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Climate, Food and Water- three intertwined major crisis that confronts the modern generation
Challenges
According to the United Nations, everyone’s food and water security is impacted by the global warming. Soil degradation, which limits the amount of carbon the earth is able to contain, is directly caused by climate change.
The World Food Programme has reported that more than 345 million people are facing food insecurity this year, 2023, more than twice the hunger and malnutrition crisis in 2020, and that almost a million people worldwide are just one step away from catastrophic hunger.
A report published this year by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has indicated that around two billion people globally have no access to safe drinking water while WWF (World Wildlife Fund) reported recently that only 3% of the world's water is fresh water, with two thirds hidden in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use, resulting to some 1.1 billion people worldwide lacking access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion experiencing water scarcity for at least one month of the year.
Perhaps the life-threatening combination of these three crisis is one of the most pressing dilemma that the modern generation has to solve.
Aquaculture plays a critical role in providing food for the growing global population by producing 52% of the aquatic animal products consumed around the world. According to FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) aquaculture has certainly endorsed its significant role in global food security and nutrition by diminishing the gap between supply and demand for aquatic food. There is even a direct positive impact on livelihood and employment through enhanced productivity and geographic access to farmed aquatic products.
But how climate positive is the aquaculture industry?
The Global Seafood Alliance, an international non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances, has estimated that the annual emissions from the greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and flourinated hydrocarbons were 216 to 270 million metric tons for capture fisheries and 212 to 220 million metric tons for aquaculture.
FAO has forecasted that aquatic food production will increase to 15% by 2030.
A balance between sustainable production and unbiased developmental strategies should be required while promoting growth to support a healthy aquatic ecosystem and the biodiversity welfare.
The challenge lies in what part of the aquaculture industry needs adjustment, substitution or enhancement to be able to meet environmentally-sound production.
Inspiration
Biochar-integrated land-based aquaculture is an innovative solution that incorporates carbon sequestration methods with sustainable food production and water conservation
Biochar is a byproduct from pyrolisis reactors, designed for thermal decomposition of biomass in a limited oxygen environment, using heat ranging between 500-900 degrees Celcius, to create the porosity by structure and to correspond to typical conditions in practical biochar production processes.
About 50% of the biomass from the flora contains carbon, which is eliminated in the form of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. Carbon is separated by the plant from the captured carbon dioxide and converts it into organic molecules such as glucose, cellulose or lignin. Decomposition or burning of plant biomass releases carbon dioxide. Through an efficient pyrolysis method, almost 50 percent of the biomass in the material is captured and converted into biochar. A natural characteristic of biochar is its rate of decomposition which is extremely gradual due to its structure which continues to persist in the telluric region for hundreds to thousands of years, acting as a passive carbon sponge.
Studies show that the average surface area of pyrolyzed material at 800 degrees celcius is 340 m2/g and the average porosity is 0.2 cm3/g. The average pore volume of < 2 nm correlates with micropores. Researchers have found that by increasing the temperature during a pyrolysis process, the biochar's surface area and porosity change due to the molecular construction of micropores when breaking down the organic composition. Biochar becomes more durable and balanced with temperatures above 650degrees Celcius.
Around the world, there is a substantial increase in biochar application in different areas such as pollution remediation due to high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) and specific surface area; soil ammendment and increase of pore volume; and carbon sequestration due to carbon and ash content.
Furthermore, biochar has developed a reputation as a sustainable and innovative solution to the increasing global dilemma brought about by extreme climate change because of its ability to sequester carbon dioxide emission three times its size.
Aqualibrium Solutions include investigative studies to learn and discover more of the significance of biocharcoal as a carbon sink substrate alternative in circulatory cultivation particularly small scale aquaponic-based and regenerative permaculture method for food production.
By integrating biocharcoal as filter material in land-based aquaculture, an even more biological carbon sequestering solution to the climate, food and water crisis emerges.
BIOCHARCOAL IN SWEDEN
Interest in the production and use of biochar is increasing in Sweden due to increasing research and practical applications of biochar in various areas such as water purification, as a cement additive and also as a detoxifying ingredient for hygiene products. Interest is increasingly directed towards biochar's potential for a climate-smart and sustainable society through its ability to produce energy, help with cultivation and reduce climate impact through carbon dioxide sequestration.
Biochar from Spetsamåla Gård- Biokolgården
Spetsamåla Gård- Biokolgården, located at Holmsjö municipality in Blekinge, is dedicated to versatile sustainable products such as biochar and grill charcoal production in a partially self-developed prototype oven, investment in small-scale industry for biochar production, berry cultivation mainly of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and its processing into delicious products such as jam and marmalade, forestry, nature tourism, beekeeping and even nature conservation services for the county government in Kalmar, Sweden.
Spetsamåla Gård's discovery of biochar was based on their environmentally friendly charcoal plant, which develops the production of top quality barbecue charcoal. The raw material comes from their own PEFC-certified forest, Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, a wood-based product label that shows that a certain product is made from forest raw materials that come from sustainably managed forests.
After ten years of development work, Carina and Leif Larsén, owners of Spetsamåla Gård- Biokolgården, took a new step and are now planning to build a small-scale industry for the production of biochar. Their prototype of a coal furnace called Aurora is to be phased out and will become more efficient, smarter and even more carbon dioxide binding. The facility is part-financed by Next Generation EU and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency via Klimatklivet.
Do you dream of having your very own food production but need professional help and technical support?
Whether for self utilization or commercial projects, for urban or rural locations, for indoor or outdoor use, we provide a wholesome approach to help you achieve the solutions that suit your wishlist. We provide a preliminary 30 minute free consultation and can give a direct suggestion and advice for small and medium scale modern food cultivation systems such as aquaculture, hydroponics or aquaponics.