BlueCycling: resource-efficient food production

One of the greatest challenges imposed by climate change is the ability to provide sustainable management of land and water resources to secure food for a growing population. Integrated aquaculture-agriculture, such as aquaponics, is an exemplary resource-efficient technology that allows for nutrient, water and energy recovery and reuse within the concept of safe and sustainable food production. Due to its controlled environment, aquaponics is able to deliver fresh food with minimal resource inputs despite potentially unfavorable external climatic conditions. However, current aquaponic designs still have some drawbacks and are not profitable enough; preventing commercial adoption. Hence, this work aims to advance current aquaponic designs through innovating existing aqua-hydroculture production techniques and integrating technologies that increase water, nutrient and energy usage efficiencies. Furthermore, the concept of a large-scale aquaponics-centered eco-industrial park will be examined. Within this concept resources are exchanged based on supply and demand, which will aid in achieving sustainable development goals for human health and nutrition, resilient food value chains, and regional/local food production. The main challenge of this complex dynamical system is to design it in such way that high resource use efficiencies and a low environmental impact can be achieved under profitable conditions. We will achieve this by developing mathematical models that improve our understanding of the complex dynamical behavior of an aquaponics-centered eco-industrial park.