FACILITY FOR THE AQUACULATION OF ANIMAL SPECIES

Description

Domaine de l'invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of integrated aquaculture production systems, in particular for the production of shrimp.

[0002] Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMA) is a sustainable way to produce aquatic food. This technique involves incorporating the foundations of a natural food web into the system, ensuring better environmental conservation while maintaining high food production. It is a more sustainable way to cultivate aquatic organisms such as fish, mollusks, and marine plants for consumption. The organisms are selected so that each species provides at least one benefit to another, thus artificially recreating a naturally occurring food web. Etat de la technique

[0003] Prior art is patent application WO2015105523A1 describing a high-yield automated aquaponics system that combines conventional cultivation techniques with integrated multitrophic aquaculture hybridized with aeroponics, implementing a microalgae bioreactor and organism reactor production system. This known solution utilizes biomeasurements and adaptive measurements, as well as thermal imaging analysis, for monitoring and control via robotic automation using an intelligent control system. The control system ensures a managed symbiotic environmental ecosystem.

[0004] We also know of US patent 4250835 concerning a system for recirculating food deposited at the bottom of a larvae tank through the rearing medium of the larvae tank, the apparatus comprising a first conduit means disposed in the rearing medium having an inlet located near the bottom of the larvae tank; second conduit means in fluidic communication with said first conduit means having a discharge outlet located near the surface of the rearing medium, and having a shape such that the discharge force from said discharge outlet has a component parallel to the surface of the rearing medium and perpendicular to a line from its geometric center; and pumping means for moving a mixture of decanted food and rearing medium from the bottom of the larvae tank through said first conduit means and said second conduit means to the discharge outlet of said second conduit means;whereby the discharge of said mixture from said discharge outlet into the rearing medium imparts a circular flow to the medium.

[0005] We are also aware of patent application US2014061124 which relates to a process and installation for the treatment of effluents. The treatment includes at least one passage of the effluents through a biological pretreatment device for the effluents, such as a trickling filter, a lagoon or lagooning or a rotating biological contactor, at least one nitrification-denitrification of the pretreated effluents from the biological pretreatment device, using a vertical flow planted filter of rhizomatous plants, for example reeds, of which a lower zone is flooded and an upper zone is not flooded, and means for injecting coagulants suitable for precipitating phosphates from the effluents, for example ferric chloride salts.

[0006] We are also aware of patent application US2015144069, which relates to a system and process for producing a fully organic soil improvement material product comprising a wastewater by-product from fish farming operations and routine soil microbiology, prepared and delivered according to a carefully controlled process, which significantly increases plant health and growth while simultaneously reducing the need to apply synthetic chemicals for nutrients, pests, and diseases. Disadvantages of prior art

[0007] Prior art solutions do not allow for the creation of a fully controlled aquaculture production facility producing minimal waste and operating stably and reproducibly on a single site, on an industrial scale. Solution provided by the invention

[0008] To remedy these drawbacks, the present invention relates, in its most general sense, to an aquaculture installation having the characteristics stated in claim 1.

[0009] For the purposes of this patent, "installation" means a single production site, for example a building, comprising: a first series of equipment intended for laying, hatching, larval rearing including rearing tanks of the first animal species and a series of equipment intended for laying, hatching, larval rearing including rearing tanks of the second animal species.

[0010] The facility may, for example, include prawn and worm hatcheries, or include only prawn and invertebrate grow-out equipment, with the hatcheries installed at a separate site from the facility and supplying the facility with prawn and worm larvae.

[0011] Preferably, the installation includes a settling tank for treating the liquids from said rearing ponds in order to separate: The nitrogen-rich supernatant is transferred to a biofilter tank containing nitrifying bacteria. The biofilter outlet has a three-way valve: the first port connects to a denitrifier, whose outlet is connected to the aforementioned settling tank; the second port connects to the rearing tank; and the third port allows for emptying and cleaning. The sludge (rich in nitrogen) is then transferred to the rearing tanks.

[0012] According to an advantageous variant, the installation includes a sequential collection and sedimentation tank for fractions of the liquids contained in said hatchery, pre-maturation and maturation tanks and basins, and for separating the liquid and solid phases, having a valve for the evacuation of the solid phase, and then for transferring the residual liquid phase for reinjection into said rearing tanks and / or rearing basins.

[0013] According to another variant, the installation also includes means for treating said liquid phase, including a mechanical filter, a biological filter and a UV filter, as well as a buffer tank connected to said rearing ponds and / or said rearing tanks.

[0014] Detailed description of a non-limiting example of implementation

[0015] Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [ Fig.1 ] there [ Fig.1 ] represents the functional architecture of an installation according to the invention [ Fig.2 ] There [ Fig.2 ] is a schematic representation of the treatment process of the supernatant from the settling tank originating from the rearing tanks. Fig.3 ] There [ Fig.3 ] is a schematic representation of the treatment process of the supernatant from the settling tank originating from the rearing tanks. Fig.4 ] There [ Fig.4 ] is a schematic representation of the prawn sludge valorization process [ Fig.5 ] There [ Fig.5 ] is a schematic representation of the process of storing and recovering process water [ Fig.6 ] There [ Fig.6 [This is a representation of the life cycle of prawns] General principle of the invention

[0016] There [ Fig.1 [Figure] represents a schematic view of a prawn farming facility according to the invention, located on its own site, designed to produce prawns in an artificial environment recreating the farming conditions in mangroves, while strictly reducing effluents, through the co-cultivation of several species consuming the excrement of other species in the facility to produce material used as food for other species in the closed ecosystem thus created. The aim is to reduce the inputs as well as the effluents of such a facility, in particular water from a municipal water supply (1) or a borehole.

[0017] The principle of the invention is based on the co-cultivation of two animal species: a. The first marine animal species intended for human consumption, particularly crustaceans or fish, is fed, at least at certain stages of its reproductive and rearing cycle, with protein from animals of the second species. Typically, the breeding adults of the first species are fed before spawning with animals of the second species, either directly or after slaughter and possibly processing into protein paste. a.the second animal species being: intended for the feeding of the first co-produced animal species, in particular the breeding stock of the first species, with possibly additional valorization of the surplus of animals of the second animal species for animal feed or the production of other protein materials, for example worms or bait for fishing this second animal species being further characterized by the fact that it feeds on matter from the solid excrement of said first animal species this second animal species being in particular made up of detritivores, in particular aquatic worms, and preferably marine. .

[0018] The culture medium for the first marine animal species consists of seawater, often reconstituted, containing sludge from previous fish farms. This sludge contains nitrifying bacteria. A biofloc concentrate is added to this culture medium. The addition of elements such as urea, protein feed, and sugar promotes the development of bacterial colonies. These bacterial colonies digest the residual food from the first species' animals (excrement, uneaten food, etc.).

[0019] The metabolism of animals of the first species, for example shrimp, leads to the production of excrement: urea (nitrogenous excretions of animals) degraded by nitrifying autotrophic and / or heterotrophic bacteria and more generally mixotrophic bacterial colonies, with a transformation cycle by micro-algae with the NH 4+ to NO 2- cycle then to NO 3- of feces decomposing into dissolved matter and solid particulate residues forming sludge, reusable for the reseeding of new culture media containing bacteria and micro-algae.

[0020] Shrimp produce the following: Dissolved waste, potentially toxic to shrimp, feeds the bacteria and microalgae present in the culture medium. Solid waste is suitable for feeding the animals of the second species, particularly worms. Breeding of breeding stock

[0021] The mating, spawning, hatching, and rearing stages are carried out by moving adult breeders between various tanks containing reconstituted seawater and rich food sources. These sources include animals of the second species, fed directly when they are large enough for consumption by the breeders of the first species, or otherwise cut up and potentially processed into protein pastes, for example. Once gravid, the females are moved from their mating or brooding tank to a laying tank where they deposit their eggs. These eggs are then released into the reconstituted seawater and collected by filtration. Water circuit

[0022] The site's water circuit is periodically supplied by the municipal water network (1) or a well to replenish the circulating water volume. The flow rate is controlled by a servovalve (2) whose outlet is connected to a fresh and salt water treatment system (3), ensuring consistent characteristics of the fresh and salt water circulating in the installation. The servovalve (2) is activated to restore the water volume and compensate for losses due to evaporation, for example. Water circuit

[0023] The water circuit from the fresh and salt water treatment system (3) supplies a first series of facilities including a prawn hatchery (20) and an invertebrate hatchery forming biofilters (30). The process water is recovered (15), treated and reintroduced into the prawn hatchery (20), invertebrate hatchery (30), prawn rearing tanks (4) and invertebrate tanks (X).

[0024] The installation includes a first tank (4) for raising prawns. This tank (4) contains salt water and bacterial flocs.

[0025] The floc technique aims to optimize the quality of farmed breeding stock while limiting environmental impact through reduced water usage and therefore less farm waste discharged into the environment. Furthermore, floc provides a nutritional supplement for prawns, allowing for a reduction in added feed. Floc consists primarily of bacterial elements, particularly nitrifying bacteria, and microalgae.

[0026] The basin (4) is subjected to continuous mechanical agitation to ensure aeration and oxygenation, recirculation of the floc, and even distribution of the floc throughout the basin. Typically, the basin contains approximately 300 g of flocculated biomass per m³. The basin may be equipped with lighting and / or shading control devices to adjust light energy according to the photosynthetic needs of the microalgae and prevent excessive proliferation leading to oxygen depletion.

[0027] Prawn farming generates effluents in solid or soluble form. These wastes consist primarily of uneaten feed, feces (the indigestible portion of feed), and excretion products (the end products of the metabolic utilization of the digestible portion of ingested nutrients). The volume of waste is significant, on the order of 150 kg of dry matter, including 50 kg of nitrogen and 8 kg of phosphorus, per tonne of prawns produced.

[0028] The basin (20) operates in clear water; it can be composed of several tanks intended for the separate rearing of breeders, for the hatching and maturation of prawns.

[0029] The water contained in the basin (4) is continuously treated by a treatment loop (40). This treatment loop (40) contains the settling tank (5), the biofilter (6) and the denitrifier (7).

[0030] As illustrated by the [ Fig.2 The water in the basin (4) is continuously treated by drawing off a portion of its contents, which is then separated from the heavy particles and liquid in a settling tank (5). The nitrite-rich supernatant, containing nitrogenous matter, is transferred to a biofilter (6) which transforms the nitrogenous matter. The nitrate-rich water is treated by a denitrifier (7) which acidifies the water before it is reinjected into the settling tank (5).

[0031] The nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich sludge is dried and disinfected to serve as food for the invertebrates contained in the basin (8).

[0032] Waste (feces, food scraps, etc.) is gradually broken down by microorganisms present in the floc, containing various aerobic bacteria that metabolize organic nitrogen into ammoniacal nitrogen (minerals) and various nitrogen metabolites. The ammoniacal nitrogen is then transformed into nitrite by autotrophic bacteria of the genus Nitrosomonas, notably Nitrosomonas europeae. Nitrites are then converted into nitrates by bacteria Nitrobacter in the biofilter (6) fixed on a bacterial support such as curler-type biofiltration media, crushed pozzolana, or porous ceramic.

[0033] Denitrification is then carried out by bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, Escherichia, Micrococcus, ... using an enzyme Nitrate reductase A to transform the nitrates into dinitrogen, which is then transferred into the settling tank (5).

[0034] The sludge from the settling tank feeds an invertebrate rearing tank, for example, for worms, which are raised in a tank (8) to prepare feed for the breeding prawns raised in the hatchery (20). If necessary, fresh water is added to the invertebrate rearing tank (8). The invertebrates are continuously fed with the dried sludge from the settling tank (5). Treatment of the supernatant from the prawn breeding tank

[0035] There [ Fig.2 This illustrates the treatment loop for animals of the first species (prawns, for example). The liquid from the prawn rearing tank (4) is transferred to the settling tank (5), which receives these nitrate-poor and alkaline effluents. The nitrite-rich supernatant is transferred to a biofilter (6), while the mineral-poor water is discharged for treatment by a wastewater treatment plant. Treatment of the supernatant from biofilter rearing tanks

[0036] There [ Fig.3 [Illustrates the invertebrate treatment loop. The liquid from the biofilter rearing tank (8) is transferred to the settling tank (9), which receives these nitrate-poor and alkaline effluents. The nitrite-rich supernatant is transferred to a biofilter (10), while the mineral-poor water is discharged for treatment by a wastewater treatment plant (12).] Valorization of prawn sludge

[0037] There [ Fig.4 [Illustrates the process of valorizing prawn sludge from the settling tank (5). This sludge contains 90% water and solid matter rich in particulate nitrogen and phosphorus. It undergoes a drying and disinfection stage to produce a dry matter containing approximately 30% residual moisture rich in particulate nitrogen and phosphorus, which constitutes the nutritional basis for the invertebrates in the rearing tank (8). The invertebrate sludge and the residual water, low in particulate nitrogen and phosphorus, are periodically recovered from the rearing tank (8) before the sludge is extracted and treated externally.] Storage and recovery of process water

[0038] There [ Fig.5 This illustrates the process of storing and utilizing process water from a prawn hatchery (20) and an invertebrate hatchery (30). Water from both tanks is collected by a pipe (15) leading to a sedimentation basin (16). This supernatant flows into an agitated tank (18), and the sludge is treated in a treatment plant (17). The wastewater undergoes initial mechanical filtration, biological treatment in a biofilter (21), followed by ultraviolet radiation treatment in a treatment unit (19) before being used to supply the prawn rearing tank (4), the invertebrate rearing tank (8), the prawn hatchery, and the invertebrate hatchery. Prawn growth

[0039] There [ Fig.6 ] illustrates the production cycle of prawns, which can take place by passing through a succession of basins supplied by water from the site.

[0040] The cycle includes a nursery stage, pre-growing, growth (50), preconditioning (51), prematuration (52), maturation (53), spawning (54), hatching (55) and larval growth (56) which are then put into the nursery phase (50).

[0041] The water from the different tanks is collected for sedimentation treatment, sludge extraction and treatment, and filtration as described previously. Animal breeding ponds of the first species

[0042] The rearing ponds of the first species, particularly shrimp, are advantageously divided into three ponds corresponding to increasing stages of maturity.

[0043] Each basin optionally includes a sensor for measuring turbidity and a temperature sensor.

[0044] The first tank serves as the nursery. It has a smaller volume than the other tanks. It has a connection point in its lower section for gravity transfer to the next tank, located at a lower level. The tank may include a hydroacoustic and / or optical sensor for counting the number of shrimp. The connection point may optionally include an optical system for counting the number of shrimp transferred.

[0045] The next two basins have an automatic feeding system, for example a hopper for discharging protein granules.

[0046] Optionally they include movable nets preventing shrimp from crossing the edge of the tank, these nets can be raised to facilitate access to the tank, particularly for animal sampling.

[0047] A transfer valve is planned between the pre-growing tank and the growing tank, for gravity transfer between the two tanks. Breeding ponds for animals of the second species

[0048] The rearing of animals of the second species involves several stages: maturation of the breeding stock, egg-laying, hatching, and larval rearing. The larvae are then sent to production sites, which may be located elsewhere.

Claims

1. A facility for the aquaculture of a first animal species consuming proteins and producing waste containing urea and nitrogen sludge, comprising: • a hatchery (20) comprising at least one clear water spawning pond, at least one clear water hatching pond, and at least one clear water larval pond • at least one clear water pre-maturation and maturation pond with protein food supply means • at least one rearing pond for said first animal species containing water and biofloc containing bacteria ensuring nitrification of said waste, characterised in that said facility further comprises: • at least one other rearing pond (6) for a second animal species, said second species having a nitrogen product biofilter activity • means for transferring the nitrogen sludge accumulated in said first rearing ponds into said other rearing ponds • means for transforming the species of the second species into feed proteins, and transferring them into said pre-maturation and maturation ponds.

2. The aquaculture facility according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a settling vessel for the treatment of liquids of said rearing ponds to separate: • the supernatant, transferred into a biofilter vessel containing bacteria ensuring nitrification, the outlet of the biofilter comprising a three-way valve: • a first way connected to a denitrifier whose outlet is connected to said settling vessel • a second way connected to said rearing pond • a third way allowing emptying and cleaning operations, the sludge being transferred into rearing tanks.

3. The aquaculture facility according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a vessel for sequentially collecting and settling fractions of liquids contained in said hatchery, pre-maturation and maturation, and rearing ponds, and for separating the liquid phase from the solid phase, having a valve for discharging the solid phase, and then transferring the residual liquid phase for reinjection into said rearing ponds and / or said rearing tanks.

4. The aquaculture facility according to the preceding claim, characterised in that it further comprises means for treating said liquid phase, comprising a mechanical filter, a UV filter and a biological filter, as well as a buffer vessel connected to said rearing ponds and / or rearing tanks.