Aquaponics Systems Modelling

Abstract

Mathematical models can take very different forms and very different levels of complexity. A systematic way to postulate, calibrate and validate, as provided by systems theory, can therefore be very helpful. In this chapter, dynamic systems modelling of aquaponic (AP) systems, from a systems theoretical perspective, is considered and demonstrated to each of the subsystems of the AP system, such as fish tanks, anaerobic digester and hydroponic (HP) greenhouse. It further shows the links between the subsystems, so that in principle a complete AP systems model can be built and integrated into daily practice with respect to management and control of AP systems. The main challenge is to choose an appropriate model complexity that meets the experimental data for estimation of parameters and states and allows us to answer questions related to the modelling objective, such as simulation, experiment design, prediction and control.