Christoph Grecki

WR IKRA DABIE
Poland

Selection and performance

of biocarriers for aquacultures
with water reuse

The fish hatchery and farm WR Dabie, Poland

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.

N2
denitrification

NH3/NH4
fish toxic at
>1,0 mg/L

Nitrosomonas

NO2

tish toxic at
> 0,5 mg/L

Nitrobacter

NO3
non toxic
at 50 mg/L

Pathways and fish toxicities of inorganic nitrogen

compounds

Test plant and mode of operation

Test plant : Biofilter with V = L volume, each filled with
biocarrier
Biocarrier : PE carrier 780 m/m , LEVAPOR >20.000 m/m
PU foam 1500 m/m , Keramzit 400 m/m
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.

The biofilter pilot plants

PE-carrier
780 m/m

LEVAPOR
> 20.000 m/m

PU foam
1.500 m/m

Ceramics
400 m/m

inlet

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

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.

LEVAPOR biocarrier have been designed in labs.

Dimensions: 20x20x7 mm
Surface : 1,34 mio. m/m
Bulk weight: 30 kg/m - Water binding capacity ~100 kg/m
Wetting: within few hours Biofilm generation: 120 min.

Specialty: high content of powdered activated

carbon
enables unique effects, not only simple cell adhesion .
Effects: Adsorption of inhibitors lower toxicity

Scheme of a biofilter using biocarriers

The new biofilter to be filled with LEVAPOR