The Variety of Applications of Hermetia illucens in Industrial and Agricultural Areas—Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Human population growth contributes to a negative impact on the environment. In order to protect and restore nature, finding solutions and technologies in the industrial and agricultural fields that simultaneously recycle organic waste biomass, revalorize and recover nutrients and natural compounds is continuously important. The production of the insect Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae, Linnaeus, 1758) fits well within the framework of green policy. H. illucens larvae fed on various biomass. The redirection of leftovers from fruit and vegetable or food processing to feed the larvae allows to produce insect proteins and fat, which can be further used in the production of animal feed. Besides, the larvae are also able to feed on manure, biogas sludge, and municipal sewage sludge, which decreases its weight and thus offers entomoremediation of the waste. Insect frass is use as an organic fertilizer. Fats and insect biomass are suitable for biodiesel production and biogas generation. From insect exoskeletons, chitin and chitosan are extracted. Thus, insect production seems to create new and unique opportunities for the environment, people, and animal nutrition, and the large and growing number of publications on H. illucens puts it in the center of interest of various research communities. ABSTRACT: Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae, Linnaeus, 1978), commonly known as the black soldier fly (BSF), is a saprophytic insect, which in recent years has attracted significant attention from both the scientific community and industry. The unrestrained appetite of the larvae, the ability to forage on various organic waste, and the rapid growth and low environmental impact of its breeding has made it one of the insect species bred on an industrial scale, in the hope of producing fodder or other ingredients for various animals. The variety of research related to this insect has shown that feed production is not the only benefit of its use. H. illucens has many features and properties that could be of interest from the point of view of many other industries. Biomass utilization, chitin and chitosan source, biogas, and biodiesel production, entomoremediation, the antimicrobial properties of its peptides, and the fertilizer potential of its wastes, are just some of its potential uses. This review brings together the work of four years of study into H. illucens. It summarizes the current state of knowledge and introduces the characteristics of this insect that may be helpful in managing its breeding, as well as its use in agro-industrial fields. Knowledge gaps and under-studied areas were also highlighted, which could help identify future research directions.