Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycles Enhanced by Symbiosis

• Main Authors: Yi-Ren Jau, 趙一任
• Other Authors: Shu-Hsing Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/19810759097911164447

碩士 === 崑山科技大學 === 機械工程研究所 === 103 === Industrial ecology is principally concerned with the flow of materials and energy through systems at different scales, from products to factories and up to national and global levels. One important goal of industrial symbiosis is to promote environmentally friendly practices such as zero emissions and material exchanges. The term industrial symbiosis was coined in the small municipality of Kalundborg, Denmark, where a well-developed network of dense firm interactions was encountered. The term symbiosis builds on the notion of biological symbiotic relationships in nature where at least two otherwise unrelated species exchange materials, energy, or information in a mutually beneficial manner. Because industrial symbiosis requires inter-organizational cooperation, this creates both barriers and opportunities for many researchers. This work focuses on biological symbiosis, especially, on the symbiosis among microalgae, calcifying organisms, and probiotics. One purpose is to promote productivity, quality, and sustainability in shellfish culturing. Another purpose is to provide a model for industrial symbiosis. Shellfish culturing provides important environmental benefits in water purification and carbon sequestration. Potential threats to this ancient practice include changed weather pattern, acidifying environment, and deterioration of soil. Symbiosis among microalgae, calcifying organisms and probiotic microbes provides a solution to those threats. Symbiosis can enhance energy flow and the accompanying nutrient cycles. Since the system is complicated, a method using water alkalinity and water clarity as the main parameters is proposed. These two parameters are affected by five interacting effects: photosynthesis, calcification, respiration, filter feeding, and decomposition. The parameter space constructed by these two parameters is further divided into seven regions. Each region has a characteristic algal composition. The optimal composition is the one dominated by microscopic green algae. Nutrients normally are the limiting factor and have to be recycled by soil microflora. Application of synbiotic feeds, a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, can boost bioactivity of soil. The state of the humus layer in soil can be used to assess the bioactivity of soil. Fermentation with multi-species microorganisms can be used to produce synbiotic feeds. Time histories of alkalinity, water clarity and clam health were used to observe the trend of change. Probiotics function on two aspects: the ecology of microbes and microecology. Probiotics improve the environment and raise the health level of hosts. Symbiosis enhances energy flow for higher productivity, sustainability, and better environment.