Department of Chemical Engineering

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Department Process Engineering now has a new name, and will be known from March 2023, as Department of Chemical Engineering.

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Browsing Department of Chemical Engineering by Subject "Abalone culture"

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    Characterisation and desalination of typical South African abalone farm effluent sea water
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Steynberg, Leander Duvan; Burger, A. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Process Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nearly all South African abalone farms function on an intensive pump-ashore, flow-through system. Large volumes of sea water that are pumped ashore flow through abalone or kelp harvesting tanks and finally gravitate back to the ocean. If the effluent from an abalone farm can be desalinated without permanent membrane fouling, then sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) technology can be integrated effectively with established abalone farms without having to increase the farms’ intake system capacities. Without the need to construct and maintain an intake system, the overall cost of desalination can be reduced. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and viability of integrating a SWRO desalination plant with a typical South African abalone farm. The project focused on four areas of concern, namely: - characterisation of typical South African abalone farm water - SWRO desalination plant pilot study and membrane fouling behaviour - general operation of a typical abalone farm and its implications for desalination - cost estimates and implications for the integration of an SWRO desalination plant with an abalone farm During a nine-month on-site investigation, sea water turbidity was reduced by up to 43% from a mean value of 0.82 NTU in the influent stream to 0.47 NTU in the combined effluent stream from the abalone tanks. Even with spikes in the influent turbidity, the turbidity of the combined effluent from all abalone tanks (excluding tank flush water) remained below 1 NTU. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in both the influent and combined effluent remained below 1 mg/litre. Ultrafiltration (UF) was selected as pre-treatment to the reverse osmosis (RO) in order to minimise potential fouling of the RO membranes. Membrane compaction of both the UF and RO membranes contributed significantly to initial flux losses – as much as 18% for the polyethersulfone (PESM) UF membranes and 20% for the thin film composite (TFC) polyamide RO membrane. However, this is comfortably in line with typical compaction values quoted in the literature. Without pre-flocculation, the UF was able to operate at a specific flux between 45 and 55 litre/m2/h (LMH) and recoveries ranging between 60 and 75%. Corresponding trans-membrane pressure (TMP) ranged between 0.59 and 0.76 bar. With ferric chloride pre-flocculation at a concentration of 3 mg/litre (as Fe3+) the UF could be operated at notably lower TMP values between 0.11 and 0.36 bar. These results indicate that provision should definitely be made for pre-flocculation when using UF as pre-treatment, despite the fact that the DOC concentrations and turbidity of the abalone farm effluent are quite low (DOC <1 mg/litre, NTU <1). It furthermore highlights the inability of DOC and turbidity alone to predict the membrane fouling potential of water. A better indicator of membrane fouling potential, albeit not perfect, is the modified fouling index (MFI0.45). This index follows a linear trend with foulant concentration and serves as a good indicator of the filterability of water. On-site measurements showed an increase in mean MFI0.45 values from 29 s/litre2 for the influent to 48 s/litre2 for the effluent from the abalone tanks, thereby confirming the need for pre-flocculation as part of UF pre-treatment. Chemically enhanced backwashing (CEB) of the UF membrane at least every 24 hours was found to be essential for its stable operation. Therefore, UF with pre-flocculation (3 mg/litre Fe3+) and regular CEB can be used effectively as pre-treatment method for the desalination of abalone farm effluent water. An RO ‘feed-and-bleed’ system was used to simulate the typical performance of the last membrane in a full-scale RO membrane bank. This RO membrane performed well with no signs of extreme fouling. The membrane produced a good quality permeate – for the last membrane in a membrane bank – reducing the TDS of the RO feed from 33 493 mg/litre to 969 mg/litre. These results compared well with simulated values by Reverse Osmosis System Analysis (ROSA; an RO simulator by DOW), indicating a TDS reduction from 33 271 mg/litre to 1 409 mg/litre at a feed pressure of 56 bar, and overall recovery of 44%. A steady performance of the RO membrane during the pilot study indicated that it is possible to desalinate abalone effluent water without notable permanent membrane fouling. A stable normalised flux rate of 8 LMH was achieved and RO membrane integrity remained intact with a salt rejection that ranged from 98.0 to 98.5%. No sudden reduction in permeate flux was observed as a result of fouling by unknown constituents present in the UF permeate. DBNPA (a non-oxidising disinfectant) was dosed once per week at a concentration of 10 – 30 mg/litre for 30 minutes. Scaling was controlled effectively by means of an antiscalant dosed at a concentration of 11 – 12 mg/litre in the feed stream. The CIP frequency was not optimised but a CIP frequency of once every 6 – 8 weeks appeared to be more than adequate to prevent permanent membrane fouling Advantages of integrating an SWRO desalination plant with a South African abalone farm include: - no lengthy and costly environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required to build a new intake system - shared capital and operational cost of intake system - dual incentive to keep constant good quality water flowing through the farm - early warnings regarding occurrences such as algal bloom and red bait - shared operational and management cost to keep pipelines clean - electricity saved (pumps for intake system) Disadvantages of integrating an SWRO desalination plant with a South African abalone farm include: - will require diverting of the abalone tank wash water from regular effluent - possible water ‘down-times’ due to maintenance operations on abalone farm Based on information from the literature the fixed capital cost depreciation rate (FCCDR) typically contributes approximately 40% and the operation and maintenance (O&M) cost typically contributes 60% to the unit production cost (UPC) of desalinated water. Furthermore, a SWRO desalination plant’s intake system can contribute between 5% and 33% to the FCCDR, depending on the nature and design of the plant. Consequently, the intake system can contribute between 2% and 13% of the UPC of desalinated sea water. This implies possible cost savings of between R0.15/m3 and R2.37/m3 for the production of fresh water (depending on site-specific design factors) when desalinating sea water effluent from on-shore abalone tanks. Integration of an SWRO desalination plant with a South African abalone farm is feasible and viable, provided that the necessary steps and precautions are taken to ensure a smooth and stable operation of the SWRO desalination plant. Cost savings on the part of all the stakeholders are possible if the correct contract can be negotiated.
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    Investigation of potential bio-active properties and effects on production performance of aquafeed ingredients derived from fish processing waste by way of enzymatic autolysis
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12) Goosen, Neill Jurgens; Gorgens, Johann F.; De Wet, Lourens; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Department of Process Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is part of the continuing global research effort dedicated to finding alternative aquafeed ingredients, which not only replace fish meal and fish oil as sources of essential nutrients in aquafeeds, but also provide specialist functional properties when included in feeds. Due to constraints in supply of fish meal and fish oil originating from wild capture fisheries, the continually growing aquafeed industry requires new sources of raw materials for the production of high quality feeds. The aim of the study was to investigate the specialist functional properties of feed ingredients (with emphasis on immune-stimulation potential) derived from fish processing waste after enzymatic hydrolysis by endogenous proteolytic enzymes (autolysis). Further aims were to (i) quantify effects of these feed ingredients on production performance of two species relevant to the South African aquaculture industry, namely Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus and South African abalone Haliotis midae, (ii) compare performance to commercially available enzymatically produced feed ingredients, and (iii) separate the functional effects of these fish processing waste derived feed ingredients from the acid used to preserve them against bacterial spoilage during the autolysis process. Oil recovered after autolysis of rainbow trout viscera proved to be an attractive feed ingredient due to favourable effects on the non-specific cellular immune function of both Mozambique tilapia and South African abalone. However, in South African abalone, increased immune function due to inclusion of fish oil was accompanied by a significant decrease in production performance. The inclusion of hydrolysed proteins, obtained by autolysis of fish waste, in aquaculture feeds also improved non-specific immunity and survival of Mozambique tilapia significantly – independently of the preserving acid – although the same was not observed for South African abalone. Production performance was dependent on dietary hydrolysed protein inclusion levels in both species; excessive inclusion resulted in decreased production performance. The performance of dietary hydrolysed protein from autolysis and those from commercial production processes were significantly different, possibly as a result of different raw material origins and production processes. It is further shown that formic acid can contribute to improved water stability in abalone feeds, a novel mode of action not previously described. The study concludes that the simple autolysis process for processing of fish waste can provide aquafeed ingredients with immune stimulatory potential, which can contribute to improved production performance in the Mozambique tilapia and the South African abalone. The result can contribute to improved sustainability of the aquafeed industry, through substitution of fish meal and fish oil derived from capture fisheries with processed fish waste components.