Effectiveness of Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Based on Physical and Chemical Parameters for Shrimp Pond Wastewater Management in Tasikmalaya

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in managing shrimp pond wastewater in Tasikmalaya based on physical and chemical parameters. Study Design: A non-experimental design using a survey approach was applied through in situ field measurements and ex situ laboratory analysis. Water samples were collected in triplicate from four sampling stations. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at an intensive shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture facility in Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Sampling was performed at four stations (inlet, pond, WWTP, and outlet) during three cultivation phases between November 2024 and March 2025. Methodology: Samples were collected during three different shrimp cultivation phases and analyzed for temperature, brightness, total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, ammonia, and phosphate. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA (α=0.05) was performed to evaluate differences between stations. Results: The WWTP showed high efficiency in reducing ammonia (92%) and moderate efficiency for TSS (41%), while reductions in BOD (17%), phosphate (13%), and pH (5%) were relatively low. The increase in DO was only 12%, and temperature and brightness at the outlet did not meet the seawater quality standards. Conclusion: The probiotic-enhanced WWTP effectively reduces nitrogenous pollution, particularly ammonia, through biological nitrification by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter species. However, the system requires optimization including: (1) enhanced aeration capacity to increase DO levels for improved BOD degradation, (2) implementation of anaerobic-aerobic zones for biological phosphate removal, (3) extended hydraulic retention time, and (4) addition of chemical precipitation for phosphate control before discharge into natural waters.