국립 부경대학교

해양바이오신소재학과 박정환 교수 양식시스템연구실
“인류 식량 미래 이끌 스마트양식 상용화에 매진”

△ 박정환 교수. ⓒ사진 이성재(대외홍보팀)

“공학, 환경 등 첨단 융복합 학문이 총체적으로 어울리는 분야가 바로 양식이죠.”

미래 인류의 식량자원 확보를 위한 4차 산업혁명 시대의 핵심 분야, 스마트양식의 상용화를 위해 뛰고 있는 부경대학교 연구실이 관심을 모으고 있다.

박정환 교수(해양바이오신소재학과)가 이끌고 있는 부경대 수산과학대학의 ‘양식시스템연구실’이 바로 바로 그곳.

박 교수 연구팀은 최근 해양수산부의 ‘어업현장 현안해결지원사업’에 선정됐다. 사업비는 3년간 17억8천만 원.

사업명에서 알 수 있듯 이 사업의 목표는 현장에 적용할 수 있는 기술을 개발하는 것이다. 이를 위해 연구팀은 국립수산과학원 첨단양식실증센터와 아쿠아프로(주) 등 공동연구개발기관과 함께 ‘내수면 순환여과양식 시스템의 생산성 향상 및 안전성 확보를 위한 융복합 기술개발’에 나섰다.

이번 연구는 최근 주목받고 있는 친환경 수경재배 농법 아쿠아포닉스(Aquaponics) 시스템을 내수면 순환여과양식 시스템에 적용한 융복합 확장시스템을 개발하는 것이다. 뱀장어 양식에 사용된 물을 이용해 상추를 키우고, 이 물을 다시 뱀장어 양식에 활용하는 친환경 융복합 시스템 개발이 목표다.

박 교수는 “순환여과양식 시스템 수질 관리 문제를 친환경 방식으로 해결함으로써 소독제, 항생제 사용을 대폭 줄여 양식수산물의 안전성을 확보하는 것은 물론, 수경재배 작물의 생산성도 높여 어민과 농민들의 수익성 향상에도 도움을 줄 것으로 기대한다.”라고 밝혔다. 

이처럼 양식시스템연구실에서는 산업적으로 유용한 양식생물을 고밀도로 사육할 수 있는 다양한 시스템과 장치들을 수리학적인 이론을 바탕으로 고안/설계하고 실제 적용하는데 필요한 기술을 연구하고 있다.

특히 환경 친화적인 순환여과 시스템 및 바이오플락 시스템과 같은 폐쇄식 육상 양식 시스템에 대한 연구와 이에 필요한 사육 관리 기술 개발에 중점을 둔다.

박 교수는 “양식시스템을 연구하는 것은 집을 짓는 것과 같다고 생각한다. 궁극적으로 어류들이 잘 살 수 있는 환경을 조성해야 하기 때문이다. 이를 위해서는 공학, 수리학, 유체학, 수질화학 등 다양한 학문이 종합적으로 결합하는 것이 중요하다. 때문에 연구실의 학생들에게 학문을 탐구할 때나 연구를 수행할 때 융복합적이고 총체적인 접근을 강조하고 있다.”라고 말했다.

양식시스템연구실에서 중점적으로 추진하고 연구 대상은 순환여과양식 시스템이다. 박 교수는 “폐쇄된 환경에서 고밀도 양식을 가능하게 하려면 생물학적 기술은 물론 ICT 기술 등 매우 다양한 지식을 이용해 환경을 최적화할 수 있어야 한다. 이 같은 기술을 실제 산업에 적용해 진정한 스마트양식이 될 수 있도록 힘쓰고 있다.”라고 말했다.

연구실에서 진행하는 연구가 상용화되기 위해서는 무엇보다 기업 등과의 협업체계 구축이 가장 중요한 화두다. 연구진과 기업이 실시간으로 밀착해 긴밀하게 협력하는 것이 필수적인 것. 그래서 양식시스템연구실은 고성에 위치한 부경대 수산과학기술센터를 양식 분야 산학협력 메카로 구축하기 위해 힘쓰는 등 연구과 산학협력 효과를 극대화하기 위해 다방면으로 노력하고 있다.

연구실은 이밖에도 환경친화적이면서 고밀도로 양식생물을 생산할 수 있는 시스템들을 효과적으로 설계하고 운전할 수 있도록 시스템 내 물질/에너지 역동학을 기반으로 수처리 공정개발, 수질환경제어 기술, 수질 모니터링 기법에 대한 연구도 진행하고 있다.

박 교수는 학·석·박사학위를 모두 부경대에서 마치고, 강원도립대와 노스캐롤라이나주립대 연구원, 아칸소주립대 교수 등을 거쳐 모교인 부경대 교수로 부임했다. 우리나라에서 수산해양 분야를 가장 오랫동안 연구해온 부경대에서 쌓은 지식과 경험을 다시 교육과 연구에 쏟는 중이다.

이와 함께 미국 국립과학재단 Membrane 기술연구소 산업화 자문위원을 비롯, 미국 농무부의 남부지역 양식거점연구소 Arkansas 대표 양식기술위원과 양식부문 중소기업연구과제 심사위원을 역임한 데 이어 지난 2017년부터는 개도국에 우리나라 선진 수산기술을 전수하는 부경대 세계수산대학원 양식기술학부 주임교수를 맡는 등 국제적으로도 수산 분야 역량을 인정받고 있다.

박 교수는 “이제 양식 등 수산 분야는 우리나라는 물론 세계의 미래 먹거리로 떠오르고 있다. 양식을 비롯해 수산가공, 유통 등 우수 기업들이 미래 기업으로 성장할 수 있도록 대학이 우수기술을 이전하는 등 적극 협력해 우리 젊은이들을 위한 양질의 일자리 창출과 함께 인류의 식량자원 문제 해결에도 기여할 수 있도록 힘쓰겠다.”라고 밝혔다. <부경투데이>

The Aquaculture Systems Laboratory under Prof. Park Jeong-Hwan, Dept. of Marine Bio-Materials and Aquaculture

"Specializes in the commercialization of smart aquaculture that will lead the future of human-food"

"I would say, the field which can combine advanced transdisciplinary study such as engineering and environment is 'aquaculture'."

The research center of Pukyong National University, which is working to commercialize smart aquaculture, a key field in the era of the 4th industrial revolution to secure food resources for the future, is attracting public attention.

It is the ‘Aquaculture Systems Laboratory’ in Pukyong National University’s Fisheries Science College, led by Professor Park Jeong-Hwan (Dept. of Marine Bio-Materials and Aquaculture).

Professor Park's research team was recently selected for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' 'Projects to solve current issues in fisheries'. The project will bring in 1.78 billion won over 3 years.

As seen from the title of the project, the goal of this project is to develop technology that can be applied in the field. The research team, together with the Advanced Aquaculture Research Center of the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) and joint R&D institutes such as Aquapro Co., Ltd., embarked on 'Development of convergence technology to improve productivity and secure the safety of the Recirculating Aquaculture System'.

This research is to develop a convergence expansion system that applies the Aquaponics system, an eco-friendly hydroponic farming method that has recently been attracting attention from the world of aquaculture, to a water recirculating aquaculture system. The goal is to develop an eco-friendly convergence system that recycles water in eel farming to grow lettuce and then be reused for eel farming again.

Professor Park said, "I expect that by solving the water quality management problem in recirculating aquaculture systems in an eco-friendly way, the use of disinfectants and antibiotics will be greatly reduced to secure the safety of aquaculture products, and to help improve the profitability of fishermen and farmers by increasing the productivity of hydroponic crops."

In this way, the Aquaculture Systems Laboratory is researching the technology necessary to enhance design and apply it to various systems and devices that can breed industrially useful aquaculture organisms at high density based on mathematical theories.

Above all, it focuses research on Indoor shrimp production system (ISPS), such as environmentally friendly recirculating aquaculture systems and biofloc systems, and the development of appropriate farming management techniques.

Professor Park stressed, "Studying aquaculture systems is like building a house. Ultimately, it is necessary to create an environment in which fish can live well. For this, it is important to comprehensively combine various disciplines such as engineering, hydraulics, fluid mechanics, and water chemistry. For this reason, I am emphasizing a convergence and holistic approach to students in the lab when conducting research."

The research object that the Aquaculture Systems Laboratory is focusing on is the recirculating aquaculture system. He said, "To enable high-density aquaculture in the indoor environment, it is necessary to optimize the environment using a wide variety of knowledge, such as ICT technologies as well as biological approaches. Currently, we are trying to integrate these technologies with industry to become a true smart form."

In order for research conducted in the laboratory to be commercialized, the first thing we should pay attention to is the establishment of a cooperative system with companies. It is essential for researchers and companies to closely cooperate in real time. Therefore, the Aquaculture Systems Laboratory is working in various ways to maximize the effects of research and industry-academic cooperation, such as by making an effort to build the Fisheries Science & Technology Center(FSTC) of Pukyong National University located in Goseong to become a mecca for industry-academic cooperation in the aquaculture field.

In addition, based on the material and energy kinetics in the system, the laboratory is also conducting research on water treatment development, water quality control technology, and water quality monitoring techniques to effectively design and operate systems that can produce environmentally friendly and high-density aquaculture systems.

After completing his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at Pukyong National University, Professor Park worked as a researcher at Gangwon Provincial University and North Carolina State University, as a professor at Arkansas State University, and then as a professor at his alma mater, Pukyong National University. He is putting his knowledge and experience back into education and research at Pukyong National University, which has been researching fisheries and the marine field the longest in Korea.

In addition, he served as an industrialization advisor for the National Science Foundation's Membrane Science Engineering and Technology (MAST) Center in US, as well as aquaculture technology representative for Arkansas at the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center of the United States Department of Agriculture, and as a reviewer for a small and medium-sized business research project in the aquaculture sector. Since 2017, he has been recognized for his capabilities in the field of fisheries internationally, such as becoming the lead professor of the Department of Aquaculture Technology at Pukyong National University's Graduate School of Global Fisheries, which transfers Korea's advanced fishery technology to developing countries.

Professor Park said, "Fisheries, such as aquaculture, are emerging as a future food not only for Korea but also for the world now. Universities should actively cooperate by transferring excellent technology so that excellent companies in aquaculture, fishery processing, and distribution can grow into future companies. I will do my best to contribute to solving the food resource problems of mankind as well as creating quality jobs for the young." <Pukyong Today>