Innovation: Space separation filtering system in mollusc purification plants
Shellfish purification
The biological filter is a fundamental component of a mollusc purification system. The filter present in the mollusc purification plant allows you to eliminate organic substances, inorganic and harmful particle transforming them into more or less harmless products for plants and animals. The more extensive the filter is, the greater the filtering capacity.
The classic filter is normally made in a bins filled with sand and various types of wool, and performs simultaneously and in the same compartment 2 types of filtering: mechanics and biological.
By mechanical filter we mean that system that serves to physically remove impurities from the water, so as to make it “clear” and remove, so, possible turbidity given by particles in suspension of medium/large size.
By biological filter is meant, Instead, A system aimed at purifying water from the toxic substances for the animals hosted, Using technologies based mainly on the biological activity of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, In particular Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter.
Thanks to these microscopic organisms, The water circulating in our system is quickly purified by some very dangerous substances, produced by the animals themselves (Mainly ammonia NH3 and nitrite no2) that otherwise could reach lethal levels for the products in the system.
The ammonia in fact, It is a particularly toxic molecule if present in its indissociated NH3 form, while it is less if it is present in its dissociated NH4 form+ (ammonium ion). To allow an effective demolition of ammonia, The water must flow in the filter compartment where after a mechanical filtration (Usually obtained by wool or synthetic sponges); will meet the colony of nitrifying bacteria, The latter must be of an adequate biomass to be able to consume all the ammonia and all the nitrites it receives from the tub in a single passage.
Recent studies have shown that the percentage of nitrification decreases to the increase in the concentration of organic material in the biofiltro. Indeed, This condition promotes the growth of heterotrophic bacteria who compete with nitrifying for space, For nutrients and oxygen; Heterotrophic bacteria are also much more adaptable than nitrifying and multiply at a dizzying rhythm; This involves a problem often underestimated over time: The material that composes the filter could be totally colonized by heterotrophic bacteria by reducing, over time, The purifying capacity of the biological filter.
Shellfish purification
On the basis of these premises Aquaquality has introduced a new filtering system in its plants to face the 3 Main problems encountered in the many years of work on CSM/CDM systems, or:
– amount of ammonia (NH3), Above the acceptable thresholds for the life of animals, which did not have a decrease over time;
– sudden events of innovation, Flocculation and anomalous colors of the water of the plants with consequent increase in animal mortality;
– Difficulty in cleaning filters (given the huge amount of sand) e,Consequently, high management costs.
To remedy all this Aquaquality, After various analytical studies and field tests, has adopted the concept of Space separation of mechanical and biological filters: Inside Bel filtering bins are placed a few centimeters of sand and a layer of wool, which go to act only as a mechanical filter; while the biological filter is positioned in filters outside the tubs connected to the hydraulic system of the same.
The addition of these filters outside the Mollusc purification plants bears two great advantages: The first derives from the use of high surface semiflorating material that allows you to host an infinitely greater quantity of bacteria while reducing the space in which they find themselves (The surface/volume ratio is increased by many times), so that we can eliminate the totality of the harmful molecules from the water that runs through the filter; while the second derives from the different environmental conditions in which the bacteria are inside the filter: not being able to enter the latter, all those organisms that light serves to grow and proliferate will not be able to develop within the filter e, Furthermore, Heterotrophic bacteria will also find themselves disadvantaged compared to nitrogen.
Shellfish purification
This will ensure that most of the bacteria that we will find in the filter will contribute to the reduction of ammonia and the reduction of innovation events, Flocculation and anomalous water colors, therefore meeting the needs of the customer, of the product and the market to which it is referred to.
In addition, the spatial separation of the filters introduced by Aquaquality in its mollusc purification plants allows you to have reduced management costs and a simplification with regard to maintenance, as:
– The amount of sand in the bins dedicated to filtration is 70% lower than the type of classic filtration, and therefore the cleaning of the same is simplified and faster
– The external filters, where the high -efficiency floating filter filtering material is contained, They have a cleaning system against washing that almost completely eliminates the workforce and complexity of the maintenance of standard filtering systems.