Aquaponics is the symbiosis between fish farming and growing plants and ISEP is developing one of these systems for growing horticultural plants. The implementation involves four phases: construction, installation of gardens, accommodation of the vegetable garden and, finally, fish.

The first phase of aquaponics is almost complete. Ornamental plants were installed in the flowerpots with expanded clay. It is in this layer that the microorganisms responsible for the sustainability of the entire system will naturally be installed.

Subsequently, horticultural plants will be placed in hydroponics tubes, located above the flower boxes. With the stabilized water circulation and the plants and microorganisms installed, it will be possible to proceed with the fish placement.

The system is being installed in the building of the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ), with the responsibility and coordination of professor Abel Duarte and the collaboration of a group of nine volunteer students from various ISEP courses. The project, installed next to the panoramic elevator in building G, includes two reservoirs with about two thousand liters of capacity, three flower boxes and more than 100 positions for growing vegetables.

Aquaponics is one of the technologies of urban agriculture. This project aims to prove that food production can be carried out in buildings, without using soil, in a sustainable way and in perfect biological harmony.

The multidisciplinary nature and the importance of the project led to its integration in the course units of the courses taught at DEQ, such as LABI1 and LABO6. In parallel, as part of a master's thesis, the installation of a monitoring system for physicochemical parameters using computer technologies is being studied.