To expand or not to expand? An LCA of the environmental sustainability of China's tunnel-greenhouse shrimp farming

IF 4.4 2区农林科学 Q2 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Aquacultural Engineering Pub Date : 2026-03-30 Epub Date: 2026-01-09 DOI:10.1016/j.aquaeng.2026.102686

Yue Sun , Jinying Yu , Xiaohan Yang , Lei Jia , Dengpan Dong , Meng Li , Xiefa Song , Xian Li

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Tunnel-Greenhouse aquaculture (TGA) system as a cost-effective aquaculture system has been widely and rapidly promoted in China, accounting for approximately 20 % of shrimp production area. However, the environmental impact potential of TGA is still unknown compared with conventional shrimp aquaculture systems. A life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to characterize the environmental performance and potential improvement opportunities related to TGA and conventional systems, and a questionnaire survey of 52 farmers was carried out in the coastal region of eastern China. SimaPro 9.5.0.0 software was utilized to create a cradle-to-farmgate LCA based on trial and survey data, and CML-IA techniques were employed to assess the environmental performance. The results indicated that each ton of fresh shrimp produced applying the TGA farming system generates around 4989.5 kg CO₂ eq., 26.16 kg SO₂ eq., and 48.46 kg PO₄ eq. It also clearly demonstrated that the primary causes of environmental effects in the TGA shrimp farming system are the power used to run the farm, the usage of fishmeal as feed production raw materials, and the discharge of farming wastewater. Meanwhile, it pointed out that improving energy efficiency and reducing the use of fishmeal in feed are fundamental ways of minimizing environmental effects. Our findings could assist governments and businesses in making better decisions and support the more sustainable development of shrimp farming in China.

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膨胀还是不膨胀？中国隧道温室对虾养殖环境可持续性的LCA分析

隧道-温室养殖（TGA）系统作为一种经济高效的养殖系统在中国得到了广泛而迅速的推广，约占对虾养殖面积的20% %。然而，与传统对虾养殖系统相比，TGA的环境影响潜力仍然未知。采用生命周期评价（LCA）方法，对中国东部沿海地区52名农民进行问卷调查，分析了TGA和传统系统的环境绩效和潜在改善机会。采用SimaPro 9.5.0.0软件基于试验和调查数据建立了从摇篮到养殖场的LCA模型，并采用CML-IA技术对环境绩效进行评价。结果表明，采用TGA养殖系统生产的每吨鲜虾产生约4989.5 kg CO2当量、26.16 kg SO2当量和48.46 kg PO4当量。同时也清楚地表明，TGA养殖系统中环境影响的主要原因是养殖所需的电力、鱼粉作为饲料生产原料的使用以及养殖废水的排放。同时指出，提高能源效率和减少饲料中鱼粉的使用是减少对环境影响的根本途径。我们的研究结果可以帮助政府和企业做出更好的决策，并支持中国对虾养殖的可持续发展。

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来源期刊

Aquacultural Engineering 农林科学-农业工程

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

10.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>24 weeks

期刊介绍： Aquacultural Engineering is concerned with the design and development of effective aquacultural systems for marine and freshwater facilities. The journal aims to apply the knowledge gained from basic research which potentially can be translated into commercial operations. Problems of scale-up and application of research data involve many parameters, both physical and biological, making it difficult to anticipate the interaction between the unit processes and the cultured animals. Aquacultural Engineering aims to develop this bioengineering interface for aquaculture and welcomes contributions in the following areas: – Engineering and design of aquaculture facilities – Engineering-based research studies – Construction experience and techniques – In-service experience, commissioning, operation – Materials selection and their uses – Quantification of biological data and constraints