Segregation of solid waste from a fish-processing industry: a sustainable action

Abstract Segregation techniques represent a sustainable alternative to minimize wastes of raw material in processing industries. This study considered the premise; its purpose was to use segregation techniques to determine the theoretical removal rate of solid compounds present in processing effluents, in order to support the sustainable development of the fish industry. The removal rates obtained for different treatments were evaluated for the parameters: total solids, organic matter and oils and greases, and the efficiency of the segregation of the effluent streams in the different stages of fish processing was evaluated through descriptive statistical analysis. The segregation recovered from 31% to 70% of total solids; from 15% to 97.50% of organic matter, and from 10% to 63% of oils and greases. These results indicates that the raw material can be used in new products, leading to reduced final-effluent concentration.