review · Sustainability
Biofloc technology provides a sustainable alternative for aquaculture by enabling intensive farming of aquatic species while eliminating the need for regular water exchange. It operates through beneficial microbial biomass that improves water quality and doubles as a nutritious feed source, lowering production costs. In addition, the approach facilitates integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems, where waste from one species can safely nourish another co-cultured species. This review synthesises the core principles of biofloc technology, the factors necessary for successful production of economically valuable species, and the relevant economic considerations. It also details the operational drawbacks, limitations, and key management practices required to maintain productive and environmentally sound aquaculture facilities.
Conventional aquaculture can harm the environment and consumes substantial amounts of water, energy, and land. Understanding biofloc systems provides pathways to produce nutritious food more sustainably, helping to meet rising global food demand, alleviate poverty, and protect limited natural resources through biological waste recycling.
This work is relevant to commercial aquaculture producers aiming to cut operating costs through reduced water exchange and feed substitution. The abstract outlines an applied farming approach along with practical management practices, indicating that biofloc technology is in practical, real-world use for economically important species rather than remaining an early-stage laboratory concept.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The increasing global population has led to an increase in food demand; consequently, aquaculture is one of the food production sectors that has offered opportunities to alleviate hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. However, the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry has been hindered by the limited availability of natural resources as well as its negative impact on the surrounding environment. Hence, there is an urgent need to search for better aquacultural production systems that, despite their high productivity and profitability, utilize fewer resources such as water, energy, land, and capital in conjunction with a negligible impact on the environment. Biofloc technology (BFT) is one of the most exciting and promising sustainable aquaculture systems; it takes into account the intensive culture of aquatic species, zero water exchange, and improved water quality as a result of beneficial microbial biomass activity, which, at the same time, can be utilized as a nutritious aquaculture feed, thus lowering the costs of production. Furthermore, BFT permits the installation of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems in which the wastes of one organism are utilized as feed by another organism, without a detrimental effect on co-cultured species. This review, therefore, highlights the basics of BFT, factors associated with BFT for the successful production of aquatic species, the significance of this food production system for the sustainable production of economically important aquatic species, its economic aspects, drawbacks, limitations, and recommended management aspects for sustainable aquaculture.
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DOI: 10.3390/su13137255
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