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Aquaria
Phosphate and colloidal solids control |
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NoPhos home |
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Benefits |
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NoPhos has a positive charge
and acts both as a Flocculent and as a phosphate precipitating agent.
NoPhos is based on a rare earth element Lanthanum which has a 3+ charge, it
is a very effective flocculent and as such it will bring micron and
sub-micron particles in suspension together to make them much larger,
thereby allowing the filters to remove very fine solids. AFM filter media
works synergistically with NoPhos because it has a high surface -ve Zeta
potential. In effect the NoPhos places a positive charge on the
particles and AFM removes the small particles by electrical attraction.
In addition, if too much NoPhos is used, the AFM will adsorb the
NoPhos and allow it to react and help to remove solids while attached to the
AFM.
NoPhos also reacts with soluble reactive phosphate to form and insoluble
precipitate, the reaction is stoichiometric ( see equation below) By
carefully controlling the phosphate level you can control the growth of
plants and algae. If an aquarium has a high turbidity caused by algae,
then NoPhos can be used to reduce the phosphate food source and gradually
over a period of a few weeks reduce the algae levels. Phosphate is also
required by bacteria, so if a large dose of NoPhos is used then bacteria
will also be prevented it from growing. In an aquarium system this is
not desired because the biological filter would fail and the corals would
suffer. However in Aquatic Parks where there are no fish or aquatic
life, by over dosing with NoPhos you can virtually eliminate bacterial
growth. The net result is very clean clear water, with a very low
oxidation or chlorine demand, indeed on some system we no longer need to use
chlorine. |
| AFM and NoPhos combined reactions, re phosphate removal |
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| For best results NoPhos should always be used in combination
with AFM pressure filters. AFM (Active Filter Media) carries a surface negative charge, when
NoPhos is used in combination with AFM filter media a high
percentage of the catalyst not reacted with the phosphate will combine with the AFM enhancing the surface active properties of AFM. The
NoPhos
is then free to react with phosphate to form insoluble phosphate in the filter bed which is then removed on the next back-flush. |
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NoPhos + PO4-3 =
NoPhos PO4 (s)
1kg of NoPhos will remove approximately 100g of Phosphate as PO4 - P
( of 300g as PO4)
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NoPhos as a coagulant & Flocculent |
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NoPhos is an excellent coagulant and
flocculent, in effect it will make micron and sub micron particles and
even organic molecules large enough to be removed by an AFM filter and even sand
filters. However in order to achieve this performance, the media bed
filters should be operated at a water flowrate below 20 cubm/sqm/hr |
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AFM and NoPhos catalytic oxidation reactions |
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Any NoPhos on the surface of AFM filtration media will be available for the catalytic oxidation of organics in the
presence of oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ozone or chlorine. This technique can be used for the cracking
organics and will mimic an ozonation system.. The combination of AFM and
NoPhos will remove colloidal solids,
phosphates and decolourise the water. The systems will reduce the need or may eliminate the requirement to use ozone, UV or advanced oxidation systems. |
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How to use NoPhos |
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Example.
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NoPhos must always be dosed into the water at a slow rate using
dosing pumps, and injected into the circuit before AFM or sand filters.
AFM adsorbs NoPhos, and works synergistically with the product, so best results
are achieved using the NoPhos AFM combination.
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Example, an Aquarium with a water volume of
2000 cubic metres of water
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Phosphate as PO4 - P is 0.5 mg/l
target level is 0.1mg/l phosphate removal required = 0.4mg/l,
you should never completely eliminate phosphate, always leave at least 0.1mg/l.
Phosphate is required by bacteria and if it is eliminated the biofilters may
start to fail.
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Total weight of Phosphate = 0.4 * 1000 *
2000 = 800,000 mg = 800g
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Total weight of NoPhos required = 800 x 10 =
8000g = 8Kg
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8 Kg of NoPhos is dissolved into water and
dosed using a dosing pump at a constant rate into the system before media bed
filters such as sand or AFM units. It is important that the filters do not
have channelling through the beds, so inspect the filters beds before
proceeding. If the filters have channelling do not use NoPhos as the
precipitate will pass straight into the aquarium and reduce visibility. To
check the filter beds, take a handful of the filter bed media, if the media flows through
your fingers it is okay to continue. However if the media sits as a gelatinous
lump, the media should be cleaned ( chemically purged) or replaced prior to
using NoPhos. Do not add the NoPhos as a single dose, it is very important
to use a slow dosing pump and take at least 2 months or longer to slowly bring
the phosphate levels down.
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NoPhos reacts synergistically with AFM, so
the combination is always better than NoPhos and sand.
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Stop dosing with NoPhos when the phosphate
as P is reduce to 0.1mg/l, resume dosing when level increase to 0.2 mg/l, and in
this example, the maintenance dose is 200 g of NoPhos over a period of 1
to 4 weeks and then check the phosphate levels. If the phosphate levels
have been reduced back down to 0.1mg/l stop the dosing and only start
again when the levels are above 0.2mg/l
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Notes |
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NoPhos is a rare earth based flocculent
that has a very low toxicity, the oral toxicity is lower than common salt
(Sodium Chloride) however like any chemical read the
MSDS data sheet.
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The contents of this page & process described are covered by IPR (patent)
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