Removal efficiency of TAN, BOD and COD by using aerobic fluidized bed reactor with circulation in concentric tubes associated to a column settler in intensive production of tilapia

The development of intensive aquaculture is accompanied by an increasing environmental impact produced by the wastewater generated. The recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are a compact alternative and manage high stocking densities and lower volumes of water. It was used a column settler (CS) associated with aerobic fluidized bed reactor (BAS-CT) with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.55 and 0.20 h respectively, in RAS with tilapias with average weight of 0.32 kg and storage density of 33.1 kg.m(-3) regarding the removal of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The removal efficiencies of TAN, BOD and COD were 35.2, 48.0 and 64.9%, respectively. The use of CS with the BAS-CT showed a good performance with low HRT in the treatment of this effluent.