(748f) Development of an Integrated Aquaculture System for Clean Water and Animal Feed Production
AIChE Annual Meeting
2016
2016 AIChE Annual Meeting
2016 International Congress on Energy
Separation Processes in Biorefineries
Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 4:55pm to 5:15pm
The effect of different initial levels of ammonia were tested in synthetic aquaculture wastewater to study the removal efficiency of nutrient pollutants by our biofilm. Starting ammonia levels were chosen based on a literature review of effluent discharge from various cultured aquatic species. Ammonia levels were reduced to undetectable limits in the medium to low initial levels of ammonia trials. At high levels of ammonia a set ammonia removal rate was observed, independent of total ammonia present in the system. We suspect the removal rate is dependent on nutrient availability and can be optimized in the future. The mycoalgae biofilm outperformed mono-cultures of fungi and algae at every level of ammonia tested in regards to total nutrients removed from the media. Combined biomass production was also higher in the co-cultures than in mono-cultures at all ranges of ammonia tested. The biomass has added value as feed for the cultured fish, thus making the process more economically advantageous. The biomass generated will be high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates thus enabling robust fish growth. The biofilmâ??s nutritional properties, low energy harvesting method, and effective nutrient removal abilities make it a promising system for wastewater remediation.