Optimization of Biofilter Size for Aquaponics Using Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

Unlike a media-filled aquaponic system, the nutrient film technique (NFT) and deep water culture (DWC) require the installation of an external biofilter to provide sufficient area for nitrifying bacteria colonization, which is essential for the conversion of toxic ammonia from fish waste into nitrate that is easily assimilated by plants. Given the importance of biofilters, it is imperative to properly design this tank to effectively support the nitrification process. Several factors need to be considered for the biofilter design. Thus, an optimization algorithm can be used to obtain combinations of the design parameters. The genetic algorithm (GA) is a heuristic solution search or optimization technique based on the Darwinian principle of genetic selection. The main goal of this study was to obtain the optimal biofilter size for a given fishpond volume and the amount of ammonia to be treated. The conversion coefficient in the Michaelis–Menten equation was used as the fitness function in this study. The parameters optimized using GA include the hydraulic loading rate, height of the biofilter, and predicted ammonia concentration. For the given assumption of a 60 kg feed introduced to the system and a 1500 L fishpond, the hydraulic loading rate, biofilter height, and final concentration of ammonia were 0.17437 m, 0.58585 m, and 0.01026 ppm, respectively. Using the values obtained from running the GA, the optimum biofilter volume for the system was 0.4608 m3, whereas the water flow rate was 0.03 L/min. For recommendations, multiple objective GAs can be used to add cost-related variables in the optimization because they have not yet been considered in the computation.