Development of innovative windrow-turning equipment for efficient composting of fish waste

• Grant number: 23/14337-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: August 01, 2024 - July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Agricultural Machinery and Implements
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Sergio Graziano Magalhães
• Grantee: Paulo Sergio Graziano Magalhães
• Host Company: UPP - USINAGEM INDUSTRIAIS LTDA
• CNAE: Atividades de apoio à agricultura ; Aqüicultura em água doce ; Tratamento e disposição de resíduos não-perigosos
• City: Piracicaba
• Pesquisadores principais: Mara Cristina Pessôa da Cruz ; Rose Meire Vidotti
• Associated researchers: Luis Alfredo Pires Barbosa

Abstract

The National Solid Waste Program PNRS (LEI No. 12,305/2010) determines the suitability of commercial fish production to the rules for reducing environmental liabilities. All material, substances, objects, or goods discarded resulting from human activities in society are classified as solid waste, which, when not treated correctly, can cause numerous environmental problems, negatively impacting the ecosystem. For example, the decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration in water bodies is because fish has a large amount of organic material in its composition. Therefore, increasing the reuse capacity of material destined for disposal and the financial benefit resulting from the creation of by-products would reduce the environmental impact. The fish production chain has some alternatives for the reuse of waste. Among these methods, the composting process has been gaining prominence as a reuse of solid waste from the fish chain in the production area. Composting is characterized by biodegradation in a controlled manner, where the residue is transformed into organic fertilizer, easy to handle and free of pathogenic organisms. Studies prove the efficiency and viability of composting, which showed appropriate levels of important nutrients in different percentages of waste use. Waste from aquatic animals has high organic loads and significant amounts of plant nutrients (e.g. N, P, K, Ca and Mg). It is a simple and cheap alternative that is viable for small producers and can add value to other production processes. The Aquaculture Center at Unesp CAUNESP has been working with aquaculture waste treatment techniques for several years. During this period, with the support of Fapesp, they developed specific techniques for this type of waste from aquatic animals, which generally include carcasses of naturally dead fish and processing residues. The results demonstrate an easy and viable way to improve the sustainability of aquaculture enterprises by composting fish waste with a vegetable substrate, which resulted in an organic fertilizer of excellent quality. The main limitation (pain) for small and medium-sized producers adopting this technique is the lack of small equipment for windrows' periodic turns. To contribute to the solution of the correct disposal of organic waste in line with the PNRS, UPP proposes to design equipment, using numerical methods for development, that can receive a mixing rotor dedicated to the specificities of this type of waste, aiming at mechanization in handling the compost generated using the technique developed at CAUNESP and launch it on the domestic market. (AU)