Grant Beyleveld
Community Member
I was inspired by this post about a DIY anaerobic dentrifying reactor, and was thinking of building something smaller but similar for my tank. The general idea is this: A BRS mini reactor filled with Brightwell Aquatics Xport NO3 and a peristaltic pump. In essence, keeping the flow rate very slow will help maintain an anaerobic environment which would promote denitrification within the reactor. I was thinking an EcoTech Versa pump since it’s rated for constant flow.
I’ll have biological media in the main filter for the aerobic steps of denitrification. I could measure nitrates before and after the filter to keep track of the magnitude of the affect. Increasing the flow rate would bring in more nitrates into the reactor but too high and it would also bring oxygen too fast and prevent the development of an anoxic environment. Dosing carbon directly into the reactor would increase the denitrification potential, although we’d want to limit it down so that it was all consumed in the reactor and not released in the effluent. We’d also like to keep some nitrates in the effluent - getting NO3 to zero in the reactor would likely lead to the production of H2S (I’m also not aiming for zero nitrates in the tank).
Do we think this would work? What kind of flow rate would make sense? Would carbon dosing (directly into the reactor) be a help?
I’d love to hear from people who have done this or similar!
I’ll have biological media in the main filter for the aerobic steps of denitrification. I could measure nitrates before and after the filter to keep track of the magnitude of the affect. Increasing the flow rate would bring in more nitrates into the reactor but too high and it would also bring oxygen too fast and prevent the development of an anoxic environment. Dosing carbon directly into the reactor would increase the denitrification potential, although we’d want to limit it down so that it was all consumed in the reactor and not released in the effluent. We’d also like to keep some nitrates in the effluent - getting NO3 to zero in the reactor would likely lead to the production of H2S (I’m also not aiming for zero nitrates in the tank).
Do we think this would work? What kind of flow rate would make sense? Would carbon dosing (directly into the reactor) be a help?
I’d love to hear from people who have done this or similar!
