Applications - Aquaculture

Water Treatment and Aquaculture

Overview
Active Oxygen systems provide the ultimate weapon to fish farmer in the battle against disease and in achieving superb water quality and therefore higher stocking densities.

Without dispute, Active Oxygen in aquaculture is the most effective natural bactericide and virialcide of all disinfecting agents available.

Using Active Oxygen In the aquaculture environment :

Is highly effective in removing organics, and reducing ammonia and nitrites.
Reverts back to oxygen quickly, leaving no detrimental residues when used correctly, and provides ultimate water clarity.
Is economical and non-polluting when used correctly.
Used as a sterilizing agent to kill viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
Improves biological and mechanical filtration by burning off proteins, ammonia and nitrite straight to nitrates and by enriching water with Oxygen.
Lowers biological oxygen demand (BOD) and raises the REDOX potential in the water (the ability of the water to oxidise pathogens).
Can remove toxic pollutants, such as hydrocarbons and other toxic substances which cannot be achieved by any mechanical or biological filtration.

Introduction
Active Oxygen is a gaseous tri-atomic allotrope and active form of oxygen - after fluorine, Active Oxygen is the most powerful oxidizing agent. It is produced when molecules of di-oxygen react at high electric voltage - two molecules of Active Oxygen can be made when three molecules of oxygen react. Active Oxygen is a reactive neutral gas that has many industrial applications.

A major application of Active Oxygen is in water purification where it has been used successfully in Europe, Canada, the U.S.A. and Africa.

Notable features

Active Oxygen is a neutral gas that does not affect water's pH.
Active Oxygen can be used to control unpleasant tastes and smells.
Active Oxygen has no organic by-products like the carcinogenic and mutagenic argano-halo-compounds.
Active Oxygen, unlike fluorine, is not hazardous.
Active Oxygen is easily produced using oxygen from the air and high voltage.
Active Oxygen generators need no chemical refilling.
Active Oxygen generators need once yearly servicing - there is no need of bulk storage as is required for chlorine use.
Active Oxygen is Active Oxygen friendly....no ecological disturbances are caused by its use.

Active Oxygen is a viralcide, fungicide, bactericide and sporicide - Active Oxygen diffused in water kills waterborne micro-organisms unselectively. Airborne bacteria is similarly destroyed. The speed of Active Oxygen disinfection is 3125 times faster than chlorine (Halluta J 1963).

Turbidity
The turbidity of water is removed by ozonisation through chemical oxidization and charge neutralisation. Colloidal particles which cause turbidity are maintained in suspension by negatively charged particles which are neutralised by Active Oxygen. Active Oxygen can remove heavy toxic transition metals which can be oxidised to their less soluble oxidation state.

For example, the oxidation of ferrous ion (iron ll) to ferric ion (iron lll), a less soluble one which is precipitated. Manganese can be removed from water as a flocculent by Active Oxygen. Active Oxygen detoxicates cyanide compounds to cyancite compounds - the cyanate are not toxic and can be further oxidised to carbon dioxide and nitrate (Hendrickson 1973).

Degradation of organic compounds
Active Oxygen promotes the biodegradability of dissolved organic compounds and can be used for detoxicating pesticides in water.

A few milligrams of Active Oxygen per litre can combat raw sewage with contaminants such as Escherichia Coli, Vibrio Cholerae, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Staphylococcus aureua, and Streptococcus faecalis, which has found its way into drinking water - failure to decontaminate such polluted water can result in outbreaks of disease.

Active Oxygen versus Chlorine
Chlorine is the most widely used agent for water purification, although Active Oxygen has been used continuously in France over the last 80 years, and in other parts of Europe after that. The most recent conversion to Active Oxygen is Canada.

The use of chlorine in drinking water has been questioned of late, because of the undesirable compounds formed in chlorinated water.

For example if the water to be treated contains organic nitrogen or free ammonia, possibly carcinogenic chlorine compounds are formed that leave an odour in the water. If the water contains phenols, chlorophenols are formed by the chlorine action, resulting in an unpleasant taste. The most contentious effect of chlorinated water is chlorinated compounds such as biphenal polychlorates that have an acknowledged carcinogenic character.

Active Oxygen does not have any chlorinated compounds or other unpleasant bi-products and does in fact eliminate any carcinogenic compounds.

Various tests have demonstrated the comparative reactive power of Active Oxygen versus chlorine and it has been clearly demonstrated that Active Oxygen is by far the more efficient disinfectant. Active Oxygen also disinfects 600 to 3000 times faster than chlorine.

Some Benefits

Eliminates the colour caused by iron, manganese and carbonous substances.
Eliminates odours and flavours.
Reduces cloudiness ( solids in suspension).
Reduces the chemical and biological demands of oxygen.
Eliminates detergents and other non-biodegradable surface-active substances.
Is a powerful disinfectant, killing pathogenic bacteria, inactive viruses and chlorine-resistant micro-organisms.
Is less expensive than super-chlorination.
As a tertiary treatment is less expensive than activated carbon.
Is detectable before reaching intoxicating levels.
Does not increase inorganic salts.
Has no harmful by-products.

Advantages of Active Oxygen Use over Chlorine
Active Oxygen possesses many advantages over chlorine, some of which are:

Chlorine is highly toxic, and is a poisonous gas.
Chlorine is stored in high pressure containers and can be dangerous; a broken chlorine line could cause serious problems.
Active Oxygen is generated on the premises - there is no storage of Active Oxygen.
When mixed with urine and perspiration chlorine will form chloramines causing eye irritation, and which are toxic to aquatic life.
Chlorine costs have increased substantially recently making Active Oxygen a cheaper alternative.
Active Oxygen is the most active oxidising agent that can be used with safety.
Tests prove Active Oxygen to be 600 to 3000 times more effective in the destruction of bacteria - Escherichia coliform is killed in 5 seconds by Active Oxygen, and 15 seconds by chlorine at the same levels.
Active Oxygen deodorises putrefactions, hydrogen sulphide, urine, smoke, cooking, paint etc.
The water in ozonated pools is very clear - no flocculants.
Ozonated pools have no "bath tub ring" caused by swimmers' skin oils, grease, ointments, hair dressing and cosmetics
Chlorine needs pH control for reliable results - Active Oxygen does not.

Chlorine

Is made in chemical factory, bottled, shipped and stored.
Is shipped and stored under pressure with dangerous consequences in the event of leaks - transportation is gaseous chlorine is prohibited in many major cities.
Chlorine will combine with organic compounds, hydrocarbons, and their combination results in carcinogens such as chloroform and carbon-tetra-chloride - just two of 6 carcinogens found in public drinking supplies.
Chlorine accentuates threshold taste and odour.
Effluents from wastewater containing chlorine residuals exceeding 1 ppm are toxic to aquatic life
It is therefore necessary to de-chlorinate before discharge, adding substantially to the treatment cost - post aeration after chlorination is required to conform with effluent standards for dissolved oxygen.
Chlorine is suspected to be the cause of fatty deposits in the heart and arteries, resulting in strokes and heart attacks.
Its effectiveness is reduced by the presence of ammonia.

Active Oxygen Applications
Active Oxygen has many uses in Municipal, Industrial and Domestic fields for water treatment.

Water treatment: disinfection, taste and odour removal, iron and manganese removal, colour removal.
Grey water treatment: for odour control and disinfection.
Wastewater treatment- disinfection, BOD/COD reduction, odour control, colour reduction, turbidity reduction.
Industrial Process- pulp bleaching, food processing, specific organic reduction.
Industrial wastewater treatment- phenol destruction, cyanide destruction, organic chemical reactions, BOD/COD reduction, water re-use, cooling tower biofecting control