Nitrogen Removal and Methane Production in Shrimp Aquaculture Wastewater using Sequencing Batch Reactor and Anaerobic Digester

Creating fiscally and environmentally responsible waste treatment methods is one key for enhancing shrimp aquaculture in the United States. Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) allow significant reduction in costs such as relocation of shrimp production system further inland, less infrastructure, smaller space requirements, and recycling of the water and salt. SBRs adapt the activated sludge process and enable it to be completed within a single reactor vessel cycling through aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Microbes contained within the activated sludge conduct nitrification and denitrification processes.  Significant reduction of nutrients is possible creating environmentally responsible intensive recirculating raceways meeting environmental protection agency (EPA) regulations, while at the same time reducing costs typically associated with these types of raceways. A pilot SBR was run successfully, which removed nitrogen in the waste significantly. More than 99% of all nitrogen species including ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite were removed within 10 days of SBR operation. The SBR treated wastewater was subjected to anaerobic digestion, which produced significant amount of methane.