Vietnam's closed-loop shrimp farms boost production nearly 11‑fold

Scientists have designed a super‑intensive, closed‑loop system for shrimp farming in Ben Tre province, in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The method recirculates water, converts accumulated sludge into biogas via a biodigester and turns solid waste into organic compost, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers.

Compared with conventional super‑intensive farms, the new system raises the gross production value by almost eleven times. Resource use drops sharply: water consumption falls from 0.60 m³ to 0.15 m³ per kilogram of shrimp, energy demand from 4.86 MJ to 1.01 MJ, and land use from 0.50 ha to 0.09 ha per kilogram. Nitrogen and phosphorus recovery efficiencies reach 87 % and 81 % respectively. Although feed costs rise to about 70 % of total expenses, profitability is maintained when water is tightly controlled and waste is effectively valorised.