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Treatment of Fish Farm Wastewater Using Sand Filtration

Nordland Research Inst., N-8002 Bodø, Norway;

Simon J. Cripps

Div. of Sanitary Engineering, Luleå Univ., S-971 87 Luleå, Sweden and RF-Rogaland Research, N-4004 Stavanger, Norway.

^* Corresponding author (rolv.kristiansen{at}hibo.no).

ABSTRACT

The treatment of aquaculture wastewaters typically consists of screening suspended particles from the primary flow, producing a sludge that must be disposed of. Two experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of using sand to renovate, stabilize, and dry salmon farm sludge. Data from a preliminary laboratory experiment were used to quantify and design a pilot-scale study facility linked to a salmon farm. The pilot study comprised coarse sand-filled infiltration beds loaded with either an artificial fish farm wastewater (AFW), backwash water from a microsieve (BW), or sedimented microsieve backwash water (SBW) collected daily from a settling chamber. A large reduction in hydraulic capacity was caused by the establishment of a clogging mat on the sand filter surface. About 60% of the sludge total organic C was removed by the filters. Nitrogen in the effluent from the SBW loaded filters was predominately organic, and nitrate concentrations were insignificant (<0.03 mg NO₃-N L^–1). Effluent ammonium concentration decreased from 97% of the effluent total nitrogen (TN) after 1 mo of loading, to 10% after 2 to 3 mo, with an attendant increase in nitrate to about 65% of the TN. The P binding capacity of the test sand volume was exceeded after 1 to 2 mo of SBW loading. This capacity was not exceeded during the experiment, using the two other effluent types (BW and AFW). Filter effluent P concentrations were about 1.4 mg L^–1. At a SBW loading of 1 cm d^–1, to a coarse sand, with a hydraulic head of >10 cm, it is expected that 2 to 3 mo loading can be conducted before maintenance or change of filter surface sand is required, as a result of hydraulic malfunction. The use of sand infiltration for treating salmon farm sludge was therefore shown to be feasible.

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