Biological Degradation of Tuna Waste
BILLY F. PEARSON, Staff Engineer
U. S. Public Health Service
Honolulu, Hawaii
MICHAEL J. CHUN, Research Fellow
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
REGINALD H. F. YOUNG, Associate Professor
NATHAN C. BURBANK, JR., Professor
Environmental Health and Sanitary Engineering
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTES FROM A TUNA PACKING PLANT
The recent characterization of tuna waste by Chun (1) in 1967 in Hawaii
represented one of only two such studies of tuna waste found in the literature.
This report revealed that the tuna waste had suitable pH and dissolved oxygen
content for biological treatment, as well as excess nitrogen and phosphate nutrients.
However, a low BOD:COD ratio of 0.4 indicated that the success of biological
treatment would be limited. Treatability studies with the Warburg respirometer substantiated this observation. When diluted with four parts domestic sewage to one part
tuna waste, the mixture could be treated by aeration for 11 hr to reduce the BOD5
by 61 per cent. The data singled out high chloride content or excess nutrients as the
possible cause of the poor biodegradability. The report emphasized the value of
recovery operations in a reduction plant to eliminate strong pollutional materials
from the wastewater.
Kennedy's (2) 1964 report on the two canneries in American Samoa contained
limited data on pH, suspended solids, volatile solids, grease, and five day BOD and
indicated a higher value of pollution potential at the Samoan canneries.
Stansby, et al (3) presented a thorough review of the composition of fish
including tuna. Tuna are representative of a low oil, very high protein fish. In most
cases, the oil content is less than five per cent and the protein content is approximately 20 per cent. Tuna and halibut are the only important species of fish in this
particular category.
Water is the principal component offish, usually comprising as much as 80 per
cent of the edible fish. Stansby give a complete breakdown of the type and quantity
of proteins, liquids, inorganic compounds, vitamins, and other miscellaneous components of fish (3). Of particular significance to this study is the fact that fish
contain practically all the inorganic components found in sea water, including some
of the elements required as nutrients in biological waste treatment.
The characterization work and preliminary treatability studies by Chun (1)
indicated that a further examination of the factors affecting biological treatment of
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