Journal
SUSTAINABILITY
Volume 14, Issue 20, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/su142013396
Keywords
zero-waste food production; organic farming; straw bales vegetables; sustainable aquaculture
Funding
- Project ADER 25.3.1., Project Program 1-Development of the national research-development system [2531/26.09.2019, 1 PFE/2021]
- Program NUCLEU 2019-2022 [PN 19 10 02 01, 5N/07.02.2019]
- SIMECPOP project - Academy of Romanian Scientists [12/14.04.2022]
- [5N/07.02.2019-AA NR 8/2022]
- [PN 19 10 02 03]
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This article proposes a zero-waste production system for sustainable aquaculture, utilizing synergies between fish farming and horticulture. The system integrates three ecological production practices: a closed fishing pond, technology for growing vegetables in straw bales, and a composting system. Experimental results showed that this system achieved significant improvements in energy efficiency, food production, and operating expenses compared to conventional methods.
Inadequate production practices are widely used in aquaculture management, causing excessive water and energy usage, as well as ecological damage. New approaches to sustainable aquaculture attempt to increase production efficiency, while reducing the quantities generated of wastewater and sludge. The sustainable operating techniques are often ineffective, expensive, and difficult to implement. The present article proposes a zero-waste production system, designed for growing fish and vegetables, using a new circular operational concept that creates synergies between fish farming and horticulture. In order to optimize the operational flows with resources, products, and wastes in an integrated zero-waste food production cluster, a business model was designed associating three ecological production practices: a closed fishing pond, a technology for growing vegetables in straw bales, and a composting system. The design had the role to assist the transition toward multiple circular material flows, where the waste can be fully reintegrated into the production processes. A comparative evaluation was conducted in three alternative growing environments, namely, a soilless culture established in straw bales, a culture grown in soil that had received compost fertilizer, and the conventional farming technique. When compared to conventional methods, experiments showed a significant increase in the cluster's cumulative productivity, resulting in a 12% improvement in energy efficiency, 18% increase in food production, and 25% decrease in operating expenses.
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