Experimental operation and performance evaluation of waste remover in aquaculture ponds

Abstract

The development of new technologies in automation to increase labor productivity has been increasingly enhanced in recent decades. The problem of cleaning water in shrimp ponds greatly affects the quality as well as shrimp production. Environmental pollution of shrimp farming is a matter of concern because the current waste treatment solutions are not yet thorough. A waste remover of shrimp waste combined with the pond bottom siphon method has been researched and developed to increase the ability to thoroughly handle waste generated in the culture environment. This device helps to automate the manual cleaning of the pond bottom by farmers. The device performs operations to clean waste, suck, filter, and remove waste from the culture environment. This device is self-propelled or manually controlled and operates in all weather conditions. This article introduces the process of testing and evaluating the efficiency of waste extraction equipment in shrimp ponds. The device was tested at a super-intensive shrimp farm and evaluated for operational efficiency. The experimental model consists of a shrimp pond operating a waste suction device, a control pond, an automatic monitoring system of water quality parameters (DO, H₂S, NH₃, pH, and temperature). Experimental ponds operating waste disposal equipment, control ponds are manually cleaned, other farming conditions of the two ponds are similar. The impacts of waste on the shrimp culture environment are determined through analyzing the results of measuring water quality criteria in the pond, thereby assessing the efficiency of waste removal of the equipment. The measurement results show that water quality parameters reach a value within the threshold if operating a waste suction device once per day. The benefits of waste remover operate to help save the cost of labor to clean the pond bottom, protect workers' health.