title: Ultrasonication as a pre-treatment method for the enhancement of the psychrophilic anaerobic digestion of aquaculture effluents.
abstract: The effectiveness of ultrasonication as a pre-treatment method for the psychrophilic anaerobic treatment of aquaculture effluents was assessed using a 4 l solids digester. Ultrasonication of aquaculture wastewater was found to enhance the removal of chemical oxygen demand by anaerobic digestion by almost 10%. There was also a concurrent increase in total biogas production from 0.29 l day(-1) to 0.45 l day(-1) with a corresponding 10% increase in methane concentration. Furthermore, there was an increase of 60% in effluent total ammonia nitrogen concentration as a result of sonication in comparison with a 45% increase for untreated digester waste.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D017756:Aquaculture; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000502:physiology*; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen; D008697:Methane; D010100:Oxygen