Innovations in Aquaponics: Integrated and Digital Approaches for Sustainable Food Production and Circular Resource Management

About this Research Topic

Background

Aquaponics is defined as the synergistic integration of recirculating aquaculture and hydroponics, and is increasingly recognized as a closed-loop agro-technological solution that aligns with the principles of a circular bioeconomy. This innovative system utilizes microbial-mediated nutrient transformations to convert aquaculture effluents, characterized by high levels of ammonia and organic matter, into bioavailable nutrients for plant uptake. This process facilitates the reuse of water, the valorization of waste, and the simultaneous production of biomass from both aquatic and terrestrial sources. Consequently, aquaponics significantly mitigates environmental loading and reduces dependency on external inputs. However, persistent knowledge gaps regarding system optimization, regulation of water chemistry, nutrient stoichiometry, and the scalability of integrated digital control frameworks pose significant barriers to the widespread adoption of this technology. This Research Topic (RT) aims to bring together interdisciplinary scientific advances focused on emerging technological, biological, and digital innovations in aquaponics.

The goal of this RT is to investigate how aquaponics can be effectively leveraged to enhance sustainability in aquaculture by integrating circular resource flows, digital technologies, and adaptive designs. Aquaponics has the potential to convert aquaculture waste streams into nutrient-rich inputs for plant growth, thereby reducing environmental impacts and closing biogeochemical loops.

This topic focuses on both the theoretical and applied dimensions of aquaponics as a component of circular aquaculture systems. It will bring attention to emerging tools, such as IoT-based sensing, automation, and data analytics, that can optimize water quality, nutrient flow, and system resilience. It also aims to explore the use of brackish water and treated effluent in aquaponics to expand applicability in arid and semi-arid regions. Ultimately, this RT will consolidate current knowledge and inspire innovations that position aquaponics at the intersection of aquaculture, food security, water reuse, and digital agriculture.

Some key questions:

-How can decoupled aquaponic systems improve nutrient efficiency and water management for diverse fish and crop species?

-What is the role of IoT and sensor-based control in improving real-time system performance and early warning diagnostics?

-How can aquaponics be adapted for arid regions and climate-stressed environments using brackish water and off-grid energy?

We welcome the following manuscripts: Brief Research Report, Case Report, Editorial, General Commentary, Mini Review, Original Research, Perspective, Review, Systematic Review, Technology and Code that address key scientific and technological aspects of aquaponics in the context of sustainable aquaculture.

Topics of interest include:

• Freshwater, brackish, coupled, and decoupled aquaponic systems

• Use of aquaculture effluent for nutrient recovery and wastewater treatment

• Sensor-based monitoring, IoT integration, and automated control systems

• Microbial ecology, nitrification dynamics, and nutrient partitioning

• System modeling, life cycle assessment (LCA), and circularity metrics

• Adaptation to arid and saline environments

• Socio-economic assessments and policy frameworks for integrated systems

Authors are encouraged to submit interdisciplinary work that combines aquaculture engineering, plant science, microbiology, digital agriculture, and sustainability assessment. The aim is to provide practical and theoretical insights that contribute to the evolution of aquaponics into a key pillar of circular aquaculture systems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Aquaponics, brackish and freshwater systems, coupled and decoupled aquaponics, nutrient recovery, mineralization, renewable energy, integration

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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