Scanning Electron Microscopy and Multivariate Analysis Between Dripper Performance and Quality Attributes of Aquaculture Effluent Diluted in Well Water

Aquaculture is a prominent economic activity on the national scenario. However, it also has several environmental impacts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of non-self-compensating drippers operating with dilutions of aquaculture wastewater (AW) in well water (WA). For this, five dilutions were tested (D1: 100% AW; D2: 75% AW + 25% WA; D3: 50% AW + 50% WA; D4: 25% AW + 75% WA; and D5: 100% of WA), in three types of non-self-compensating emitters: TS (1.6 L h −1 ), SL (1.6 L h −1 ), and NJ (1.7 L h −1 ) after 160 h of operation. Every 80 h, the hydraulic performance of the three drippers was determined using the relative flow (QR) and distribution uniformity coefficient (DUC). The pH, EC, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , CO 3 2− , HCO 3− , TC, TTC, TSS, TDS, Mn + , Fe + , S + , Na 2+ , LSI, tur, and temperature were also quantified. The statistical analyses performed were Pearson's correlation matrix, principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and factor analysis (FA). After 160 h of operation, the drippers that were totally or partially clogged at the end of the lateral lines were removed to analyze biofilm formation using SEM. FA with the help of PCA explained 83.38% of data variance, and CA highlighted three similar groups between the dilutions of AW in WA. The images processed by SEM showed the extent of the occurrence of obstruction, especially in the regions close to the wall of the emitter labyrinth.