Next Article in Journal
What Contributes to Regional Disparities of Energy Consumption in China? Evidence from Quantile Regression-Shapley Decomposition Approach
Next Article in Special Issue
Bridging Gaps in the Agricultural Phosphorus Cycle from an Animal Husbandry Perspective—The Case of Pigs and Poultry
Previous Article in Journal / Special Issue
Achieving Sustainable Phosphorus Use in Food Systems through Circularisation
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 10
Issue 6
10.3390/su10061805
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Commercial African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Assessment of Element and Energy Pathways with Special Focus on the Phosphorus Cycle

by
Sebastian Marcus Strauch
1,*,†,
Lisa Carolina Wenzel
1,†,
Adrian Bischoff
1,
Olaf Dellwig
2,
Jan Klein
1,
Andrea Schüch
3,
Berit Wasenitz
1 and
Harry Wilhelm Palm
1
1
Department of Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
2
Marine Geology, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, IOW, 18119 Rostock, Germany
3
Department of Waste and Resource Management, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this study.
Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1805; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061805
Submission received: 1 April 2018 / Revised: 23 May 2018 / Accepted: 28 May 2018 / Published: 30 May 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phosphorus Circular Economy: Closing Loops through Sustainable Innovation)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

The reuse of effluent waters and sediments from African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) recirculation aquaculture systems requires a deeper understanding of the nutrient and energy flows and material pathways. Three semi-commercial systems, differing in stocking density, were sampled for nutritive and pollutant elements of the input- (tap water, feed) and output pathways (fillet, carcass, process water, sediments) by ICP-OES/MS and calorimetry. Highly water-soluble elements, e.g., potassium, accumulated in the water, whereas iron, copper, chromium and uranium where found in the solids. Feed derived phosphorous was accounted for, 58.3–64.2% inside the fish, 9.7–19.3% in sediments, and small amounts 9.6–15.5% in the process waters. A total of 7.1–9.9% of the feed accumulated as dry matter in the sediments, comprising 5.5–8.7% total organic carbon and 3.7–5.2% nitrogen. A total of 44.5–47.1% of the feed energy was found in the fish and 5.7–7.7% in the sediments. For reuse of water and nutrients in hydroponics, the macro-nutrients potassium, nitrate, phosphorus and the micro-nutrient iron were deficient when compared with generalized recommendations for plant nutrition. Low energy contents and C/N-ratio restrict the solely use of African catfish solids for biogas production or vermiculture. Using the outputs both for biogas supplement and general fertilizer in aquaponics farming (s.l.) (combined with additional nutrients) appears possible.
Keywords: African catfish; recirculating aquaculture systems; mass balance; phosphorus; nutrients; pollutants; energy; solid wastes; aquaponics; circular economy African catfish; recirculating aquaculture systems; mass balance; phosphorus; nutrients; pollutants; energy; solid wastes; aquaponics; circular economy

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Strauch, S.M.; Wenzel, L.C.; Bischoff, A.; Dellwig, O.; Klein, J.; Schüch, A.; Wasenitz, B.; Palm, H.W. Commercial African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Assessment of Element and Energy Pathways with Special Focus on the Phosphorus Cycle. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061805

AMA Style

Strauch SM, Wenzel LC, Bischoff A, Dellwig O, Klein J, Schüch A, Wasenitz B, Palm HW. Commercial African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Assessment of Element and Energy Pathways with Special Focus on the Phosphorus Cycle. Sustainability. 2018; 10(6):1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061805

Chicago/Turabian Style

Strauch, Sebastian Marcus, Lisa Carolina Wenzel, Adrian Bischoff, Olaf Dellwig, Jan Klein, Andrea Schüch, Berit Wasenitz, and Harry Wilhelm Palm. 2018. "Commercial African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Assessment of Element and Energy Pathways with Special Focus on the Phosphorus Cycle" Sustainability 10, no. 6: 1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061805

APA Style

Strauch, S. M., Wenzel, L. C., Bischoff, A., Dellwig, O., Klein, J., Schüch, A., Wasenitz, B., & Palm, H. W. (2018). Commercial African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Recirculating Aquaculture Systems: Assessment of Element and Energy Pathways with Special Focus on the Phosphorus Cycle. Sustainability, 10(6), 1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061805

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop