Effective treatment of fishery effluents using locally recovered chitosan: A case study with effluents from El Centenario Beach, Callao

Abstract

Insufficiently treated fish processing effluents contain high concentrations of organic matter and suspended solids, posing a risk to coastal ecosystems. In this study, we extracted chitosan from Litopenaeus vannamei using fertilizer grade phosphoric acid for demineralization to avoid using mineral acids difficult to obtain in Peru. We evaluated the extracted chitosan as a coagulant for the primary treatment of effluents discharged at the Callao Bay. Increasing doses of chitosan were applied to an effluent sample and the water quality variables that must be met to comply with local discharge regulations were evaluated. After this primary treatment, the water met almost all the necessary standards to be discharged, opening the discussion on the potential contribution of chitosan treatment as an agent capable of delivering performance beyond what is expected of primary treatment. The potential role of chitosan for water treatment in Peru and the enabling factors to develop its production are discussed in the context of building circularity in the fishery business.