Aquaponics from wastewater reclamation

Using reclaimed water for fish farming
Growing fish in recycled water is possible, and it is the next big thing in terms of sustainable fish farming. According to researchers, producing fish for human consumption is feasible in any city, with no impact on natural habitats and no dependence on natural freshwater availability. The EU-funded AWARE project will remove the barriers preventing reclaimed water aquaculture from becoming a European reality. Specifically, AWARE will create the first European case study for reclaimed water aquaponics in the town of Castellana Grotte (Puglia, Italy), using a multitrophic aquaponics recirculation system. The ultimate goal is to create a new farm-to-fork value chain, contributing to European economic growth and advancing the burgeoning 0-km food movement.

Objective
AWARE sets out to increase capacity to produce fish for human consumption at KM 0 in every European city, with no impact on natural habitats, no dependence from natural freshwater availability, and high resiliency to climate change
This goal could be met by farming fish locally using reclaimed water. Europe lacks the regulatory and policy framework to allow such a value chain to take root, due also to the absence of compelling scientific evidence of safety, quality, economic feasibility, and social acceptability.
With AWARE, we want to remove the barriers preventing reclaimed water aquaculture from becoming a European reality. We will demonstrate seamless integration of our solutions in an aquaponic recirculation system (RAS) with IoT monitoring and automation technologies to improve its operation and overall sustainability metrics. We will create the first European case study for reclaimed water aquaponics in the town of Fasano (Puglia, Italy), where we will leverage the results of a pre-existing H2020 project on advanced wastewater treatment. With the case study, we will
- Demonstrate technical solutions for efficient and sustainable aquaponics from reclaimed wastewater
- Increase the circularity of wastewater as freshwater resource to be exploited where it is generated
- Create a new farm-to-fork value chain, contributing to European economic growth and to urban KM 0 farming
- Lay the ground for a new regulatory and policy framework in support of European aquaculture
The project will go as far as conducting human intervention (i.e. feeding tests) on a panel of volunteers to obtain evidence of safety and quality of the produced food. In parallel, it will develop a sustainable business model and strategy for the for the future upscaling of the pilot solution, including its application to other European communities and in international development projects. Our consortium includes a large network, one extra-european partner, and one international organisation