Abstract:In engineering design, knowing the relationship between the means (technique) and the end (desired function or outcome) is essential. The means in Aquaculture are technical solutions like airlifts that are used to achive desired functionality (an end) like controlling dissolved gasses. In previous work, the authors identified possible functions by viewing aquaculture production systems as transformation processes in which inputs are transformed by treatment techniques (means) and produce outputs (ends). The current work creates an overview of technical solutions of treatment functions for both design and research purposes. A comprehensive literature review of all areas of technical solutions is identified and categorized into a visual taxonomy of the treatment functions for controlling solids, controlling dissolved gasses and controlling pH alkalinity and hardness. This article is the second in a sequence of four and partly presents the treatments functions in the taxonomy. The other articles in this series present complementary aspects of this research: Part 1, A transformational view on aquaculture and functions divided into input, treatment and output functions; Part 2, The current taxonomy paper; Part 3, The second part of the taxonomy; and Part 4, Mapping of the means (techniques) for multiple treatment functions.

This is the third part of the taxonomy of technical solutions and treatment functions in aquaculture. This article builds on the premiss that the aquaculture production system can be viewed as a transformation process with three sets of functions, input, treatment and output. This work creates an overview of all of the technical solutions of treatment functions for the purpose of both design and further research. This is done with a comprehensive literature review where all technical solutions are identified and then categorized into a taxonomy. The result is a visual taxonomy of the treatment functions controlling N compounds, organic matter, P compounds, metals, temperature and preventing disease. A total taxonomy is finally presented where the results from Part 2 and Part 3 (this part) have been combined.

Designing aquaculture production units will require decisions on which treatment to include, e.g., the intensification of the system, and then a decision on a technical solution for each treatment function selected to implement. To complicate matters, each technical solution is not unique to each treatment function, but has a multiple effect on the system. This interaction of a technical solution to multiple treatment functions will play a part in the decision making process. Previous work by the authors has made a taxonomy of all technical solutions for the treatment function, and in this article, how technical solutions affect treatment functions is mapped. The article views the aquaculture production system as a transformation process with three sets of functions, input, treatment and output. Based on a comprehensive literature review where all technical solutions were found and categorized into a taxonomy, their effect on treatment function was mapped using a quality function deployment (QFD). The result is a matrix that gives an evaluation on the interaction. This work is a step towards an aquaculture engineering design methodology.