Biosciences / Aquaculture: Fully Funded KESS II MRes Scholarship: Multi-trophic aquaponics in urban developments - Innovation in the circular economy
Start date: January 2020
The creation of Multi-use buildings in urban settings is rapidly gaining popularity as a means to regenerate city centres. However, developers are often using outdated and energy inefficient systems resulting in building with a high carbon footprint. A new revolutionary way to lower the carbon footprint of a multi-use space is to incorporate both food production in aquaponics systems, algal production in bio-fences and nutrient recapture techniques. Focusing on the circular economy by using waste streams to create new products, buildings can become an asset to the residents rather than a drain on the environment.
The Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) at Swansea University has developed expertise in finfish aquaculture, aquaponics and in culturing a number of species of algae which can be incorporated into fish feeds. This project, therefore, seeks to use waste products generated by urban farms such as roots or the stems of aquaponics plants and combine then with microalgae produced from waste nutrients from fish aquaculture. These combined elements will form the bases of a viable feed rich in omega -3’s that can then be fed to aquaponics raised fish such as Tilapia. The aim is to investigate likely candidates of fish, crustaceans and microalgae to form part of this unique process and to use printed sensor technology to validate nutrient cycling and recapture.
This collaboration aims to address two key challenges:
- Incorporating hydroponic units and algal production units into one working unit; and
- Finding viable uses of waste products from both fish production and aquaponics plant production
Based at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR), this is a collaborative project with Powell Dobson.
Scholarships are collaborative awards with external partners including SMEs and micro companies, as well as public and third sector organisations. The scholarship provides 1 year funding with a 3 month period to complete the thesis. The achievement of a postgraduate skills development award, PSDA, is compulsory for each KESS II scholar and is based on a 40 credit award.
Established in 1920, Swansea University is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the suburban setting of the large town of Swansea (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Wales. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Privy Council, Swansea University is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Swansea University offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as pre-bachelor degrees (i.e. certificates, diplomas, associate or foundation degrees), bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 99 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students' past academic record and grades. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.