Application of LCA methodology to a recirculating aquaponics system (RAS) prototype

In the current scenario of increasing urbanization and food consumption, aquaponic systems are generally regarded as sustainable food production systems. However, its environmental burdens (energy consumption, materials, etc.) were not deeply investigated yet. To assess aquaponics' environmental performance systematically, it is important to take the whole life cycle into account. The aim of this study was to identify and to evaluate the environmental impact of a recirculating aquaponics system (RAS) prototype, using a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Leafy vegetables (i.e., lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), curly endive (Cichorium endivia var. crispum) and escarole endive (Chicorium endivia var. latifolia)) were grown on floating rafts in combination with tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) at two different lighting regimes (i.e., natural sunlight and natural sunlight integrated with LED supplemental light). Our LCA analysis included four different steps: 1) definition of the goal and scope of the study; 2) life cycle inventory (data collection); 3) life cycle impact assessment (data translation into environmental indicators); 4) interpretation and analysis of the results. Our preliminary results suggest that electricity was the main contributing factor to environmental impact, especially with supplemental light. This LCA study can be useful for providing the groundwork to reduce the potential environmental impact of aquaponics systems.