TITLE:
Recirculating Systems for Pollution Prevention in Aquaculture Facilities
AUTHORS:
Juan Ramírez-Godínez, R. Icela Beltrán-Hernández, Claudia Coronel-Olivares, Elizabeth Contreras-López, Maribel Quezada-Cruz, Gabriela Vázquez-Rodríguez
KEYWORDS:
Fresh Water Production; Biofilter; Nitrogen Removal; Biological Activated Carbon
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.5 No.7A,
July
18,
2013
ABSTRACT:
As all other forms of livestock production, fish farming has
numerous environmental impacts. Water pollution is one of the most significant
outcomes, since aquaculture effluents contain non-ingested food and fish dregs
that affect the receiving water bodies when discharged without any treatment.
Conventional pollutants (suspended solids, dissolved organic matter and
nutrients), as well as pesticides, heavy metals and emerging pollutants (as
antibiotics and hormones), are commonly found in these effluents. Recirculating
aquaculture systems (RAS, systems that integrate the treatment and the reuse of
water in the process) are an invaluable alternative for preventing water
pollution by diminishing both the volume and the eutrophication potential of
the effluents. Based on our review of the extant literature in the field, we
conclude that activated carbon-based biofilters are a favorable technology to
achieve a level of water quality that is compatible with environmentally-sound
aquaculture practices.