Iva Guidini Lopes

I have a bachelor degree in Biological Sciences, a M.Sc. and a PhD degree in Aquaculture (Organic Waste Management). I am very interested in the recovery of organic resources (e.g. plant nutrients and bioactive substances) from waste streams and in the reutilization of such resources in food and feed production. The focus of my work is using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) larvae as a bioconversion tool for bioconverting organic residual streams, with the aim to achieve true circularity within the food supply chain. I am currently focused on the production, stabilization and application of high-quality BSF-derived fertilizers (frass or entomocompost). Frass is a novel organic fertilizer/soil amendment with incredible potential for increasing resilience and sustainability in agricultural systems, and my research is directed to unraveling its benefits and overcoming its limitations.

• Biowaste treatment using BSF larvae
• Production and improvement of waste-derived fertilizers
• Use of organic fertilizers in horticultural production
• Dynamics of microorganisms in organic production systems
• Investigation of the effects of biostimulants in plants

- Teaching “microbiology of composting” in the course Växtskydd och mikrobiologi (SLU Alnarp)

- Teaching “biostimulants in waste and wastewater” in the course Safe Nutrient Recycling (SLU Uppsala)

I have a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree in Aquaculture, with focus on biowaste management, from São Paulo State University (UNESP), located in Jaboticabal, state of São Paulo, Brazil

My main research line is related to the use of BSF larvae in the treatment of biowaste and the further application of the frass fertilizer in crop production. In these subjects I am cooperating with projects in Brazil (greenhouse food production using insect-based fertilizers) and Madagascar (field production of distinct crops), in addition to ongoing projects throughout Sweden.

- Iryna Rehan (PhD student, ongoing)

- Herath Madduma Banda (MSc student, ongoing)

- Monique Ferreira Brandão (PhD student, ongoing)

- Inês Bento Cruz (Erasmus training student, concluded)

- Nikolaos Gyftopoulos (MSc student, concluded)

- Erica Aronsson (MSc student, concluded)

- Working out the bugs: navigating challenges and unlocking opportunities in the insect industry. Lalander, C., Barrett, M., Gasco, L., Lopes, I.G., Picard, C.J., Tomberlin, J.K., Van Huis, A. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed (2025).

- The impact of scale and frass recirculation on pathogen inactivation dynamics in black soldier fly larvae bioconversion. Lalander, C., Lopes, I.G., Gyftopoulos, N., Vinnerås, B. Frontiers in Microbiology (2025).

- Assessing environmental impacts of various biofertilizers in Europe: A step toward circular economy transition. Bouhzam, I., Azarkamand, S., Puig, R., Bala, A., Palmer, P.F., Sazdovski, I., Mazurenko, B., Mir, S., Sani, M.H.S., Lopes, I.G., Maievska, T., Raksha, N., Savchuk, O., Ghaley, B.B., Yong, J.W.H., Tonkha, O. Sustainable Production and Consumption (2025).

- Towards circularity for agro-waste: Minimal soil hazards of olive pomace bioconverted frass by insect larvae as an organic fertilizer. Mostafaie, A., Silva, A.R.R, Pinto, J.N., Prodana, M., Lopes I.G., Murta, D., Brooks, B., Loureiro, S., Cardoso, D. Journal of Environmental Management (2025).

- Advances in substrate source composition for rearing black soldier fly larvae as a protein source. Lalander, C., Lopes, I.G. Book chapter published with Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science (2024).

- Recirculating frass from food waste bioconversion using black soldier fly larvae: Impacts on process efficiency and product quality. Lopes, I.G., Wiklicky, V., Vinnerås, B., Yong, J., Lalander, C. Journal of Environmental Management (2024).

- Dynamics of black soldier fly larvae composting - Impact of substrate properties and rearing conditions on process efficiency. Lopes, I.G., Wiklicky, V., Ermolaev, E., Lalander, C. Waste Management (2023).

- Improving Product Safety for Edible Insects: Toxicokinetics of Hg in Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens. Cardoso D., Silva ARR, Morgado, Lopes I.G., Murta, Loureiro S. ACS Food Science and Technology (2023).

- Frass derived from black soldier fly larvae treatment of biodegradable wastes. A critical review and future perspectives. Lopes, I.G., Yong, J., Lalander, C. Waste Management (2022).

- Using Hermetia illucens larvae to process biowaste from aquaculture production. Lopes, I.G., Lalander, C., Vidotti, R.M., Vinnerås, B. Journal of Cleaner Production 251: 119753 (2020).