Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043

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Aquacultural Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aque

Application of nitrification and denitrification processes in a direct water T

reuse system for pacific white shrimp farmed in biofloc system
Marcos Estevão Santiago de Melo Filhoa, Marco Shizuo Owatarib,*, José Luiz Pedreira Mouriñob,
Katt Regina Lapab, Hugo Moreira Soaresa
a
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Chemical and Food Engineering Department, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
b
Federal University of Santa Catarina, Aquaculture Department, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The aim of the present study was to propose a low-cost nitrogen removal system through the nitrification /
Nitrification denitrification process in order to maintain the water quality required for the Pacific white shrimp super-
Denitrification intensive cultivation in closed systems without water renewal. The increase in productivity consequently causes
Superintensive system the accumulation of organic matter and nitrogenous compounds, especially ammonia nitrogen and nitrite, which
Shrimp
in high concentrations can be lethal to aquatic organisms. In addition, the accumulation of solids in the system
Biofloc
provides conditions for the emergence of opportunistic pathogens, microalgae booms, and increases the pro-
Aquaculture
ducer's cost of inputs to maintain the equilibrium physicochemical relationships required for shrimp farming.
The experimental productive cycle lasted 36 days using Litopenaeus vannamei shrimps with 7.1 g ± 0.56 g and
density of 350 shrimps m−³. The nitrogen removal efficiency observed during the study period was 71.3 ± 5.3
%, and the shrimp had a survival of 92.9 % and a final weight of 13.1 ± 1.4 g. Thus, we established a system
(ammonia and nitrite), capable of managing solids without interaction with the sea, ensuring high biosecurity
against exogenous diseases in marine shrimps farms.

1. Introduction Lightner, 2005). It is estimated that producing 1 kg of shrimp in these

Water resources are of vital importance for the development of any
economic activity in the world. However, aquaculture is one of the
activities that most needs large volumes of water, inevitably. The need
to produce larger quantities of food due to population growth has
contributed to the growth of the sector, which currently moves around
US $ 243 billion (FAO, 2018). In this sense, one of the biggest chal-
lenges of aquaculture concerns the rational use of water resources.
Marine shrimp are a commodity, and as such, highly traded. Mon-
etarily, its represents the second largest group of exported aquaculture
species. Typically, farms are present in coastal aquaculture and are an
important economic source for many developing countries in Asia and
Latin America, moving around $ 1.51 billion / year, mostly consumed
by developed countries markets. (FAO, 2015, 2018).
In traditional farms (6–20 shrimps m−3) nurseries of up to 10 ha can
exceed productivity of 10 ton / ha / year. In this case, the water from
the ponds is renewed daily at a rate of between 5 and 20 % of the total
volume, thus ensuring adequate water quality conditions for the ani-
mals' development (Barbieri Júnior and Ostrensky Neto, 2002;
systems requires 50 m3 of water, most of which is discharged into ad-
jacent water bodies without any treatment (Krummenauer et al., 2014;
Timmons and Ebeling, 2007), increasing the risks of spreading patho-
gens in the environment.
In recent years the shrimp farming industry has been systematically
affected by the occurrence of diseases, particularly viral diseases, which
have caused great losses in the most diverse producing regions of the
world. In addition, poor weather conditions have been a constant
challenge for some major Asian producers, particularly Thailand and
China, causing large economic losses for activity (Lightner, 2005;
Subasinghe, 2017; FAO, 2018).
Therefore, several models aiming at greater biosecurity and super-
intensive production have been proposed. In some cases productivity
may be increased by more than 800 % and the amount of water used
reduced to less than 100 L kg shrimp−1 (Boyd and Clay, 2002; Burford
et al., 2003; Krummenauer et al., 2014). Among these models, note-
worthy is the Bioflocs system (BFT), developed in the early 1990s at the
Waddel Mariculture Center, South Carolina, United States, modified
and adapted a few years later for commercial productions in Belize

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: owatarimarco@hotmail.com (M.S. Owatari).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaeng.2020.102043
Received 16 August 2019; Received in revised form 9 January 2020; Accepted 9 January 2020
Available online 10 January 2020
0144-8609/ © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
M.E.S. de Melo Filho, et al.
Central America and some South American countries, such as Peru and
Ecuador (Burford et al., 2003).
Another way to maintain water quality within the tank is through
the nitrification process, which oxidizes the ammonium ion into nitrate
with nitrite as an intermediate (Henze et al., 1977). This biological
process, commonly used in wastewater treatment (Sepehri and
Sarrafzadeh, 2018, 2019), represents an interesting application for the
superintensive pacific white shrimp farming, allowing ammonia from
animal metabolism to be oxidized to nitrate in the nitrification process
by nitrifying bacteria, which are very efficient in assimilating ammonia
to obtain energy. In addition to consuming relatively little oxygen when
compared to heterotrophic organisms (Henze et al., 1977), which
strategically act on nitrogen removal by biofloc production. This allows
for lower solids production in the tank and additionally lower oxygen
consumption making it easier to transfer it to the system, thus resulting
in a better comfort zone for the shrimp to grow (Avnimelech et al.,
2015).
In the denitrification process, heterotrophic bacteria use nitrate as
an electron acceptor in the absence of oxygen, and organic matter as a
carbon source, resulting in the reduction of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen
N2, which is released directly into the atmosphere, as can be observed
by model proposed by Wiesmann (1994), using acetate as carbon
source. The application of denitrification in the biofloc system would
contribute to the control of nitrate accumulation and reduce the soluble
organic matter inside the tank (Schreier and Zohar, 2006). The removal
of nitrogen forms from the system allows the treated water to be reused
without the need for renewal. Additionally, treated water with low
suspended solids content can be sterilized by simplified physicochem-
ical processes such as ultraviolet radiation, foam fractionators, ozone to
eliminate potential pathogen contamination and reused directly in the
production cycle, promoting healthy shrimp growth (Van Rijn et al.,
2006; Satanwat et al., 2019)
Thus, the application of the combined nitrification / denitrification
process can become an option for superintensive shrimp farming,
making it possible to treat and reuse closed loop water without renewal,
creating an environment with autonomy over toxic components N-NH3
and N-NO2, without interactions with the sea and with greater biose-
curity. Consequently, the aim of this work was to evaluate a super-
intensive production cycle of Pacific white shrimp using nitrification /
denitrification in a low cost system for direct and planned water reuse
system.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Production system design
The experiment was conducted at the Marine Shrimp Laboratory -
LCM (UFSC, Brazil). The system consisted of a culture tank with a
coupled nitrifying reactor, a denitrification reactor and a decanter.
The shrimp culture tank used in the experiment was made of 600 L
cylindrical cone-shaped glass fiber with a diameter of 1.2 m, total
height of 0.81 m and cone height of 0.11 m. Inside the tank were in-
stalled 5 artificial biological supports, made with 0.1 mm polyamide
wires, with 3/8″ mesh thickness, totaling 1.13 m2 of available area. The
biological supports were intended to promote an increase in useful
surface area for the shrimp in the tank, providing better environmental
comfort and reducing animal stress in the experiment (Schveitzer et al.,
2013). The tank was also fitted with a cylindrical moving bed ni-
trification reactor made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), with a height of
0.55 m, a diameter of 0.14 m and a useful volume of 6.73 L. As support
for nitrifying biomass, 120 bioballs (Cora Life Bio Balls) were used. At
the top of the reactor was installed an 11-watt pump (Sarlo Better b
650) that regulated the flow rate of the recirculation system (average
flow of 48 L h−1). For aeration, a porous stone diffuser was used, to-
taling an air flow of 1.68 ± 0.21 L s-1. In addition, an 8 W ultraviolet
reactor was inserted to promote control of any emerging pathogens in
2
Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043
Fig. 1. system - 1 (tank); 2 (network support); 3 (nitrifying reactor); 4 (de-
canter); 5 (acetate inlet); 6 (denitrifying reactor); 7 (ultra violet); 8 (aeration); 9
(return to the tank); 10 (porous stone); 11 (repression / tank outlet).
the tank (Fig. 1).
The denitrification reactor was made of cylindrical PVC material
with moving bed reactor, height 0.83 m, diameter 0.19 m, useful vo-
lume 20 L. 263 bioballs (Cora Life Bioballs) were used as biological
support. In the denitrifying reactor was coupled a heat exchanger,
which promoted the circulation of hot water through a hose that passed
inside the reactor, keeping it warm. The heating system in the shrimp
tank and denitrifying reactor consisted of three 250 W thermostatic
heaters. The decanter was made of fiberglass, with a conical cylinder
shape with volume 84 L, height of 0,63 m, diameter of 0,49 m and cone
height of 0,28 m.
2.2. System startup
2.2.1. Bacterial inoculum and nutrient broth
The microorganisms used as initial inoculum were obtained from a
pre-established biofloc system (BFT) and enriched in laboratory re-
actors. 4 L of nitrifying bacteria containing 9.82 g Volatile suspended
solids (VSS) L−1 were added to the tank. In the denitrifying reactor
were added 4 L of the denitrifying inoculum containing 4.93 g VSS L−1.
Culture broths used were proposed by Campos et al. (1999) with
modifications, using the system water itself as a solvent, in the fol-
lowing quantities: NH4Cl (22.92 g), (NH4)2SO4 (5.592 g), MgSO4 (0.606
g), KH2PO4 (2.676 g), NaHCO3 (14.244 g), micronutrient solution
(0.003 mL L−1) to the nitrifying medium. For the denitrifying medium,
NaNO3 (0.243 g), MgSO4 (0.02 g), KH2PO4 (0.1 g), CH3COONa (0.2 g)
and micronutrient solution (0.003 ml L−1) were added to the deni-
trifying medium. The final concentration of the parts after addition of
salts was 2 mg N-NH4+ L−1 in the tank and 2 mg N-NO3− L−1 in the
denitrifying reactor.
2.2.2. System maturation
The system was filled with natural seawater from Barra da Lagoa
beach, Florianópolis, previously disinfected with 5 ppm chlorine. It was
then diluted with fresh water to 20 psu (practical salinity unit).
Initially, the shrimp tank inlets and outlets (Fig. 1) were kept closed so
that there was no material exchange between the system parts. Aeration
and heating were turned on in the system, and nutrients for nitrifying
and denitrifying bacteria were added into the shrimp tank and deni-
trifying reactor, respectively.
After initial inoculation, the acclimatization of the microorganisms
was performed with four intercalated ammonia pulses in the tank, with
two-day intervals between the pulses. For this purpose, a concentrated
NH4Cl solution was prepared and diluted in the tank to give final the-
oretical concentrations of 2 mg N-NH4+ L−1 from the first to the third
pulse; and 20 mg N-NH4 + L−1 on the fourth pulse. In the deni-
trification reactor three nitrate pulses were performed, following the
M.E.S. de Melo Filho, et al.
same method as above, but diluting a concentrated solution of NaNO3-,
obtaining final theoretical concentrations of 2 mg N-NO3-L−1 inside the
reactor for the three pulses.
After the 8th day of acclimation, the system was opened at a flow
rate of 6.25 L h−1 and a test sequence with Litopenaeus vannamei ju-
venile was started to verify suitable acclimatization strategies to be
used on farms, as well as correct possible system component assembly
failures, totaling 50 test days. The shrimp used had an average initial
weight of 1.48 ± 0.31 g, which were obtained from a biofloc culture. In
this test phase the shrimp were grown until they reached approximately
7 g.
2.3. System operation
At this stage, the same water from the test phase was used without
renewal, but the salinity was reduced to 14 psu with fresh water from
the city's water supply. The lowest salinity adopted at this stage was
chosen in order to save mineral salts, aiming at future scaling, mini-
mizing the dependence of sea water, considering that L. vannamei tol-
erates a wide range of salinity (Barbieri Júnior and Ostrensky Neto,
2002). A total of 210 shrimp were used, coming from a biofloc super-
intensive system. The shrimps were acclimated to the conditions of the
experiment and had an initial weight of 7.1 ± 0.56 g.
The shrimp were then placed in the tank and fed with commercial
pelleted feed containing 35 % crude protein using the tray system.
Shrimp stocking density in the tank was 350 m−3. During the 36 days of
experiment the shrimps were fed 3 times a day (8:00 am, 12:00 am and
18:00 pm). The feed intake in the tray was checked after one and a half
hours of each feed. If there was surplus feed, it was returned to the tank
so as not to change the system mass ratios. The amount of feed provided
was set at 4 % of the average weight of shrimp in the tank (Clewer and
Scarisbrick, 2001).
The recirculation flow rate of the system was 12.5 L h−1 until the
30th day of the experiment. Then increased to 48 L h−1 and maintained
until the end. The flow rate changes were made due to the need to
improve the system performance in terms of shrimp water quality.
2.4. Management of nitrogen forms in the system
2.4.1. Calculation of nitrogen input in the system
According to Ebeling et al. (2006), of the total protein in the diet
(R), 16 % is nitrogen. Of these, 90 % is consumed by shrimp, which in
turn 10 % is incorporated as biomass, and 90 % is eliminated in excreta.
Of the eliminated nitrogen, 90 % is excreted as ammonia nitrogen and
10 % as urea. Knowing that urea, when in contact with water, is rapidly
decomposed by microorganisms, generating ammonia and carbon di-
oxide, we can calculate the daily ammonia load in the culture tank,
resulting in Eqs. 1 and 2:
PTAN = R × %p × 0.16 × 0.9 × 0.9 + R × %p × 0.16 × 0.9 × 0.1
(1)
∴ PTAN = R × %p × 0.144(g N − NH4+/ d ) (2)
R=Feed Rate (g / d)
% p=Feed Protein Percentage
2.4.2. Nitrogen removal efficiencies
For the calculation of nitrogen removal efficiency the following Eqs.
(3–5) were used.
PTAN − Nreturned
%Nremoved = ( ) × 100
PTAN (3)
where:
PTAN = inputN − NH4+ (g /d )
3
Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043
N returned = (N decanter + N reactor desnitrifying + N return )(g /d )
(4)
N returned = [( (N –NH4+ + N –O2− + N –O3−) × 600 ) / 1000 ](g / d )
(5)
2.5. System monitoring and parameters evaluated
The monitoring of the system was performed by analyzing the in-
puts and outputs of the system components, tank, tank outlet, decanter
outlet, denitrifying reactor output and return to the tank. Dissolved
oxygen, temperature (YSI 55, YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, OH,
USA), and pH (YSI 100, YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, OH, USA)
measurements were performed five times weekly. Ammonia, nitrite
(Strickland and Parsons, 1972) and nitrate (American Public Health
Association et al., 1976) analyzes were performed three times a week
by colorimetric method. Total solids and volatile solids were measured
at pre-set times according to the American Public Health Association
(2005). Alkalinity was assessed casually. Disease control was evaluated
by the presence of Vibrionaceae, the main bacterial pathogen of marine
shrimps (Barbieri Júnior and Ostrensky Neto, 2002), using the metho-
dology described by the American Public Health Association (2005),
plated on TCBS medium (DifcoTM, selective for vibrio). Monitoring was
done casually at the point of return to the tank after passing through the
ultraviolet.
2.6. Statistical analysis
The descriptive statistics of the experiment was performed by
transforming the data into graphical representations using the statis-
tica® 13.0 software.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. System start
The changes in concentrations of nitrogen forms in the culture tank
and denitrification reactor during the inoculation phase are shown in
Fig. 2a and 2b, respectively. During the period, pH, oxygen and tank
temperature had values of 8.18 ± 0.019; 7.80 mg L−1 ± 0.13 mg L−1;
28.97 °C ± 0.07 °C, respectively. For the denitrifying reactor these
values were 8.19 ± 0.02; 0.66 mg L−1 ± 0.13 mg L−1 and 28.88
°C ± 0.28 °C, respectively.
The graphical analysis allows us to conclude that the acclimatiza-
tion of microorganisms occurred gradually. In the early days, the pro-
duction of nitrite and nitrate in the tank is observed. This proves that
ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria were active metabolism
(Fig. 2a), even after activation of recirculation on the eighth day, where
nitrite and nitrate production increased, indicating that the bacteria
continued to grow in the tank.
Owatari et al. (2018) verified the consumption activities of nitrogen
compounds in the first days of maturation of a biological filter when
inoculated from a microorganism pool to colonize the biological sup-
port. At the time, the reduction of total ammonia, toxic ammonia and
nitrite concentration during monitoring were determinant to confirm
the nitrification process. Knowing how to identify and understand the
onset of ammonia degradation kinetics in aquaculture bioreactors can
be considered a strategic and decisive point for decision-making in-
volving the initiation of aquaculture growth cycles and nutrient input
into cultivation waters. In addition, the interactions that occur between
groups of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and nitrite oxidizing bacteria are
of utmost importance in nitrification processes (Sepehri and
Sarrafzadeh, 2019).
In the denitrifying reactor (Fig. 2b), a slower adaptation of the
microorganisms is observed in the first days, however, from the 4th day
M.E.S. de Melo Filho, et al.
Fig. 2. (a) Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations in the culture tank after ammonia pulses (p1, p2, p3 and p4); (b) nitrite and nitrate concentrations in the
denitrifying reactor after nitrate pulses (p1, p2, p3).
it becomes evident the decrease of nitrate in the reactor, showing that
the denitrification process occurred. In the present study after re-
circulation opening, denitrification continued to occur and at the 14th
day the nitrate concentration difference in the reactor inlet and outlet
was 8.77 mg L−1, equivalent to a removal rate of 65.25 % N-NO3-.
3.2. Nitrogen forms concentrations and nitrogen removal from the system
The concentrations of nitrogen forms at different sampling times
throughout the system were recorded (Fig. 3), as well as the means of
nitrogen compounds at each point from the 10th day (Table 1). Ana-
lyzing Fig. 3 is possible to identify two distinct areas in the system: A
nitrification area represented by points p1, p2 and p3, from the shrimp
tank to the decanter outlet, where it is possible to verify a higher nitrate
concentration. A denitrification area represented by points p4 and p5.
After the denitrification reactor and the UV reactor output a low nitrate
concentration is verified, showing the removal of nitrogen compounds
by the system.
Suzuki et al. (2003) investigated the performance of an intensive eel
culture recirculation system, in which ammonia oxidation and removal
of suspended solids were performed rapidly and simultaneously in the
nitrification unit. Ammonia concentration and turbidity were kept
below 1.2 mg N per liter. While in the denitrification process the nitrate
accumulated in the culture water was reduced from 151 mg N L−1 to 40
mg N L−1. Effluent was easily recovered from nitrification and deni-
trification tanks, and the components were considered suitable as
compost. Similarly, the present study confirmed that the operation of
nitrification and denitrification reactors in superintensive cultivation
systems has a high potential for application.
In the present study, it was found that N-NH3 free ammonia re-
mained at safe survival levels for shrimp. The maximum concentration
measured in the tank was 0.09 mg N-NH3 L−1, calculated from am-
monia, pH and temperature data according to Wiesmann (1994), 13.3
times lower than the level recommended by Lin and Chen (2001). Ni-
trite showed no toxic level for shrimp and no peak of this compound
was verified during the experiment, which is an advantage in intensive
production systems, because the accumulation of this compound can
cause high mortality rates in the tank.
Saliling et al. (2007) tested wood chips and wheat straw as alter-
native biofilter media for denitrification reactors in aquaculture and
other high nitrate wastewater. This experiment showed denitrification
rates, and up to 99 % of nitrate was removed from wastewater with 200
mg NO3-N L−1 concentration. In the present study, the biological
supports were also efficient for bacteria adhesion, since we observed
considerable reductions in N concentrations inside the reactors.
4
Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043
Nitrogen loads applied to the system as a function of the nitrogen
contained in the diet, as well as the calculation of the remaining ni-
trogen load in the system and the nitrogen load removed were mea-
sured in the present study (Fig. 4).
An appropriate C / N ratio can control the microbial population and
aid nitrification processes (Sepehri and Sarrafzadeh, 2018). In Fig. 4 we
see that the nitrogen load increases over time. This nitrogen is removed
from the system in the denitrification process. The principle of system
operation is based on ensuring sufficient alkalinity for nitrifiers to
function. In the present study the total alkalinity remained at
232 ± 16.65 mg CaCO3 L−1, this means that the bicarbonate alkalinity
remained between 139.2 ± 9.9 mg HCO3-L−1, not impairing the func-
tioning nitrification. For denitrification to occur it was necessary to add
a simple low molecular weight organic molecule which in this case was
sodium acetate, because the carbon dissolved in the liquid medium
from shrimp metabolism, dead cell remnants, and leached feed remains
are complex molecules that are difficult to degrade, this would cause
oxygen not to approach zero in the denitrifying reactor making the
process unfeasible.
The nitrogen biotransformation routes present in aquaculture pro-
duction processes are complex. Several environmental factors can affect
these processes, and concrete knowledge in conjunction with the use of
high-nitrogen effluent treatment technologies are key to improving
nitrogen removal rates and achieving success in full-scale applications
(Paredes et al., 2007). In the present research, it is clear that the ni-
trogen removal process occurred throughout the experimental time.
From the 4th day on, nitrogen removal stability was verified with an
average efficiency of 71.28 ± 5.28 %, proving the positive result
achieved by the proposed setup.
3.3. Farming system control parameters
The water quality variables were controlled so as not to limit the
operational processes, and on average the pH and temperature re-
mained at 8.26 ± 0.1 and 28.7 ± 1.1 °C, respectively over of the
system. The dissolved oxygen in the system remained in optimal con-
ditions for shrimp development 5.98 ± 0.38 mg O2 L−1 (Ebeling et al.,
2006) and also in conditions that allowed denitrification in the deni-
trification reactor 0.51 ± 0.41 mg O2 L−1 (Metcalf and Edddy, 2003).
In the present study, it was not necessary to correct alkalinity, which
remained at an average of 232 ± 16.65 mg CaCO3 L−1 throughout the
experimente. Moreover, the use of heterotrophic denitrification com-
bined with nitrification is advantageous because it is possible to replace
a part of the alkalinity that is consumed in nitrification (Van Rijn et al.,
2006), unlike other systems that require this correction (Schveitzer
M.E.S. de Melo Filho, et al. Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043

Fig. 3. Monitoring of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations throughout the second stage of the experiment: p1 (culture tank); p2 (tank outlet); p3 (decanter
output); p4 (denitrifying reactor output); p5 (ultraviolet reactor output).

Table 1
Average of nitrogenous compounds. ammonia nitrogen (N-NH4). nitrite ni-
trogen (N-nitrite) and nitrate nitrogen (N-nitrate) (mean ± standard deviation)
calculated from day 10 at cultivation system collection: 1 (middle of the tank);
2 (tank outlet); 3 (decanter outlet); 4 (denitrifying output); 5 (UV output /
return).
Points N-Ammonia (mg L−1) N-Nitrite (mg L−1) N-Nitrate (mg L−1)

1 1.86 ± 0.78 0.69 ± 0.1 7.88 ± 0.34

2 1.71 ± 0.66 0.76 ± 0.38 8.07 ± 0.37
3 1.92 ± 0.99 0.58 ± 0.35 8.13 ± 0.24
4 1.85 ± 0.71 0.69 ± 0.34 0.76 ± 0.38
5 1.84 ± 0.69 0.69 ± 0.32 0.84 ± 0.36

Fig. 4. Nitrogen loads applied, remnant and removed in the cropping system.

5
M.E.S. de Melo Filho, et al.
Table 2
Average production of suspended solids measured at the end of the experiment
in the tank, decanter and denitrifying reactor units. Volatile suspended solids
(VSS); Total Suspended Solids (TSS).
Unity VSS (g L−1) TSS (g L−1)
Tank 0.133 ± 0.008 0.260 ± 0.013
Decanter 1.23 ± 0.05 2.52 ± 0.48
Denitrifying Reactor 1.06 ± 0.1 2.26 ± 0.07
Table 3
Zootechnical indices showing the value (mean ± standard deviation) of
each index evaluated.
Zootechnical parameters
Total feed (g) 2.479
Starting weight (g) 7.1 ± 0.56
Final Weight (g) 13.1 ± 1.44
Weight gain / weekly (g week−1) 1.23
Survival (%) 92.86
Feed conversion (g ration / g shrimp) 2.38 ± 0.04
Productivity (kg shrimp m−3) 3.38
et al., 2013).
3.4. Solids production
The system solids production can be understood as the sum of solids
computed at the end of the experimental cycle, in all parts of the shrimp
production system, ie, inside the tank, in the nitrification reactor, in the
decanter, in the denitrification and even the biofilm that forms on the
connection line inside the pipes. In this work, the solids drained from
the decanter and the denitrification reactor were accounted for, since
these are the ones that are actually sent to the subsequent destination.
The solids fixed in the biological supports were not accounted for due to
the fact that they are not discarded, remaining within the system. Total
suspended solids were measured at the end of cultivation (Table 2).
Preliminary analysis shows that an Total Suspended Solids (TSS) /
Volatile suspended solids (VSS) ratio of 1.98; 2.02 and 2.14 for the tank,
decanter and denitrifying reactor respectively, resulting in an TSS / VSS
average of 2.05. Thus we can infer that approximately 50 % of the
solids were stable. Schveitzer et al. (2013) operating a biofloc system
with 459 shrimp m−3 maintaining the TSS at 200 mg L-1 produced
1,569.6 g of TSS. Similarly, Ray et al. (2010) observed that a biofloc
system with 250 shrimp m−3 produced an average amount of 1440 g of
TSS in 36 days of operation. Comparing the data, it is clear that the
experiments mentioned above produced at least 9.82 times more sludge
than the present study. According to Wiesmann (1994) this can be
explained by comparing the specific growth rate values between auto-
trophic bacteria, which present a μmax of 0.77 d-1 for ammonia oxi-
dation and 1.08 d-1 for nitrite oxidation, whereas heterotrophic mi-
croorganisms have a maximal 7.2 d-1.
Practical methods to reduce nitrogenous loads in aquaculture sys-
tems facilitate increased productivity as water quality is optimized. The
present study monitored the zootechnical performance of shrimps
during the experimental phase (Table 3). Analyzing the growth results,
we found that survival reached 92.86 %. Schveitzer et al. (2013) using
artificial substrate in a biofloc tank obtained average survival value of
70.6 % and in the treatment without substrate 42.5 ± 35.9 %. Ray et al.
(2010), in a biofloc system operating without artificial substrate ob-
tained a survival rate of 71 %, indicating that somehow the substrate
provides a comfort zone for the shrimp increasing its survival.
Feed conversion rate depends largely on feed management at each
feeding event. Ray et al. (2010), proposing a feed adjustment based on
biometrics, similar to that used in the present study, obtained in their
results an average of 2.43 ± 0.32 feed g shrimp g−1 for feed
6
Aquacultural Engineering 88 (2020) 102043
conversion. In the present work the amount of the feed was set at 4 % of
the weight measured on the biometrics, regardless of the leftover feed,
which was returned into the tank. Feed management in each feeding
event would certainly decrease this value. The weekly weight gain 1.23
g week−1 observed in the present research can be considered a good
growth as described by Barbieri Júnior and Ostrensky Neto (2002). At
the time the researchers stated that values above 1 g week−1 is con-
sidered a very good index for pacific white shrimp, considering that this
value refers to semi-intensive system, where it is known that the shrimp
has better performance naturally due to lower stocking density. High
feed conversion values may be related to food management. The
amount of feed should be adjusted for each feed so that nothing remains
in the tray.
4. Conclusions
The present study used a hybrid system composed of an air-lift re-
actor with fixed biomass in moving support and synthetic mesh for
bacterial support disposed inside the tank for removal of nitrogenous
compounds in biofloc tanks. This type of system is inexpensive to build,
requiring only a small aeration at the bottom reactor to promote ver-
tical flow of water, promoting the raising of gases from the bottom up.
In this way we can remove some of the CO2 that is dissolved in the
liquid medium.
Considering the nitrification and denitrification processes, it was
possible to obtain benefits with the removal of excess nitrogen com-
pounds, since the reduction of nitrogen availability in the system re-
duces or limits the proliferation of undesirable microorganisms in the
system, such as cyanobacteria. The use of heterotrophic denitrification
combined with nitrification was advantageous since some of the alka-
linity consumed in nitrification can be recovered in this process. In
addition, excess soluble organic matter can be removed, resulting in a
better comfort zone for shrimp to grow.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank National Council of Scientific and Technological
Development (CNPq) for research grant and financial support to J.L.P.
Mouriño (CNPq 308292 / 2014-6) and H.M. Soares (CNPq Lattes:
2713109621898643); Chemical Engineering Department (UFSC) and
Marine Shrimp Laboratory (LCM - UFSC) for Shrimp donation.
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