Sustainability of Amazon river prawn production, comparison of monoculture and polyculture with Nile tilapia

Abstract

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized method, which comprises the International Organization of Standardization - ISO 14040 and 14042, formulated to evaluate potential impacts associated with a product, the quantification and assessment of resources consumed and emissions in the environment in all stages of their life cycle, from extraction of raw materials to waste disposal. For each environmental impact considered in LCA, a characterization model is used to convert the inventory data on the results of potential impact. The impact categories analyzed in this work are: global warming or greenhouse effect, eutrophication, acidification, net primary energy use, land and eco-toxicity workforce in manpower. Continuing the development program for production technology of Macrobrachium amazonicum, this work aims to evaluate aspects of sustainability through the life cycle assessment compared the monoculture of Amazon river prawn and de grown-out in multi-spatial and multi-trophic with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Those two subprojects will content hypothetical simulations to apply a life cycle assessment. In the subproject I will assess the productivity, production cost and life cycle assessment of hatcheries and grown-out of Amazon riverprawn submitted to different management of water renewal and use of aerators. The experimental design is randomized with four treatments and three repetitions. Twelve rectangular ponds are used for natural background, with 0.01ha and average depth of 1m. The treatment I will consist of renovation of ponds with 35% of water per day in treatment II without water renewal and aeration, in treatment III without renewal and aeration of 2pm-4pm and treatment IV without renewal of water and aeration of 23pm-5am. In the subproject II will assess the productivity, production cost and life cycle assessment involving multi-spatial and multi-trophic systems in grown-out of Amazon River prawn with Nile tilapia with different substrates in ponds. Twelve rectangular ponds will be used for a natural background, with 0.01 ha and average depth of 1m. The experiment is a completely randomized design with three treatments (two types of substrate and a control without substrate) and four replications. The treatments contain substrates made of geotextile mat and bamboo, a control without substrate.In both experiments, samples of water from ponds and effluents are collected for the determination of limnological variables of interest in aquaculture and sustainability. After the harvest, weight gain and survival of animals, productivity, production cost and economic viability of farming systems will be determined for each treatment. It will also determine the use of natural resources and pollutants generated per unit of production of energy, nitrogen and phosphorus incorporated by bodies. The life cycle assessment (LCA) will compare the monoculture and the polyculture system. It will be possible to evaluate potential impacts, associated with a quantification and assessment product of resources, which are consumed and emitted into the environment at all stages of their life cycle. (AU)