Aqua Biofilter™ Floating Wetlands and Island have been installed across the Asia Pacific with significant performance assessments in Australia, China and Malaysia. Scientific research into our unique floating biofiltration technology has yielded insights into the science of biofilm formation and the role bacterial species play in denitrification and metals pathways for plant root phytostabilisation. Floating Wetlands and Islands demonstrate dramatic removal of nutrients, pollutants and metals. Water managers are increasingly utilising Aqua Biofilter™ to eliminate and prevent toxic algal blooms and fish kills with our floating wetland proprietary nutrient competition technology called NutriLock. Additional performance outcomes include eradicating aquatic weeds through nutrient competition, shading and water temperature reduction in summer. Eradicating controlled noxious aquatic weeds reduces or eliminates herbicide spraying which is in the public’s mind as more research demonstrates water supply is often at risk of chemical contamination.
Aqua Biofilter™ performance delivers consistent pollutants removal rates:
Metals (30%-99%)
Total Nitrogen (TN) Reduction 40-90%
Total Phosphorus (TP) Reduction 50-95%
Suspended Solids (TSS) Reduction 50-100%
Ammonia Reduction 55-90%
Transparency 50- 252%
Heavy Metals Reductions in Arsenic, Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Mercury, particularly when metals are colloidally suspended from inflows or sedimentary metals resuspended up to 99% removal depending on hydraulic retention time and water flows. When designed for the intended effect, Aqua Biofilter™ plant roots can grow down into sediment taking up metals bound in sediment. This can reduce overall costs of contaminant management by delivering phytostabilization in plant roots high in carbon. Contaminated mine leachate ponds are very suitable for Aqua Biofilter™ Floating Wetlands, as a fast and affordable method of removing metals from the water and sediment, without having to resort to expensive dredging and removal to toxic landfill sites.
The fine roots capture nutrients and metals on the algal and bacterial biofilm, creating a thick mesh to capture all pollutants.
The Aqua Biofilter™ is an advanced Floating Wetland Treatment Technology that can be utilized within a Wetland Treatment Train either retro-fitting or designed into future wetlands. Contacting Aqua Biofilter™ consultants to discuss your project in more detail. Detention basins can be designed larger and deeper, effectively providing more storage and Hydraulic retention time (HRT). Wetlands can also be sized smaller as a result, bringing down land acquisition/ use costs, achieving best practice and effectively treating TN, TP, TSS, reducing heavy metals, eliminating toxic algal blooms, fish kills and eliminating aquatic weeds and herbicide use.
NIWA in New Zealand has conducted an extensive review of varios Floating Wetland Treatments, particularly for removal of heavy metals: http://www.niwa.cri.nz/ for Auckland Regional Council.
