Every year, China consumes over 2 million tons of fish products. The seafood turns into unique Chaoshan Cuisine including Fish Ball, Fish Rice and Fish Sauce, which are popular among people living in Shantou, a southeastern port city in China.

Inevitably,  considerable amounts of fish waste rich in protein, fat and other organic matter,  were generated during the process, which may pollute the aquatic ecosystem. Aiming at the problem, a Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) student research team released an study on, recycling fish residues for treating soil.

The article titled "Assessment of using solid residues of fish for treating soil by the biosolarization technique as an alternative to soil fumigation",  was published on the Journal of Cleaner Production, an international, transdisciplinary journal focusing on Cleaner Production, Environmental, and Sustainability research and practice. With an impact factor of 11.072 in 2021,  this journal belongs to Region 1 of Environmental Sciences in SCI of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Research Team in the Lab

"The study is the first known attempt to use separated fish residues as soil amendments for soil biosolarization (SBS), based on local industry," introduced by Liang Yancui, the first author of the article and GTIIT Biotechnology and Food Engineering Program (BFE)  postgraduate student.  Solarization used in the study, is an environment-friendly alternative to traditional soil fumigation, as it avoids hindering the herbicidal effect as well as causing secondary pollution.

Students Collected Fish Residue from GTIIT Canteen for Experiment

The young team led by Yigal Achmon, Associate Professor of GTIIT BFE Program, consists of one GTIIT postgraduate student Liang Yancui, and 7 GTIIT undergraduate students including Li Yilin, Lin Yu, Liu Xinya, Zou Yunfan, Yu Peirong, Zeng Yuying, Wang Xiuqi and Wang Yanbo. The young researchers spent hundreds of hours working on pre-experiments design, equipment operation, data collection and group discussion, with the spotlight finally on the early-career scientists when they successfully published the article.

The team is now no longer the "Flower in the Greenhouse" (a Chinese Idiom means that people can't grow up without setbacks). They stepped out of the greenhouse, walking into the field study confidently. "We look forward to help with the local farmer!" said Liang.

Read More：

1. Interview with Prof. Yigal Achmon, Team Leader and GTIIT Faculty

2. Interview with Li Yilin, Team Member and 2017 Cohort of GTIIT

3. Interview with Zou Yunfan: Team Member and 2018 Cohort of GTIIT

4. Ideas Originating from the Class, Shining in the Provincial Competition

5. GTIIT third-year student Chen Linhong publishes an article in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Provided by the Interviewee