About

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food-producing sector, which induces environmental concerns and a need for optimisation of water and wastewater management for economic viability. This is driving interest in novel technologies more compact and cost efficient for intensive aquaculture to counteract water resources depletion.

AquaVal aims to develop multitrophic technological solutions (bacteria, microalgae, bivalves) for the treatment of water used in freshwater aquaculture facilities. The technological solutions will be combined to comprise a full treatment system, to remove pollutants and valorise effluents following the circular economy precepts. Treated water will be obtained with quality for recycling/reuse to the producing facility or discharge into natural water sources. This system will include the application of biological treatment technologies where biomass is grown in the form of granules and enriched in microbial populations able to remove nutrients and micropollutants.

The objectives of AquaVal are the:

• Stable operation of aerobic granular biomass systems at extremely low nitrogen concentration, low temperature and large flows.
• Treatment system for the recovery of water suitable for reuse in the aquaculture.
• Optimal operational conditions to culture bivalves.
• System feasibility at pilot scale in an aquaculture plant.

Results

• Newer more efficient technologies based on multi-trophic systems (bacteria, algae) to reduce nitrogen and other pollutants to levels which will improve recirculating water with sufficient quality for use in aquaculture systems.
• Successful granulation of biomass achieved treating freshwater aquaculture streams at pilot scale.
• Large water flows treated in short times with quality good enough to be recirculated to the trout tanks.
• Feasible  bioaugmentation of granular biomass with microalgae boosting the system performance. 
• Use of bivalves as depuration units, with wastewater as a resource, converting it into bivalve biomass, potentially utilisable in aquaculture feeds.