Biological treatment processes for fish processing wastewater – A review

Water consumption in a fish-processing industry and high-strength wastewater from such an industry are of great concern world-wide. Liquid effluent regulations are becoming more stringent day by day. Biological treatment is the best option for such a wastewater. Anaerobic processes such as upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, anaerobic filter (AF) and anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor can achieve high (80–90%) organics removal and produce biogas. Aerobic processes such as activated sludge, rotating biological contactor, trickling filter and lagoons are also suitable for organics removal. Anaerobic digestion followed by an aerobic process is an optimal process option for fish processing wastewater treatment.