In August 2023, the UrbanAqua research and development project was launched in Bremen under the umbrella of the “Bioeconomy at Marine Sites” (BaMS) innovation space funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The aim of the project is to develop an aquaponic pilot plant for urban circular economy at the Acheron GmbH site on Bremen's Übersee Island. To this end, the Bremen-based companies Acheron, Farmcycle GmbH, and Polyplan-Kreikenbaum Gruppe GmbH are cooperating with the renowned research institutions of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven and the universities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. The overall goal of the consortium is to demonstrate that sustainable production of fish and vegetable products is feasible in the middle of the city through the best possible recycling. This is to be achieved through the bioconversion of nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing residues and the utilization of locally produced by-products. The project work focuses on the development of an aquaponics system for breeding freshwater fish and leafy vegetables with integrated microalgae cultivation, duckweed and insect breeding, the associated measurement and control technology, and sustainable energy and marketing concepts. By the end of 2025, development should be at a stage where fresh and healthy food can be produced sustainably at the model site.
