AQUACOMBINE: Sustainable Biomass from Saline Soil

Sustainable biomass production in saline soil through an integrated aquaponic fish farming, halophyte cultivation, and biorefinery system. The AQUACOMBINE project, led by Axel Gottschalk at the University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven, evaluates technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of converting saline land into productive, circular systems. Focus areas include process modelling, life cycle assessment, and business planning to valorise biomass into food, feed, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bioenergy. Addresses climate change, soil salinisation, freshwater scarcity, and rural development. Key discovery: genetic differences in visually similar halophytes. Project initiated in 2019, with European application scenarios.