The “self cleaning inherent gas denitrification-reactor” for nitrate elimination in RAS for pike perch (Sander lucioperca) production

Clogging was prevented by a 40 second inherent gas recirculation twice an hour, which provided continuous, maintenance free operation with marginal energy demand. With inlet (RAS) and outlet NO3-N concentrations in the range of 49 mg l−1 and 12 mg l−1, mean denitrification rates of 199 g to 235 g NO3-N per m3 moving bed volume and day were determined for all tested carbon sources. Negative effects on the feed intake of the reared pike perch were detected with all carbon sources except methanol. Changing the mode of operation to continuous circulation of the filter bed at inlet NO3-N concentrations of 26 mg l−1, the denitrification performance reached 451 g NO3-N per m3 moving bed volume and day. The SID-reactor allowed for the reduction of freshwater exchange in the pike perch RAS from 600 l to 70 l (−88%) and the sodium bicarbonate buffer from 182 g to 31 g (−83%) per kg of administered food. The easy and reliable operation of the SID-reactor could help to establish controlled denitrification as a routine purification step in RAS.