Trends in the treatment of aquaculture effluents using nanotechnology

Abstract The treatment of aquaculture in recent years with the aid of nanotechnology has been gaining traction due to the benefits of aquaculture to both man and the environment. Related works of literature were obtained and compiled from academic search databases and were carefully analyzed in this study. This paper provides a review on the various aquatic parameters affecting Aquaculture, the use of nanotechnology to treat aquaculture effluents, and the toxicity of these NPs to both fishes and other aquatic organisms which would be useful for further studies. Studies indicate that nanotechnology is highly useful in the remediation of aquaculture effluents as it normalizes its physiochemical indicators, removes heavy metals such as lead and organic compounds such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, pesticides, etc. It is also beneficial in reducing the microbial load of micro-organisms such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter and Vibrio in effluents. Even with these positive impacts, nanoparticles (NPs) used in the treatment of these effluents also have negative effects on aquatic organisms and causes an increase in the salinity of the environment. The usage of plain and fluorescently labelled NPs and the coating of NPs with tyrosine however have the potential to reduce the toxicity.