A NEAR-ZERO-EMISSION AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION SYSTEM THROUGH PHYCOREMEDIATION, ANAEROBIC DIGESTION, AND EMISSION MITIGATION

The overall goal of the proposed project is to enable a sustainable intensive aquaculture production system that combines the benefits of nutrient reuse, energy production and CO2 sequestration by integrating algae cultivation and anaerobic digestion (AD) with recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to achieve near-zero emission to the hydrosphere and atmosphere. To test our central hypothesis, and thereby attain the overall objective through interconnected research and Extension activities, we have built a multidisciplinary team and will partner with the Aquaponics Association to pursue four objectives: Obj. 1, 2 and 3 for research, and Obj. 4 for Extension.Objective 1. Screening of algae and cultivation conditions for effective removal of dissolved nutrients from fish RAS wastewater.Objective 2. Developing co-digestion strategies to enhance AD of algae, and wet scrubber for pollution mitigation.Objective 3.Kinetic modeling of integrated phycoremediation-anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) wastewater treatment and life cycle assessment (LCA) on the environmental performance of near-zero-emission aquaculture production system.Objective 4. Disseminate project results and products to various stakeholders via Purdue and multi-state Extension networks.