Oxidation of off flavor compounds in recirculating aquaculture systems using UV-TiO2 photocatalysis

Geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) are secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria that are often present in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and are problematic, even at low (ng L−1) concentrations, due to their taste and odor effects on water and accumulation in the lipid tissue of fish. Removal of these compounds is difficult due to their extremely low concentrations and advanced treatment technologies, such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have to be employed. In this study, a novel AOP consisting of immobilized TiO2 in a UV reactor was tested at bench scale for removal of GSM and MIB in both batch and continuous flow modes. Batch reactor application at a full-scale RAS resulted in average GSM and MIB removal efficiencies of 61% and 72%, respectively, with a 6 h treatment time. No significant removal of GSM and MIB was observed in continuous flow mode, most likely due to both lower residence time and low initial concentrations of both compounds. No negative effects were observed on downstream biological wastewater treatment processes, indicating that the proposed UV-TiO2 process can be safely integrated into RAS.