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Description
Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have been the answer to those problems. These systems are designed to control culture conditions for intensive farming, while increasing biosecurity levels, minimizing water consumption, and managing waste streams. Clearly, a shift from open farming to sustainable land-based aquaculture is happening in Norway and other parts of the globe. However, only a few Portuguese companies are operating with RAS; therefore, a greater financial and technological investment is needed to advance this production sector in Portugal. RAS themselves are stimulating demand for technology innovation in areas like aqua tech. Still, there are no real-time sensors for the quantification of highly toxic nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) that can accumulate in close systems. Therefore, the main goal of this project is the development of innovative sensors to quantify such compounds using a technological platform (electrochemical biosensors) that is mastered by the start-up Nitrogen Sensing Solutions (promoter). Our first product will be a portable nitrite biosensor-the NO2Aqua - that will be launched on the market by the end of the project. Our second product will be a standalone device that is able to monitor the three N-nutrients in real-time, the NOxAqua. Finally, a prototype of an automated sampling system specifically designed to integrate and connect the sensors to the tanks will be developed, fulfilling the specific needs of the RAS industry. Our Portuguese (Flatlantic and RiaSearch) and Norwegian (NIVA and RASLab) partners will play a fundament role in validating/demonstrating/proving the technology in operational environments, thereby strengthening the scientific and technological relationships between the two States. Ultimately, we will be able to create products of high value for the Blue Growth sector, thereby fostering innovation and business development, and levering the competitiveness and sustainability of Portuguese SMEs.
Summary of project results
Aquaculture is the world’s fastest-growing agriculture sector (CAGR, 6%), having exceeded, since 2014, more than 50% of the global seafood supply. Several factors have driven the rapid growth of aquaculture, including the world population expansion, the extensive exploitation of fish resources, and the pollution of aquatic supplies. To support that growth the industry needs to find innovative solutions to challenges, such as sustainability, disease, lack of space for expansion, and limited freshwater availability. Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) have been the answer to those problems. RAS systems are designed to control culture conditions for intensive farming, while increasing biosecurity levels, minimizing water consumption, and managing waste streams. Since fish perform all their bodily functions in water, maintaining optimal water quality within the culture environment is of major importance, especially at high stocking densities, where accumulation of fish waste and excessive feeding represent important risks to the growth and health of aquatic species. Controlling water quality in real-time is thus crucial for sustainable and profitable aquaculture. Process probes exist to monitor several physical and chemical parameters but there are no such sensors to detect and quantify the highly toxic nitrogen compounds ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (NH3/NO2 - /NO3 - ) in real-time, which can easily accumulate in close systems. Thus, RAS-based farms are stimulating technology innovation in areas like aqua tech. A shift from open farming to sustainable land-based aquaculture is happening in Norway and other parts of the globe. In Portugal, very few companies operate with RAS (two of them are consortium members). Therefore, more efforts are needed to advance this aquaculture sector in Portugal further. The main goal of this project was to develop innovative sensors to quantify such nitrogen-based nutrients using a technological platform (electrochemical biosensors) that is mastered by the start-up NS2 - Nitrogen Sensing Solutions (promoter). As the first outcome of the project, we developed a portable nitrite biosensor – the NO2Aqua – that provides results on-site and in real-time. The project partners Riasearch (Portugal), RASLab (Norway), NIVA (Norway) played a fundament role in validating the technology in different operational environments. As a result of the project, the technological maturity of the sensors’ components reached a TRL8/9, and two pilot sales were made to innovation adopters spread over the globe. The product is being extended to detect the remaining N-nutrients, ammonia, and nitrate, within a multianalyte system, the NOxAqua, which is still under development (TRL 4). In parallel, a prototype of an autonomous sampling system integrating and connecting the sensors to the tanks – the NO2AquaPlus – was developed, fulfilling the specific needs of the RAS industry regarding automation, real-time data, and connectivity. The prototype was successfully tested in our partner Flatlantic facilities (TRL 5), demonstrating its capability to solve the aquafarmers’ unmet need for nitrogen monitoring in real-time, in the Aquaculture 4.0 era. This way, the NOxAqua project contributed to strengthening the scientific and technological relationships between the donor and the beneficiary states. Furthermore, the promoter was capable to catalyze its activity in technology innovation, resulting in a new generation of scalable cutting-edge products of high value for Blue Growth. This fosters innovation, sustainability, and precision aquaculture, and also creates business opportunities for Portuguese deeptech startups like the project promoter, Nitrogen Sensing Solutions
The NOxAqua project enabled the development of new deep-tech products with usefulness for the sector of aquaculture (water quality sensors to monitor N-nutrients in RAS) while fostering collaboration between Portugal (beneficiary country) and Norway (donor country). The project helped developing the new sensing technology whereas the other beneficiary partners played a relevant role in the validation and demonstration of the resulting product in real environments, and also in the conception of the automation machine to integrate the sensors in the RAS pipelines. The work plan was structured in six different Working Packages (WPs), each one was broken into several tasks and presented a clear set of specific objectives, deliverables, and milestones. Briefly, WP1 was focused on all activities related to project management. Work packages WP2 and WP3 considered, respectively, the development of a portable nitrite biosensor, and activities required to prepare the product for market launch. Both were completed. WP4 intended to develop similar sensors for ammonium and nitrate, which was partially accomplished. WP5 aimed to engineer and build an automated sampling system to suit the specific needs of RAS-based plants; this goal was largely achieved, although the equipment (NO2Aqua) was not fully validated and demonstrated. Finally, WP6 implemented the communication plan, which was very productive in creating public awareness, disseminating the project outcomes and achievements, and in data exploitation. Below we provide a summary of the activities executed within each.
WP1) PROJECT MANAGEMENT This WP covered all activities due to administrative, organizational, and financial management such as contracting human resources, purchasing, subcontracting, legal affairs, monitoring of project’s progress, preparing the project’s reports, and organization meetings, missions, and networking activities, either inside or outside the consortium. Project management also included preparing regular consortium and scientific meetings with project partners, checking the project progress among piers, analysis of project deviations, and implementing a contingency plan.
WP2) TESTING AND VALIDATION of NO2Aqua Briefly, freshly purified batches of the biological recognition element.
WP3) MARKET DEPLOYMENT of NO2Aqua This WP aimed to produce a beta tester of NO2Aqua, showcase it to the aquaculture industry, and get market traction, with special emphasis on the RAS market niche. The packaging materials were designed and produced. Furthermore, several contacts were established with stakeholders and a market study report was made based on 1:1 interviews. We also worked heavily in networking and dissemination of the project outcomes (these activities continued after the project ended (see WP6 and communication folder). Physical and virtual marketing materials were prepared. With this, we were able to obtain two purchase orders (see annex CA).
WP4) DEVELOPMENT OF A DEPLOYABLE MULTIPLEX BIOSENSOR - NOxAqua This WP focused on developing new portable biosensors to measure the remaining N-nutrients. Monitoring these nutrients is very relevant for RAS users due to the biofilter operation.
WP5. AUTOMATION: ENGINEERING INTEGRATION OF THE NOxAquaPlus aimed at developing an autonomous sampling and analyzing system designed to fulfil the specific needs. The equipment operates on-line with remote control, allowing data transmission and thus, avoiding human intervention.
WP6. DISSEMINATION AND COMMUNICATION This WP was focused on data dissemination and exploitation. To this end, numerous communication activities were developed both in person and virtually. This includes participation in conferences, summits, seminars, and workshops; networking with key stakeholders in the aquaculture space and business development (distributors, end-users, experts) via 1:1 meetings; publishing in social media; and website renovation and maintenance. Altogether, these activities increased the exposure of our technology developments, creating brand awareness, providing opportunities for feedback, and market attraction.
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing agriculture sector in the world and plays a crucial role in meeting the rising global demand for food. To support this growth, the industry needs to implement sustainable solutions such as Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) that are designed for intensive farming in highly controlled conditions, while minimizing water consumption. Water quality is at the heart of any RAS operation, and the quantification of highly toxic ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is of the utmost importance. However, most modern farms are deficient in effective and convenient sensors for these compounds. The project “NOxAqua” aims to fill this gap by developing easy-to-use portable biosensors to track ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on-site and in real-time. To this end, NS2 (promoter) developed an innovative biosensing platform that moves nitrogen testing outside the lab. The first outcome is a sample-in answerout test for nitrite monitoring, the NO2Aqua, which was validated by the project’s partners representing different RAS operating infrastructures such as test beds (RASLab and Riasearch), a water institution (NIVA) and industry (Flatlantic). The device is composed of disposable test strips, a hand-held reader, and a software app for immediate data digitization. There was also developed a prototype of an automated sampling system, the NO2AquaPlus, that was successfully demonstrated in Flatlantic. The biosensing platform was further extended to the detection of ammonium and nitrate. This innovation aligns with industry trends toward sustainability and precision aquaculture. The project has contributed to a significant and very welcome change for the end beneficiaries since the existence of deployable sensors for tracking N-compounds in realtime has been recognized as a key demand in RAS. With the NOxAqua sensors, fish farmers can ensure optimal fish welfare, reduce the risk of toxic buildup, increase productivity, and decrease environmental impact. Developing these technologies allows companies to stay competitive, respond to market shifts, and support sustainable practices worldwide. A shift from open farming to sustainable land-based aquaculture is happening in Norway and other parts of the globe. In Portugal, only a few companies are operating with RAS. This production sector needs thus a fast track which would diminish Portugal’s dependence on fish imports
Summary of bilateral results
Creation of innovative tools to assess critical parameters for water quality in state-of-the-art aquaculture settings. New products of added value for water monitoring in real-time, which will leverage current methods and farming practices firmly established in Norway, (where the rate of innovation is very high), and in many other markets across the globe. Norway and Portugal will be the first to benefit from it, strengthening the scientific and technological relationships between the two States.Even though the early adopters will be based in Portugal and Norway, in the long run, we will address other markets outside the European area. Therefore, by working along the aquaculturevalue chain, we will be able to accelerate the transition to a sustainable blue economy at the global scale.The execution of NOxAqua is timely since is mainly focused on solving the real problems of a highly trendy and sustainable fish farming technology. The staff involved, we believe, was the key to the success of this collaborative project, as it merges complementary fields of knowledge (sensors technology, water quality, aquaculture, RAS, business development), and gathers recognized researchers, entrepreneurs, and business managers strengthening the cooperation between the two states engaged in the project (Portugal and Norway). Particularly, aside from the close collaboration with the Portuguese partners, NS2 will benefit from the proven capacity of Norwegian stakeholders (NIVA and Marinenolmen RASLab), to validate and demonstrate its products in a highly representative industrial environment since the Norwegian aquaculture industry is the most mature globally, fostering market traction for our cutting-edge products for water quality analysis.