Speaker Spotlight: Nick Savidov, Lethbridge College

The Development of the First Zero-Waste Food Production System Based on AquaponicsPutting Up Shoots 2018 Conference PresentationAquaponics is an integrated fish and plant system that recirculates liquid fish effluent. However, whileresearch on aquaponics has grown, research into utilizing both liquid and solid waste is limited. In 2015,Lethbridge College received a $2.1 M NSERC CCI-IE grant to advance commercial integrated fish andplant systems. As part of this project, Lethbridge College developed a technology that is not onlycapable of utilizing liquid fish effluent, but which can convert solid waste into soluble organic fertilizerusing an aerobic fermentation process. This technology is built on the success of prior research done by Alberta Agriculture scientists from 2005 to 2015. Utilization of both liquid and solid waste streams in aquaponics is a promising breakthrough for in-land aquaculture. Moreover, it establishes aquaponics as an example of true zero-waste technology in agriculture. This paper will discuss the potential of aerobic digestion along with the complete waste management process cycle in commercial aquaponics including dewatering, pre-filtration, micro-filtration and biofiltration components.Aqua-nerds love graphs like this!