My independent study consists of a team of engineering and design students. It centers around a self-sustaining “eco-system” that is comprised of vermiponics, aquaponics, a small Tesla turbine, and solar concentrators. The overall goal is to create enough energy to not only power water filters and pumps, but also reading lights and a wireless internet router. The basic idea is that this entire system could be easily constructed and maintained in remote parts of the world.
My main focus is to research and design a main component of the vermiponics system: a container for black soldier flies and their larvae (BSFL). Black soldier flies are a fantastic decomposer and will eat anything from food scraps to paper waste. Since we believe that our system will be utilized in undeveloped areas, we are experimenting with using the larvae to break down not only food waste, but used toilet paper, paper hand towels, and other items that are often disposed of through plumbing. A prototype of the soldier fly box is shown below.
This initial box is simple, and is only the initial phase of our research on BSFL. Primary tests will include determining optimal light, humidity and temperature levels, as well as exploring the proper ratio of food waste to cellulosic substance – toilet paper in this case. As that research progresses, design alterations such as a filtration and drainage systems will be added to improve the longevity of the BSFL life-cycle in this container.