Evaluation of microplastic contamination in the water in an experimental recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for tilapia farming

• Grant number: 24/17797-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Applied Zoology
• Agreement: BRASKEM
• Principal Investigator: Telma Teixeira Franco
• Grantee: Giulia Lima de Figueiredo
• Host Institution: Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Planejamento Energético (NIPE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Planejamento Energético (NIPE)
• Associated research grant: 21/05251-8 - Proposal for the creation of the Plasticulture Engineering Centre, AP.PCPE

Abstract

This scholarship project is part of the project "Evaluation of the use of plastic structures and their sustainability in aquaculture" developed by the Plasticulture Study Center of UNICAMP with funding from FAPESP/BRASKEM. Its implementation takes place in the structure set up at the headquarters of the Fisheries Institute in São Paulo, consisting of 18 500 L water tanks and 2 recirculation tanks where the aquatic macrophyte Lemna is cultivated, which acts both in water treatment and contributes to part of the fish's diet. Nine of the water tanks are connected to one of the recirculation tanks, from which they receive the water that feeds each tank and to where the effluents are sent after a short period of residence in the cultivation environment, constituting a continuous circulation system. The environment of these tanks and the recirculation tank are covered with plastic. The same happens with the other 9 tanks and the other tank but without the plastic cover.