Valorization of animal waste from aquaculture through composting: Nutrient recovery and nitrogen mineralization

Abstract

Aquaculture production has been exponentially growing worldwide, which reflects in the generation of increasing amounts of waste materials. When poorly managed or disposed inadequately, aquaculture-derived wastes can compose social, economic and environmental issues. In this study, windrow composting was evaluated as a means of increasing the activity's sustainability through waste management, aiming to demonstrate a way of achieving circularity. For this purpose, four fish waste-based composts produced in an aquaculture research center were chemically evaluated and tested as soil amendment. The results indicated that harnessing wastes from aquaculture production is a valid and simple path to achieve circularity, as it is possible to convert waste into valuable, nutrient-rich composts that can be reintroduced in new productive processes, such as agriculture, in replacement of chemical fertilizers.