Sustainable AASTMT

Aquaculture Research Center (ARC)

Starting date : 10-2010

Vision and mission: Building a prototypes for investment projects in the filed of aquaculture for food and energy production based on scientific research.
Main Projects:

  • Production of bio-diesel from waste-used cooking oil:
  • This project was build on the concept of producing bio-diesel using methyl Methyl esterification technique using waste-used cooking oil. The produced fuel was used in electrical generator to produced the electricity needed in the ARC center activities.
  • Each Liter of the used cooking oil produce 0.75 L of bio-diesel and 0.25 L of glycerol.
  • The bio-diesel production unit was completely built and designed in the Arab Academy workshops.
  • After 2 years in (2012); the center make a training course for 10 engineering from Port Saied Governorate teaching them the technique for producing the bio-diesel.

                                                       Fig. 1. The bio-diesel production units developed in the Arab Academy workshops and operated in ARC.

                                                                                   Fig. 2: The training workshops for the bio-diesel production.

2.Production of Spirulina Algae:

The aim of this project was to established the new industry of algae production in Egypt. The started algal strain was imported from WARPA Institute, USA, then reared and acclimatized for the Egyptian environmental condition. Spirulina is the main algal strain used for human nutrition allover the world. Also it contain several important vitamins, minerals, which has a great role in posting the human immune-system.

  • Several research published papers and thesis about the uses of the produced spirulina powder from ARC were conducted.
  • In 2020 ARC joined a research project “ The development of new pharmaceutical products from Egyptian plants and algae”. The project was funded by the The Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research. The consortium included the Faculty of pharmacy Cairo university, and 12 research and industrial organization in Egypt. The end result of this 2 years project is the development of supplementary capsules for human feeding called “Spiruvet”.

                                                                                                 Fig. 3 : Production pf Spirulina in ARC labs.

                                                                 Fig. 4: The developed food supplementary capsules “Spiruvet”

3.Aquaponic Food production:

  • The main problem in the agriculture sector in Egypt is the reduction in the freshwater supply and the destructionist of the fertile soil by the unsustainable using the chemical fertilizers as well as the pesticides.
  • The main goal of this project is to develop a technique for food production using minimal amount of freshwater using a new type of soils and using organic fertilizers.
  • In the current project the produced crops is 3X compared to the traditional land production technique. More over, the needed fresh water for crop production in reduced by 90% compared with the traditional technique.
  • Vegetables (like tomato, cumber) cereals (like rice and maze) were well developed in this technique.

4. Agriculture waste management using Earth worms (vermi-compost):

  • The main goal of this project is to convert the agriculture wastes to produce vermi- compost (organic fertilizers) using the earth worms Eisenia fetida.
  • The agriculture wastes is considered as a great environmental hazard. The end results of the disposal of these wastes is the production of both CO2 and methane gases (which are the main green house gases). Also, it increases the spread of insects, pests and diseases. Using this recycling technique has a great environmental and economical values both for both the country and the individuals.