Sustainable Aqua-Agriculture Production Using a Novel Integrated Recirculating Marine Aquaponics System

Aquaponics stands as an advancing closed-loop food production method, integrating recirculating aquaculture with hydroponics. This cutting-edge system integrates hydroponics with recirculating aquaculture to develop a sustainable method for food production. The present research is geared towards specific objectives that are pivotal in establishing an integrated technology for aquaculture wastewater treatment and fostering a sustainable hydroponic system. These objectives encompass designing and constructing a small-scale aquaponics system, analyzing the water quality, and evaluating the growth, survival rate, and biochemical composition of both white-legged shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and Amaranthus viridis plants. From the experiments, NFT-grown organisms had higher levels of adjacent compounds such as protein (36.31±0.24%), carbohydrate (7.23±0.34%), lipid (1.05±0.12%) and moisture (3.74±0.15%) compared to control. Furthermore, in both culture systems, A. viridis showed higher growth in length (11.4 cm) and weight (<1 g) than the NFT control, which showed higher growth (10.7 cm) and weight (<1 g). Further research and implementation of alternative agricultural methods could increase local food production and keep the industry away from the global food market.