Foam fractionation efficiency of a vacuum airlift—Application to particulate matter removal in recirculating systems

Type Article
Date 2013-05
Language English
Author(s) Barrut Bertrand1, Blancheton Jean-Paul2, Callier MyriamORCID2, Champagne Jean-Yves3, Grasmick Alain4
Affiliation(s) 1 : ARDA, Stn Marine Port, Le Port 97420, Reunion.
2 : IFREMER, Stn Aquaculture Experimentale, Lab Rech Piscicole Mediterranee, F-34250 Palavas Les Flots, France.
3 : Univ Lyon 1, Ecole Cent Lyon, LMFA, UMR CNRS 5509, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
4 : Univ Montpellier II, Inst Europeen Membranes, UMR CNRS 5635, F-34095 Montpellier 05, France.
Source Aquacultural Engineering (0144-8609) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2013-05 , Vol. 54 , P. 16-21
DOI 10.1016/j.aquaeng.2012.10.003
WOS© Times Cited 17
Keyword(s) POM, Vacuum airlift, Foam fractionation efficiency, RAS, Aquaculture
Abstract The accumulation of particulate organic matter (POM) in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) has become an important issue with the intensification of finfish production. The objective of this study was to assess the foam fractionation efficiency of a vacuum airlift in different conditions (POM concentrations, airflow rates, bubble sizes, water renewal rates and feed addition). In sea water, the vacuum airlift allowed removing 20% of the initial POM concentration per hour (foam fractionation efficiency), corresponding to a 20.7-fold concentration factor between the tank and the foam. In rearing conditions, efficiency increased with decreasing water renewal rate or increasing POM concentration. An increase in airflow rate from 10 to 80 L min−1 in the vacuum airlift significantly decreased foam fractionation efficiency when feed was added to the water. The impact of feeding was only observed with high airflow rates where bubble coalescence occurred. Calculated POM production by fish ranged between 15.9 and 23.5 g h−1 and was equivalent to estimations based on feed conversion ratio (FCR). This indicated that all the POM produced was extracted by the vacuum airlift.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
6 439 KB Access on demand
Author's final draft 23 190 KB Open access
Top of the page