ClearBlu specializes in Microbubble and Nanobubble aeration. What difference does this make? Complete aerobic digestion without “wasting”, sludge hauling or separation. The end of pond dredging.
Read our blog on the full differences, benefits, and more.
Conventional Aeration
Many aeration systems in use today utilize compressed air systems. They introduce bubbles of air into the water by forcing the compressed air through a fine pore diffuser. Experimental results with these systems have shown that the minimum bubble sizes generated are greater than 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter. Bubbles of this size quickly rise to the surface and are lost. They do not remain in the water long enough to transfer an appreciable amount of oxygen.
Micro and Nano Bubble Aeration, the aerobic breakthrough
Microbubbles are .02 mm in size, while Nanobubbles are even smaller. These bubbles are not buoyant in water but will stay resident for hours. They can be pushed through the aerator mixing action to the bottom of 20′ ponds. They can follow the treatment path in aerobic digesters. They provide an order of magnitude larger surface area per cubic foot than larger bubbles and allow for a completely aerobic environment as well as complete digestion.
The Effect of Bubble Size in Aerobic Aeration
As the total surface area of a population of bubbles increases, oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) increases. For the same volume of air, many small bubbles have a greater surface area than fewer large bubbles.
Typically compressed air diffusers, which are found in many municipal and industrial waste treatment processes, frequently produce bubbles 3 mm or greater in diameter. These bubbles have a small combined surface area for a given volume pumped, and they also rise to the surface immediately. Advances in fine-pore diffusers have led to the development of aeration systems producing bubbles averaging 3 to 4 mm in diameter. This represents the state of the art in compressed air systems.
Aerobic Efficiency
By supplying enough oxygen, an aerobic condition is developed. Bacteria that obtain their energy aerobically are much more efficient. The same organic waste food supply supports a much larger bacterial flora by aerobiosis than anaerobiosis, and therefore, aerobic decomposition of organic matter is much more rapid. Aerobiosis in activated sludge is substantially complete in six to eight hours, whereas conventional septic digestion of sewage sludge requires about 60 days.
Nitrification
The usual end products from anaerobic decomposition are carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. The end products of aerobic bacteria are carbon dioxide, ammonia, water, and sulfates. The ammonia is not given off as a gas and is nitrified by the aerobs Nitrosomonas – oxidizing the ammonia into nitrite, and Nitrobacter – oxidizing the nitrite into non-toxic nitrate. Nitrates are directly plant usable and will not harm fish. The only gas given off by aerobic bacteria is odorless carbon dioxide, thereby eliminating any offensive odor.
