HOMEGREENS: Household Aquaponics - Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
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1
Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente (IPLeiria), Portugal
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2
Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Portugal
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3
University of Coimbra, CFE – Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Science, Portugal
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4
Laboratório de investigação artes e design LIDA, ESAD.CR, Portugal
Aquaponics is a type of production that combines Hidroponics and Aquaculture, in the sense that plants are produced not in the usual soil substrate but in the nutrient enriched waters recirculated from aquaculture systems instead. This production system offers several advantages, namely space and resource optimization, and efficient water usage and water discharges (which will not be disposed directly into the environment). Although there are several studies on an industrial level, as well as several aquaponic systems currently up and running on a sustainable and successful way, there is nearly no information regarding small-scaled aquaponic systems.
HomeGreens is a project that mainly aims to create small saltwater and freshwater aquaponic systems that can be installed, for example, in homes, schools or hospitals. These systems provide opportunities to see Biology working and applied into something sustainable and economically viable, and ultimately help understanding how a fine-tuned and well balanced artificial ecosystem should work.
Aquaponic systems are suitable for several purposes, either educative, decorative, or productive. They can mimic a number of distinct of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, and in order to fulfil the objectives of the current project, several milestones are proposed. One of the proposed tasks is to test the fish biomass needed to enrich the water with enough nutrients to sustain plant growth, without having to use extra commercial hydroponic nutrients. Another task aims to evaluate how each plant stage correlates with nutrient uptake, and to assess which nutrients are required by species such as basil (Ocimum basilicum), chard (Beta vulgaris) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum). The adaptability of the above mentioned species to higher salinities (seawater), as well as their specific light requirements, are also proposed objectives to be developed in the current project. To undertake these studies, fish species will be included in the aquaponic system, such as Garra rufa or Claria gariepinus whose physiological needs and the potential input they may offer to the systems will also be assessed.
The experimental systems will be drawn according to specific needs and objectives. Such systems will be tested regarding hydrodynamic and production capacity. Ultimately the project will offer tools to enhance and enrich the current understanding and knowledge regarding the potential of aquaponic systems in producing food in a sustainable and economic way.
The current project is an interactive collaboration between LSRE-LCM, MARE-IPLeiria, LIDA, and UIIPS, and is financially supported by a grant (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-23397).
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the research project "HOMEGREENS: Household Aquaponics - Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)" POCI-01-0145-FEDER-023397, (AAC N.º 02/SAICT/2016) cofounded by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Program under the "COMPETE 2020" Program. Also this study had the support of Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013 granted to MARE.
Keywords:
Aquaponics,
ecosystem,
systems design,
Small aquaponics system,
Sustainable methods
Conference:
IMMR'18 | International Meeting on Marine Research 2018, Peniche, Portugal, 5 Jul - 6 Jul, 2018.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Aquaculture
Citation:
Bernardino
RJ,
Franco
IM,
Mota
A,
Faustino
E,
Silva
OR,
Ferreira
S,
Carreira
R and
Pessanha
L
(2019). HOMEGREENS: Household Aquaponics - Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
IMMR'18 | International Meeting on Marine Research 2018.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2018.06.00078
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Received:
30 May 2018;
Published Online:
07 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
PhD. Raul J Bernardino, Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente (IPLeiria), Peniche, Peniche, 2520-641, Portugal, raul.bernardino@ipleiria.pt