“Bio‑oil Extraction from Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) via Subcritical Water Pretreatment of Food Waste” (Commercialization of MJIIT Research Seeds × Japanese Companies)

“Bio‑oil Extraction from Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) via Subcritical Water Pretreatment of Food Waste”
(Commercialization of MJIIT Research Seeds × Japanese Companies)

Malaysia

Malaysia‑Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), established in 2011 under the Japan–Malaysia bilateral agreement, is highly regarded for developing advanced human resources who understand Japanese engineering education and Japanese work ethics. Numerous joint projects with Japanese universities and companies have already been implemented. While MJIIT possesses a wide range of research seeds, their commercialization and social implementation remain a challenge. Through QUEST, MJIIT aims to match its research seeds with Japanese companies and promote product development, business creation, and startup incubation.

For this round of QUEST, MJIIT proposes the following research seed for co‑creation with Japanese companies: “Enhancing BSFL Growth and Bio‑Oil Extraction through Subcritical Water Pretreatment of Food Waste.”

With rapid economic growth, Malaysia generates large volumes of food waste. Traditional landfill disposal imposes significant environmental burdens, and therefore proper treatment and valorization of food waste are increasingly required. Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) efficiently decompose organic waste and contribute to a circular bioeconomy by producing: (1) larval biomass (animal feed), (2) frass (organic fertilizer), and (3) extracted oils (biofuels and pharmaceutical use).

Among these, MJIIT focuses on (3) improving the efficiency and quality of bio‑oil extraction by applying subcritical water pretreatment (*) to food waste.
Preliminary studies by MJIIT show that feeding raw food waste to BSFL reduces larval growth and lipid conversion efficiency, whereas subcritical water pretreatment increases both larval growth and the accumulation of valuable fatty acids (e.g., lauric acid).

Through collaboration with Japanese companies possessing relevant technologies, MJIIT aims to establish enhanced techniques for improving BSFL oil yield and quality via subcritical water pretreatment.

(*Note) Subcritical Water Pretreatment: A pretreatment technology that decomposes organic materials by exposing water to high‑temperature (approx. 180–250°C), high‑pressure conditions while maintaining its liquid phase.

In the PoC, MJIIT and Japanese companies will jointly conduct verification activities to evaluate how subcritical water pretreatment improves BSFL growth performance and oil yield. The PoC consists of three zones:

(1) Zone 1: Input Materials and Baseline
Food waste from households, markets, and canteens is collected. Because of its heterogeneous composition, foreign materials are removed, and homogenization and size reduction are performed.
A baseline comparison will be conducted using untreated raw food waste fed directly to BSFL under the existing method.

(2) Zone 2: Innovation through Subcritical Water Pretreatment
The core of the PoC is establishing subcritical water processing conditions (180–250°C, 10–30 minutes) that treat food waste without chemical additives.

(3) Zone 3: BSFL Conversion and Final Outputs
Using the nutrient‑enhanced material generated by subcritical water pretreatment: Improved BSFL growth performance, Increased BSFL biomass; and Higher oil extraction efficiency

This PoC aims to demonstrate that subcritical water pretreatment enhances the valorization of food waste and improves BSFL growth efficiency, biomass output, and oil yield (particularly lauric acid richness).

We welcome Japanese partners who have:

1. Experience evaluating the market potential and commercialization feasibility of university research seeds (venture builders, trading companies, TLOs, etc.)
2. Expertise in providing capital or business strategy support for commercializing university research seeds (venture capital, etc.)
3. Experience developing products/businesses in related fields (especially SCW technologies), and interest in utilizing relevant research seeds for improved products or new product development

Note: Other expertise may also be accepted if it contributes to the challenge.

• Coordination and support from experts involved in ongoing technical cooperation projects at MJIIT
• Facilitation with Malaysian ministries, government agencies, Japanese chambers, and related organizations in Malaysia

Fukuoka（On-site pitch）・Tokyo（On-site pitch and Online pitch）