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Whether BDF or SDF in design, AquaMats® provide highly engineered three dimensional surfaces with approximately a 150 fold advantage in effective surface area over flat two dimensional surfaces. For the microbiological community, AquaMats® provide a vast and biologically-friendly area for colonization. What looks to the naked eye like a two meter long by one meter tall AquaMat is actually a football-field size area in which the average pore sizes and distribution as well as the natural surface electrical charge all combine to enhance colonization. Moreover, AquaMats® products are biphasic. This means that one side is engineered to provide a more open weave than the other to support excellent mass transfer characteristics for aerobic microbial activity while the other side provides an anaerobic (oxygen free) environment necessary for essential microbial reactions such as denitrification.
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ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
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As previously mentioned, The surfaces of AquaMats® consist of large pore size areas and small pore size areas. We use different techniques for measuring and precisely controlling the different areas.
For very large pores we use a gas desorption technique with helium at cryogenic temperatures. The technique is referred to as helium pycnometry.
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[above] 400X Photo showing micropore structure of a SINGLE FIBER from an AquaMat. Micropore sizes have been specifically designed to provide a “cave like” environment for bacteria.
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It measures pores in the 5,000 to 5 micron range, which are most critical to larger organisms, such as algae. To measure at pore and surface volume in the 100 angstrom to 20,000-angstrom (20 micron) range, we use a high-pressure mercury porosimeter, capable of going to 50,000 psig. We use the Lowell technique for mercury intrusion volume measurement. This range of surface area is most useful for bacterial growth and very small algae.
A combination of the two techniques allows us to measure all the surface area of importance to biological growth on the surfaces of AquaMats®.
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REAL RESULTS IN A MICROSCOPIC WORLD
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[above] Additional micrograph image showing the interdependency that bacterial communities require. The red is Nitrosomonas, the yellow Nitrobacter and green is Nitrospyra. Notice the DIRECT physical connection required by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. Only a surface, like AquaMats®, can give them the support they require.
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[below] 12 week timelapse of AquaMats® colonization in a typical wastewater application. Whereas other media would be considered fouled, AquaMats® are only beginning to reach peak performance. AquaMats® reliance on its biomass shearing capability as well as the natural biological food chain for grazing ensures greater effectiveness over longer time periods. Although some masking of surface area in normal operations is expected as normal biological cycles proceed, those cycles will also tend to increase the net effective surface area as biological communities multiply, share and utilize the surfaces.
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Weeks 1-3
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Weeks 4-6
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Weeks 7-9
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Weeks 10-12
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