A consortium of scientists from Germany, Italy, and Lithuania has embarked on a groundbreaking transnational research project, ProRMAS. Funded by the Green ERA-Hub (GEH), they aim to develop a recirculating multitrophic aquaponic system (RMAS) for production of valuable proteins and organic fertilizers from saline water sources.
With seafood supply currently reaching around 17% of animal proteins and about 7% of total protein, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) has potential for growth in the upcoming years. However, nutrients in the dissolved and solid waste from these systems remain unused. Here ProRMAS team comes with the innovative solution: integrating aquatic species, filter feeders, and plants into a fully circular system using saline water.
“Our goal is to develop a sustainable, closed-loop system that maximizes water and nutrient efficiency while producing high-quality protein,” said Matthew James Slater, Head of Aquaculture Research Group at Alfred Wegener Institute, and leader of the international ProRMAS consortium. “By utilizing saline water resources, we can create a viable solution for food production in areas where freshwater is scarce.”
Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (Germany), Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE) at the University of Padova (Italy), and Klaipėda Science and Technology Park (Lithuania), are conducting multiple experiments and tests with sludge from the shrimp cultivation to produce aquatic species that can be used in novel shrimp diets.
Focusing on cultivating shrimp as a high-value protein, the innovative system will produce polychaetes to serve as an alternative to fishmeal in feeds, while also recovering nutrients and reducing organic waste through remineralization. Halophyte plants and macroalgae will absorb dissolved nutrients and can be utilized in feed and for human consumption due to their nutritional properties. Any remaining organic residue will be converted into bio-fertilizers for use in soil and soilless vegetable cultivation, aiming for zero waste and nutrient loss.
In cooperation with the greenhub solutions GmbH, providers of innovative vertical farming solutions, a future demo-farm is being designed. Located in Germany, it will integrate the production of shrimp, polychaetes, Ulva spp., halophytes, and traditional vegetable species. The complete demo-farm will serve as a base to evaluate the environmental impact, economic viability, and quality of food production.
About ProRMAS project:
ProRMAS is part of the Green ERA-Hub that is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 1010568. This international research and development project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Republic of Italy. Total budget of ProRMAS – €732 000.
More information about ProRMAS project and its activities: ProRMAS project webpage and ProRMAS LinkedIn.
About Green ERA-Hub (GEH):
The Green ERA-Hub is a Coordination and Support Action under Horizon Europe that brings together relevant ongoing and self-sustaining networks in the Agri-food and biotechnology sectors. It represents a significant part of Europe’s national ministries, funders, and research institutes, providing transnational co-programming of national research priorities and funding, organising joint scientific research, knowledge valorisation, and science-policy dialogue activities.
More information about Green ERA-Hub: www.greenerahub.eu
The ProRMAS project is carried out under the Green ERA-Hub, a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), funded through the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation (R&I) programme under Grant Agreement No. 101056828.
This international research and development project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Republic of Italy.
