3.5. Compositional changes of RSW and rice straw after coconversion
Selected components of the original mixed medium (RSW:Rice straw, 7:3) and the digested residual after 10 days co-conversion were analyzed for comparison and to determine the conversion rate of the components. One can see from Fig. 3 that in the absence of Rid-X, about 27.9% of cellulose and 32.6% of hemicellulose were degraded by BSFL. This result is in accord with the previous report that larvae can digest the lignocellulosic components in dairy manure [16]. Conversion rate of cellulose and hemicellulose was
significantly enhanced when 0.35% of Rid-X was introduced to the conversion system. With the aid of cellulase and fermentation of microbes, about 65.5% of cellulose and 56.3% of hemicellulose could be digested into sugar when the two agents worked together as
shown in Fig. 3. The sugar was then absorbed by BSFL for development. However, BSFL can hardly use the lignin component in the feed (0.8%). Rid-X showed a feeblish ability for lignin degradation because about 8.8% of the lignin was reduced when Rid-X was added. BSFL could digest about 74.4% of protein in the mixed feed,and more protein (91.6%) was utilized when BSFL and Rid-X function together. Lipid conversion showed no significant difference in