Abstract
Rice husk biochars were prepared by carbonization at 400–600°C. The products were analyzed by FTIR, SEM-EDS, BET, and approximate analysis in order to find final products with the best properties and the lowest carbonization temperature. It has been found that the biochar prepared at 500°C, which has 37.86 ± 0.11% yield, 341.0776 m2/g of BET surface area, and 0.136639 cm3/g of micropore volume, is suitable for use as a root supplement in the aquaponic system. The aquaponic systems consist of aquaculture and a hydroponic system with and without biochar supplement. The control experiment consists of an aquaculture and planting panel with biochar supplement disconnected from each other. Tilapia and Chinese morning glory were used for growth studies. The water quality from all aquaculture ponds has also been analyzed at an interval of 10 days for 47 days. The results showed that the growth rates of Tilapia and Chinese morning glory in the aquaponic system with biochar were clearly higher than in the control experiment, which is in accordance with the water quality in each aquaculture pond. However, the growth rates of Tilapia (23.5 g/body vs. 22.7 g/body) and morning glory (3.907 g/stem vs. 2.609 g/stem) in supplemented biochar system tend to be higher than the nonsupplemented biochar system. It has been shown that rice husk biochar can help in treating water in the aquaponic system by increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the aquaculture water and conversion of toxic compounds to those beneficial for plant growth.
Highlights
Biochar is a carbon-rich material which is produced from the pyrolysis process of biomass in a closed system using the reduction reaction [1]
One solution to this problem is to connect an aquaculture system to a hydroponics system [5], in which hydroponic plants could absorb and uptake soluble compounds from the wastewater [6]. e soluble compounds have two major components. ese are nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which originate from fish feed. e nitrogen and phosphorus are retained in the body of the fish and some quantities are transferred into the culture water [4]. e combination of aquaculture and hydroponics is called aquaponics, which is beneficial as it reduces the use of resources and reduces the operation area and wastewater discharge to the environment
The rice husk biochar prepared at 500°C was collected as supplemented material for the hydroponic system
Summary
Biochar is a carbon-rich material which is produced from the pyrolysis process of biomass in a closed system using the reduction reaction [1]. Biochar materials could increase plant growth by improving the physicochemical and biological properties of soil and retained soil fertility. Erefore, it is of interest to develop solutions, which will reduce wastewater problems from aquaculture systems. It has been developed to increase productivity by increasing the density of fish, which has caused problem of wastewater release to ecology systems [3, 4]. E combination of aquaculture (fish production) and hydroponics (plants production) is called aquaponics, which is beneficial as it reduces the use of resources (water, e Scientific World Journal nutrients, and land) and reduces the operation area and wastewater discharge to the environment. The aquaculture operation could be benefited by improving the quality of water, which increases stocking densities, or by reducing costs associated with treating the effluent. Rice hulls, peat, coir fiber [11], Palm kernel shells, and periwinkle shells [10] have been used as growth media for hydroponic systems. ese growth media are still unstable and less porous than charcoal
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