sustainable food supply for the growing human population. We use scientific and technological innovations to address these real-world problems.
Norbite has created, controlled and protected a process using a specific insect, Galleria mellonella, whose digestive activities enable it to convert plastic waste into proteins and lipids. Norbite’s disruptive approach offers a new economic reality for the end-of-life polymeric materials for which there are no viable re-use or recycling solutions to-date. Proteins and lipids are to be used in feed/food industry or for industrial applications.
It is probably worth reminding that mass production of plastics started in the first half of the last century. Plastics are synthetic molecules mostly derived from fossil fuels and highly resistant to degradation. The production of these new materials has burst over the past 70 years. They entered compellingly into our daily life, bringing a revolution to our society and a new way of living. Plastic and polymeric materials became essential materials in many fields, such as packaging, textile, and furniture. In the past 40 years the production of those materials has increased exponentially. However, this revolution came with a price. This massive usage of synthetic polymers generates the accumulation of millions of tons of plastic waste. Breaking down plastic is not easy as it has long, difficult-to-break hydrocarbon chains. The same property that makes plastic such a widely used material, ironically, also turns against it, when talking about sustainable handling of its end-of-life.
On the global scale, only 9% of plastic is recycled. Around 12% goes to incineration, 22% is mismanaged and the rest ends in landfills and in our oceans. In Sweden 1,2 million tons of plastic burn every year. During incineration for each and every kilogram of plastic 2,5 kg of CO2 equivalent is released in our atmosphere, while our proprietary process reduces CO2 emission by 67%.
On the other hand, the world’s population is growing and food requirements are growing with it. According to the United Nation, 690 million people are suffering hunger, that is 8.9 percent of the world’s population. The total is expected to increase by 10 million people in one year and 60 million in five years. If nothing changes, the world will fall far short of the United Nations’s goal to reach zero hunger by 2030.
We know that plastic waste is a big problem for the environment. But you say that it can be converted via insects. This is a noteworthy idea but how can we convert plastic waste via insects? Could you explain it to us?
Yes, a step from plastics to proteins might look too long, unrealistic, or even too good be true but it is real. Plastic structure is similar to the chemical structure of beeswax and yet the only living species that are able to digest it are Greater Wax moths, Galleria mellonella, the insects we are working with.
To tell more about this specific insect, a Greater Wax Moth lives exclusively on beeswax. A female moth lay 300 to 600 eggs in clusters on combs or in small cracks in hive material. The eggs hatch within 3 to 5 days when temperatures range from 29°C to 35°C. After hatching, the small very active larvae dig tunnels in comb. During millions and millions of years of its evolution, this insect has adopted itself to digest beeswax, that is extremely resistant to degradation and if not for Greater Wax Moths we would probably have a huge amount of accumulated beeswax on our planet.
Could all plastic waste be converted through this way? What are the types of plastic waste that insects can consume and which insect species can digest these plastic wastes?
Until now, everything we have tested, i.e. more than 90% of commonly used plastic and polymeric materials have worked perfectly well. I would mention some plastic materials such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyamide, Polyacrylate, Polyester, Polyurethane and their mixtures and co-polymers, including natural fibres and biopolymers as well. Thus, we are tackling one of the biggest issues within the waste treating industry, i.e. working with dirty lasting waste streams where everything that can be recycled has already been sorted out, and the only destination of those lasting waste streams would have been the incineration.
Can the insects you use for this conversion be used for human or animal nutrition? What can you tell us about the products that can be obtained from these insects, as well as their fields of use?
The nutritional composition of the thus obtained larvae makes it very suitable for human and animal food, yet we need to comply with the specific regulations. And here, in Europe there are three main stages, feed for the animals that do not enter in the human value chain i.e. pets and fur animals – our products can be directly used there. Feed for animals that do enter the human food value chain – several tests need to be made for the validation by EFSA; for human food, there is a need to pass through the so called “novel food” regulation. For these reasons, our primary target is pet food and food for fur animals.
Are we sure that this is a healthy conversion? Would the usage of these insects in animal feed pose a threat to human and animal health, as well as food safety? Are there any studies regarding this topic?
We have been conducting several studies in this field, and until now we have never found any undesirable compounds, such as heavy metals or flame-retardant agents, in the final products. Moreover, some other insects, for instance Hermetia illucens, a black soldier fly, that eager to convert manure, are currently to be shown to detoxify the substrates they are growing on. That is the insects, may actually contribute to transform substrates unlikely to be consumed to actually safe food for humans and animals.
What is the cost and efficiency of this conversion? For example, how many insects can be raised with how many tons of waste?
Approximately 100 pieces of larvae consume an ordinary shopping plastic bag within 24 hours. If plastics are grinded or broken into small pieces the process goes even faster.
For our first demonstration prototype, we are aiming to convert 5 000 tons of plastic waste per year that allows us to produce about 1,7 tons of larvae. Larvae grow between five or seven weeks to become wax moths that in their turn lay new eggs and create a circular process of reproduction. Then larvae are ready to become new moths, we harvest about ninety percent of them and leave the rest for the next step of reproduction.
What would such a conversion bring to the world?
First and foremost, we are offering solutions to the urgent problems such as plastic waste pollution and hunger. Obviously, traditional ways to solve these problems are not efficient enough. Time is crucial to find alternatives ways and allow innovations to enter. There is no silver bullet, everything counts! We simply do not have time to wait for some miraculous breakthroughs. We need commitment from multiple actors and collaborative efforts to move forward. By identifying gaps and opportunities in the recycling system, creating small and big loops to upscale plastic waste stream, including decentralized recycling and industrial symbiosis simultaneously producing valuable bioproducts, could help to move in solving the problems of plastic waste pollution and hunger.
On the other hand, let’s be positive and dream about the future. We are not so far away from long-distance space trips. When we are talking about circularity on earth, it is nice to have, but when we are talking about long-distance space trips then circularity is a must have. Then it is mandatory to build a type of circular system where waste from one process becomes a resource or materials for another one and re-enter the system. In this connection, I assume that it is interesting to mention that Norbite’s first project was related to space. To feed astronauts and handling their waste by using insects is a very promising way to secure circularity in space.
Finally, is there anything else you would like to add?
Norbite’s solutions go beyond just technical and technological development. Innovations are required to deal with plastic waste at different stages. We are fully aware that challenges are too big to be solved by one actor and transforming the industry requires a system-level change with collaboration and commitment to innovate from multiply actors together with public sector and civil society. So, we offer and invite committed, forward- thinking individuals and companies to join us and follow this journey together.
About Nathalie Berezina
Nathalie Berezina is educated as chemist (MSc) and chemical engineer (MSc), education completed by a PhD in biotechnology. She has more than 15 years of international experience in the field and is a recognized expert with more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 20 filed patent applications. Berezina worked as Senior scientist and Project leader with Materia Nova (Belgium) for more than 9 years and as CSO and IP representative with Ynsect (France) for 5 years.
In 2020 Nathalie successfully launched Norbite, the company focusing on the upcycling of un-recyclable plastic waste by an insect-based biorefinery. The company has won numerous prestigious awards, has participated in international incubation and acceleration programs, consolidated several collaborations, partnerships, and earn grants at national and international levels.