Removal of nutrients from aquaculture residual water: A review

Abstract

Aquaculture plays an important role in providing protein-rich foods, meeting the growing demand for fish. However, aquaculture is a potentially polluting activity, especially with regard to water pollution, due to the improper disposal of wastewater from the production process. Aquaculture wastewater is rich in nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and phosphorus) and organic matter, and is commonly discharged into the environment without proper treatment. This can cause a series of environmental impacts and aggravate the current water crisis. Due to the importance and need to reduce environmental impacts, plan the use of water resources and achieve an efficient and sustainable production process, many researchers have focused their studies on effluent treatment techniques designed to remove these nutrients. This article therefore presents an updated review of the main physicochemical and biological techniques used in the removal of nutrients, which can mitigate environmental problems arising from aquaculture activities and contribute to the sustainability of the activity.
 Keywords: biological removal, nitrogen compounds, sustainable activity.