Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Growth of the U.S. aquaculture market can be supported by developing improved production methods with reduced environmental impacts. Recirculating aquaculture systems and other enhanced water management techniques are increasingly implemented to increase productivity and improve aquaculture water quality. The removal of nitrogen (ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) and dissolved carbon is an essential component of improved water quality management. However, conventional biofiltration systems suffer from low removal rates, waste production, high operational overhead, and large footprints.The purpose of this project is to develop a high-rate biological nitrogen removal process based on the use of specifically selected organisms within engineered composites. The proposed technology will offer a targeted, efficient, and simple treatment process with a small footprint that is unachievable by conventional biofilters. The specific project objectives include 1) developing novel composites to support nitrogen removal across a range of salinity conditions; 2) establishing kinetic, operational, and design parameters; 3) demonstrating performance over extended periods of operation; and 5) developing technoeconomic parameters for multiple use-cases for U.S. aquaculture productions.It is expected that adoption of this next-generation technology will reduce the industry's reliance on inefficient conventional biofilters for nitrification and denitrification. The proposed technology will be able to retrofit existing operations to meet increasing demands, increase recirculation capacity, or lower operational costs. If successfully implemented, improvements in aquaculture water quality will help mitigate barriers to expansion in the U.S. aquaculture industry, which will help support productivity improvements and reduce production costs to meet a growing demand for various aquaculture products.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The proposed Phase I work will determine the feasibility of a new technology for treatment of nitrogen in aquaculture systems under saline test conditions and construct a continuous-flow prototype for extended testing.Technical Objective 1: Determine general kinetic parameters of two new biological systems including one marine nitrifier for degrading dissolved BOD (TOC) and oxidation of ammonia; and one halotolerant denitrifier for dissolved nitrate and BOD (TOC) removal. Tests are to be performed under varying levels of salinity (e.g., 5, 10, and 20%).Technical Objective 2: Determine the specific kinetics of the new organisms from Objective 1 compared with freshwater composite equivalents in synthetic as well as actual aquaculture water.?Technical Objective 3: Determine the technical performance metrics (elimination capacity, hydraulic retention time, operational and nutrient requirements, etc.) of a continuous-flow prototype using actual aquaculture effluent and perform a suite of metagenomic analyses.
Project Methods
The methods underlying the project include the following steps:Step 1: Development of two new halophilic technologies (i.e., one halophilic nitrifier and one halophilic denitrifier) for Total Nitrogen (TN) removal in synthetic marine Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)effluent, then test the technologies' efficacy for substrate degradation in triplicate in 5% saline medium.Step 2: Set up a continuous-flow prototype for the equivalent non-halophilic (NHS) composite evaluation, optimizing for TN loading and controlling for biological parameters as needed.Step 3: Set up identical continuous-flow prototype for evaluating the halophilic system (HS) technologies. Test both NHS and HS reactors using 5%, 10% and 20% saline synthetic marine aquaculture effluent with TN concentrations anticipated from real-world applications.Step 4: Evaluate overall performance of continuous-flow prototypes and resulting technoeconomics of a pilot-sized system.