Session: 15-01-01: ASME International Undergraduate Research and Design Exposition

Paper Number: 94745

94745 - A Novel Methodology for Traditional Aquafarming 

India is second in the world after China in terms of aquaculture production. Aquafarming is the process of fish production commercially. Commercial fish production in traditional fish farming does not allow to clean the ponds regularly. The reason for cleaning the ponds is the carbonic acid generation because of the respiration of the fishes. This process is usually done in ponds that contain stagnant water, in the stagnant water the amount of Carbon dioxide in the water increases due to the respiration of fishes, and the amount of oxygen present in the water decreases. The carbon dioxide released by the fishes reacts with water and forms carbonic acid which decreases the pH level and makes the water acidic. In traditional farming methods, aerators are used to enhance oxygen levels in the water and Lime {Ca(OH)2} is used to neutralize the static ponds. When lime reacts with carbonic acid, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is precipitated at the pond's bottom. This causes a PH imbalance in the soil, which can deplete the soil's fertility and cause it to become barren land if the Aquaculture is continued for a long time, which is harmful to the soil and ecosystem. The main purpose of the initiative is to alleviate the crisis by eliminating the lime in the overall process that is created by traditional aquaculture methods. Because of the drastic reduction/imbalance, the fertile land may convert into barren land is extremely detrimental to the ecosystem.

As a substitute for lime, natural microorganisms/micro plants algae are used. It can be used to ensure that the water quality satisfies the criteria for aquaculture. Controlling PH using algae is a technique that can stop the conversion of fertile land to barren land. So algae can be used to control the PH and other parameters in aquaculture static ponds.    A novel method is designed for growing algae in a controlled environment called a Photobioreactor (a microorganism-cultivation device that resembles sunlight for the purpose of photosynthesis).

The water containing carbon dioxide flows through a photobioreactor, where it is mixed with algae and then released back into the fish tank after filtering, where the carbon dioxide is substituted with oxygen, and the process is repeated. A biological closed loop between the fish and algae has been created. Fish excreta can also be utilized as a nutrient for algal growth, with the algae serving as a food source for the fish. Biomass-derived from algae offers numerous advantages and can be investigated as a fuel alternative. The entire system is based on an IoT platform that continuously monitors and transmits data from all of the parameters to a central server. It also leads to a faster pace of growth and higher output.

An Aqua reformer Robot is being designed that will automate everything using Data Science and Machine Learning platforms. A photobioreactor, an aerator, and a water monitoring system are all included in the robot. It collects water from across the pond, combines it with algae, and returns it to the pond, notifying the farmer if anything goes wrong.

Presenting Author: PAVAN KUMAR PABBA HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Presenting Author Biography: B.Tech CSE – AI&ML student from HITAM - Hyderabad Institute of Technology and Management, Interested in Automobiles, App development, Neural Networks, Programming, and Embedded systems. Passionate about IoT, AI/ML & automation in real-life problems.

Authors:

Siva Prasad Kowdodi HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
PAVAN KUMAR PABBA HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Yuvaraj Gajalajamgam HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Giridhar Vanamamala HYDERABAD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT