Application of peracetic acid in sustainable aquaculture
In the aquaculture industry, peracetic acid is becoming an important environmentally friendly disinfectant that is critical to maintaining water quality and preventing and controlling disease. The application of peracetic acid not only helps improve breeding efficiency, but also reduces the burden on the environment.
In aquaculture, peracetic acid can be used for water quality control of fish, seafood and shrimp, as well as for disinfection of processing equipment in aquaculture and fish farming. This solution has huge potential to meet the food and feed needs of a growing world population.
Aquaculture farmers can now use peracetic acid to sterilize fish pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) without moving fish. The peracetic acid solution that has been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is suitable for circulating aquaculture systems and has achieved remarkable results.
As an environmentally friendly disinfectant, peracetic acid has the characteristics of high efficiency and rapid decomposition, and will not leave any by-products or degradation products in the aquaculture system after use. This saves farmers a lot of time and money, while also reducing the risks associated with moving fish.
In aquaculture, the use of peracetic acid also has energy-saving advantages. Compared with traditional ozone disinfection, peracetic acid is more energy-saving and helps reduce breeding costs. In addition, peracetic acid is easy to add, suitable for freshwater and seawater environments, and does not conflict with other disinfection steps used by farmers, such as ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. Peracetic acid does not have a negative impact on UV systems and can therefore be used simultaneously without additional maintenance.
Measuring peracetic acid levels in water is also simple for aquaculture farmers. There are two main ways to monitor peracetic acid levels. The first is to use a handheld device to collect water samples and analyze them. The whole process takes about five minutes and is very simple. The second method is to use probes that measure acidity, these probes are very accurate but require considerable maintenance.
The application of peracetic acid in aquaculture has been successful in many cases. For example, in a large-scale recirculating aquaculture system, the use of peracetic acid for disinfection significantly reduced the number of pathogens and improved breeding efficiency without causing any negative impact on the environment.
In terms of relevant regulations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved peracetic acid for use in aquaculture and registered its use. This provides aquaculture farmers with a legal basis so that they can safely use peracetic acid to disinfect and manage aquaculture water quality.
In short, peracetic acid, as an environmentally friendly and efficient disinfectant, has broad application prospects in the aquaculture industry. With the advancement of science and technology and people’s increasing awareness of environmental protection, the application of peracetic acid in the field of aquaculture will become more widespread.