AIRX

Oxygenation by efficient air diffusion system for aquaculture farms (cages and earthen ponds)

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The AirX Research for SMEs project will develop a novel efficient air diffusion system for oxygenation in aquaculture farms. The target market are cage and earthen pond farmers (seabass and seabream) in Mediterranean, which periodically experience problems with reduced growth rate, increased feed conversion factor (FCR), stress and mortality of stock due to low oxygen content in the water (usually in summer/early autumn when biomass in the farms is normally high).

Existing aeration devices are not suitable or too expensive to be used efficiently in ponds, whereas for cages there are no realistic options available. At critical periods with low oxygen levels, feeding is reduced and productivity of the industry is heavily influenced. Mortalities may appear accumulated stress may result in decreased appetite and thereby decreased growth, and decreased feed utilization.

AirX will reduce cost of oxygenation by 75% from the current 0.25-0.64 EUR/kg O2 to 0.06-0.17 EUR. Using the AirX system to optimize the oxygen level will provide these benefits for the fish farmer: I)Higher growth rate of stock, II) Improvement of feed conversion rate (FCR), III) Higher production capacity at farm site, IV) Reduction of mortalities, especially during periods of high temperature/low oxygen concentration, V) Reduction of fish stress and generally improved fish welfare, VI) Improvement of the carrying capacity in terms of organic load that can be decomposed in the case of fish ponds, and reduced settling of waste beneath cages.

The net value of extra biomass produced by using AirX is 254.000 EUR/year per farm site (presumed 20 cages/site and max 40 tonnes/cage). AirX investment cost for such site is estimated to 26.000 EUR/year.

The AirX system will consist of a novel diffuser system, air compressor and automation system. The project will develop a functional prototype that will be extensively tested at end-user site. Time-to-market is less than 1 year after project termination.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Oxygen deficiency can pose a major problem in aquaculture, particularly when accompanied by high temperatures. The result can be a loss of appetite in fish, followed by poor utilisation of feed and slowed growth rates.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Low oxygen levels affect fish farms most notably in the summer and early autumn when stocking densities are high. Farmers may be compelled to stop feeding their stock to avoid fatalities, leading to reduced growth rate. Alternatively, they may employ paddle wheels or even inject pure oxygen directly into the water to increase dissolved oxygen levels. However, the use of pure oxygen incurs high production costs.

The aim of the 'Oxygenation by efficient air diffusion system for aquaculture farms (cages and earthen ponds)' (http://www.airx-project.com (AIRX)) project is to develop a system to control dissolved oxygen levels. This will be used in large aquacultural facilities such as sea cages, earth ponds, large tanks and raceways. Current aeration devices used in ponds have low efficiency, and there are no realistic options available for sea cages.

AIRX is developing a hose grid system capable of dispersing air bubbles horizontally across a large area as well as vertically in the water column. Oxygen can be directed to areas where additional oxygen is needed, ensuring that all fish have equal access. The homogenous distribution of small bubbles will ensure the most efficient transfer of oxygen into the water. In addition, the lack of upwelling currents will increase contact time and therefore transfer efficiency.

The target market for the oxygen diffusion system is cage and earthen pond farmers in the Mediterranean who rear sea bass and sea bream. The diffusion system will help them to avoid the problems associated with low oxygen content and resulting loss of income.