Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Titre : CPS : MEDIUM : INTEGRATING SENSORS, CONTROLS, AND ECOTOXICOLOGY WITH DECOUPLED AQUAPONICS USING BRACKISH GROUNDWATER AND DESALINATION CONCENTRATE FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION

Identification : 1029649

Pays : Etats Unis

Durée : START : 01 JAN 2023 TERM : 31 DEC 2025

Résumé
This project aims to develop a testbed of integrated sensors, controls, artificial intelligence, and ecotoxicology tools to engineer sustainable food production systems based on aquaculture, using brackish water. The testbed includes an automated recirculating aquaculture system based on desalination concentrate to demonstrate that brackish groundwater desalination costs can be offset by using its byproducts for profitable food production. Although aquaponics is becoming prevalent as a means of food production, efforts to develop these systems in brackish groundwater are very scarce. This project contributes to fill this need by understanding organism response to varying salinity and brackish groundwater chemistry, as well as impacting desalination technology as it proposes a profitable option for concentrate management. In addition to being the most efficient animal protein production system, aquaponics contributes to reduction of harmful effects on the environment. Brackish water aquaponics is of great interest for inland areas far from the coast since it includes products associated with marine resources. An important societal benefit of this project is demonstrating that it is possible to repurpose desalination byproducts to produce food, offsetting the costs of treatment, while reducing environmental impacts from those byproducts. Finding options for concentrate management, other than disposal, remains a major challenge to implement desalination in inland areas. Therefore, results of this project would have societal impacts in many areas with semi-arid and arid climate, scarcity of surface water, and brackish groundwater. Furthermore, the project would impact saline aquaculture producers worldwide, leading to protection of coastal ecosystems. We will conduct activities that directly contribute to broader impacts engaging with students of the local communities in three major ways : developing an exhibit and activity emphasizing interdisciplinary research conducted during the academic year, offering summer research experiences to students from underrepresented groups, and participating in science and technology outreach events targeting underrepresented groups.

Objectifs
This project aims to develop a testbed of integrated sensors, controls, machine learning, and ecotoxicology tools to engineer sustainable food production systems based on aquaculture using brackish water and desalination concentrate. Since we include aquatic organisms in the system, we intend to develop tools that expand cyber-physical systems technology to the biological domain. Specifically, we will develop a brackish groundwater food production system based on a recirculating aquaculture system, which can in the future be integrated with a hydroponicsunit to form a decoupled two-loop aquaponics system. We seek to implement an automated recirculating aquaculture system pilot for varying chemistry of brackish groundwater and desalination concentrate to demonstrate that brackish groundwater desalination costs can be offset by using its byproducts for profitable food production.General objectives are : 1) develop real-time monitoring and control, aided by data analysis and machine learning, to implement a recirculating aquaculture system prototype that operates under optimal conditions, 2) develop a desalination system for nutrient distribution between the recirculating aquaculture system and a future hydroponics, 3) develop a real-time ecotoxicology systemby means of integrated respirometry and behavioral assessment (via video tracking and machine learning) of organisms growing in varying chemistry of brackish water and desalination concentrate and integrate it to the recirculating aquaculture system, 4) implement and calibrate models of organism growth and survival integrated with nutrient distribution and water quality dynamics, and 5) integrate all systems into the cyber-physical systemstestbed that includes networking, computing, and opportunities for education and outreach.

Financement total : $1,000,000

Performing Institution : UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Investigator : Acevedo, M. F.

Présentation : USDA (NIFA)