The presentation describes a case study of pilot testing conducted at a leading polish Aqua culture industry to compare the efficacy of Levapor Carriers in Aqua culture Recycle Systems

1. Selection and performance
of biocarriers for aquacultures
with water reuse
Christoph Grecki
WR IKRA DABIE
Poland

2. The fish hatchery and farm WR Dabie, Poland

3. Targets of the investigations
to improve the efficiency of the water recycle
plant via increased nutrient removal, meaning
• to find a more efficient biocarrier for the removal of
fish toxic compounds,than existing plastic carriers
• to define the biokinetic parameter of the N-removal
• to develop an optimized technology for the N-removal.

4. NH3/NH4 NO2 NO3Nitrosomonas Nitrobacter
fish toxic at
>1,0 mg/L
tish toxic at
> 0,5 mg/L
non toxic
at 50 mg/L
Pathways and fish toxicities of inorganic nitrogen
compounds
N2
denitrification

5. Test plant and mode of operation
Test plant : Biofilter with V = L volume, each filled with
biocarrier
Biocarrier : PE carrier 780 m²/m³ , LEVAPOR >20.000 m²/m³
PU foam 1500 m²/m³ , Keramzit 400 m²/m³
Mode of operation : a filtered and aerated streams of the recycle
water were forwarded through the non colonized
carrier layers at xy sec retention time.
Sampling and analyses : grab samples were analysed twice in a
week, NH4, NO2 and NO3 were determined.

6. The biofilter pilot plants

7. PE-carrier LEVAPOR PU foam Ceramics
780 m²/m³ > 20.000 m²/m³ 1.500 m²/m³ 400 m²/m³

8. inlet
Removal of ammoniacal nitrogen by PE vs. LEVAPOR carrier over a week

14. CONCLUSIONS
• In all tests LEVAPOR carrier have achieved highest degree
of removal both for ammoniacal as well as for nitrite nitrogen
• The LEVAPOR supported nitrification achieved a ca. 100 %
higher efficiency than the PE carrier supported biofilter
• Due to high porosity and carrier surface, the LEVAPOR
supported reactor has achieved a remarkable NO2-removal
• The LEVAPOR supported biofilter removed 300% more
(NH4+NO2)N than the PE carrier supported filter
• On basis of the achieved results the company has decided to
apply LEVAPOR biocarrier in the new biofilters.

15. LEVAPOR biocarrier have been designed in labs.
Dimensions: 20x20x7 mm – Surface : 1,34 mio. m²/m³
Bulk weight: 30 kg/m³ - Water binding capacity ~100 kg/m³
Wetting: within few hours – Biofilm generation: 120 min.

16. Specialty: high content of powdered activated
carbon
enables unique effects, not only simple cell adhesion
.

17. Scheme of a biofilter using biocarriers

18. The new biofilter to be filled with LEVAPOR