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Major
Environmental Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
2024
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The commercial production of fish through aquaculture is a rapidly growing global industry. The waste, also known as sludge, produced by fish in aquaculture systems is high in phosphorus and nitrogen, risking potential nutrient pollution from its discharge into bodies of water. However, by brewing the sludge with nitrifying bacteria, nutrients can be converted into a usable mineral form, transforming the sludge into an effective plant fertilizer. By brewing different concentrates of sludge at different temperatures and over different periods of time, it will be possible to determine the most effective process to produce fertilizer from aquaculture sludge.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Kevin Erickson, Urban Agriculture Manager, School of Environmental Sustainability; Dr. Tania M. Schusler, Assistant Professor-Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) Coordinator, School of Environmental Sustainability; Dr. Allison Carr, Analytical Lab Manager, School of Environmental Sustainability
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Effects of brew time and temperature on the aerobic conversion of organic waste from aquaponics systems into fertilizer
The commercial production of fish through aquaculture is a rapidly growing global industry. The waste, also known as sludge, produced by fish in aquaculture systems is high in phosphorus and nitrogen, risking potential nutrient pollution from its discharge into bodies of water. However, by brewing the sludge with nitrifying bacteria, nutrients can be converted into a usable mineral form, transforming the sludge into an effective plant fertilizer. By brewing different concentrates of sludge at different temperatures and over different periods of time, it will be possible to determine the most effective process to produce fertilizer from aquaculture sludge.