Development of an Extremely Low Water-Loss Recirculating Floating Bead

A Shortfall in marine fisheries production is driving the development of aquaculture technologies on many fronts. Recirculating systems are regarded as critical components of many development schemes. However, interest and use of recirculating systems for production of marine organisms have lagged behind freshwater applications. A floating bead filter which is corrosion resistant (no metal parts), operates with minimal water loss, and can be automated to backwash with minimal electronics is needed to fully realize the economic potential of marine recirculating systems. This project will investigate and refine a marine recirculating bead filter (MRBF) with extremely low waterloss for recirculating marine culture systems. Backwash frequency will be optimized and preliminary carrying capacities documented. Finally, the economic feasibility of producing full-scale MRBFs will be examined.