Abstract

Fishmeal industries processes produce effluents with high load organic matter. These effluents, after recycling and physical-chemical pretreatment, have a high organic content (5-6 g COD/I), proteins (3-5 g/l), salinity close to sea water, sodium chloride (30 g/l) and sulphate (1-3.3 g/l). An anaerobic filter was used for the treatment of this wastewater, with marine sediment as anaerobic inoculum. Anaerobic filter removed up to 70% of the influent COD concentrations at organic loading rates (OLR) of 9.5 and 14.3 (g/l·d) and sulphate up to 80% at OLR of 7.1 and 14.3 (g/l·d) whereas the pH ranged between 7.0 and 7.5. These results show that anaerobic filter systems are applicable to recycled wastewaters from fishmeal.