The IIM participates in AWARE, wastewater for a more sustainable aquaculture
The European project will adapt, in Italy, a water treatment plant to take advantage of the waste water in the aquaponic cultivation of fish and vegetables.
Vigo, February 23, 2023. The Institute of Marine Research of the CSIC participates in the European project AWARE which, with 5.1 million euros, intends to build the first aquaponic farm in Europe to use reclaimed water from a waste water plant.
Aquaponic cultivation combines two concepts: aquaculture and hydroponic cultivation (the cultivation of vegetables on water, without land). It is a type of sustainable cultivation, which reuses and recirculates its own waste thanks to its multitrophic nature, which combines the cultivation of several species in a single installation. In Europe, the water that leaves the treatment plants, called "reclaimed water", can be returned to the environment or used for irrigation; but its use is not allowed in aquaculture or in this type of aquaponics.
Aquaponics combines two concepts: aquaculture and hydroponics (the cultivation of vegetables on water, without soil).
With the development of this pilot, the project intends to "to lay the ground for a new policy framework in support of European aquaculture, and demonstrate the feasibility of an entirely new food value chain", argues Dr. Fabio Ugolini, project coordinator.
The project, starting in November 2022, will involve more than 20 institutions and companies from 8 countries in the construction and evaluation of the aquaponic production of a new plant in the Italian town of Castellana Grotte (Puglia), which is expected to open its doors in 2026. The farm will thus become a case study for the use of recovered water in aquaponic cultivation.
The IIM-CSIC, with the participation of three research groups, is leading the work that will face one of the main challenges of the project: that the fish produced meet the maximum requirements of quality and food safety.
"This project is a challenge for us, because we are going to apply our experience and knowledge in a direct way, to obtain a solution in a real scenario that allows us to develop a productive system based on efficient, sustainable and resilient aquaponics", says Marta López Cabo, who leads the participation of the IIM-CSIC.
In addition to product security, AWARE teams face other important challenges. First, ensure that the reclaimed water is free of all types of harmful pollutants, both chemical and microbiological and including those "emerging", yet not regulated by the Directive European Wastewater. Second, ensure that the facility must be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. In addition, he must convince legislators, as well as the people who will consume the product, of the benefits of aquaponic cultivation from reclaimed water.
The AWARE project was funded by the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action Program of the European Union, under Agreement Nº101084245, with co-financing from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).