Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from synthetic aquaculture water through electrocoagulation

  • Kiane Cristina Leal Visconcin Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola. Departamento de Água e Solo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Avenida Cândido Rondon, n° 501, CEP: 13083-875, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
  • Bruno Lodovico Meneghel Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola. Departamento de Água e Solo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Avenida Cândido Rondon, n° 501, CEP: 13083-875, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
  • Ariovaldo José da Silva Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola. Departamento de Água e Solo. Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Avenida Cândido Rondon, n° 501, CEP: 13083-875, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
  • Carlos Tadeu dos Santos Dias Departamento de Ciências Exatas. Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” da Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Avenida Pádua Dias, n° 11, CEP: 13418-260, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.

Abstract

In this research, we utilized multivariate analysis to evaluate the efficient removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from synthetic aquaculture water using the electrocoagulation process. The elimination of nitrogen and phosphorus is a critical issue in various wastewater treatment plants and aquaculture systems, especially in instances of intensive or super-intensive cultivation. To avert the buildup of pollutants in the water, be it within internal recirculation systems or bodies of water receiving effluents from rearing tanks, it is imperative to employ treatment methodologies designed to effectively eliminate nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients. These nutrients have the potential to induce eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. However, conventional biological treatment technologies can be ineffective, as they often only remove one pollutant or the other. Furthermore, the individual operations for these systems are complex and require substantial space. Electrocoagulation is a compact and promising technology for treating aquaculture water and effluents for raw nutrient removal. In this context, our findings showcase the simultaneous removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus through the electrocoagulation method. The best treatment was verified for the highest electrical current density (74 A. m-2), the shortest distance between electrodes (4 cm), and the lowest electrolysis time (50 min). In these conditions, the efficiency removal in ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus were 30.5% and 100% respectively.

Keywords: electrochemical treatment, eutrophication, water pollution control.


Published
09/04/2024
Section
Papers