APPLICATION OF BEAD FILTER TECHNOLOGY AT A MARINE WARMWATER AQUACULTURE RESEARCH FACILITY

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) maintains an aquaculture research facility in Fort Pierce, FL that borders the Indian River lagoon waterway. The supply of groundwater seawater is limited for the expanding facility operations and restrictions on effluent seawater discharge has most all the research systems operating in a recirculating capacity. As such, primary design criteria were to achieve minimal discharge and maximal use of the groundwater salt water. Other design criteria for the systems research operation included minimal maintenance, efficient filtration, and the ability to be used on a range of studies where there is a variation in the daily feed load or system's criteria. Because of the design criteria and research needs, bead filters are/were employed on a multiple of systems including production grow out systems, recirculating system for nutrition studies, marine fingerling production system, and in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system.

The system designs have employed the Bubble Bead filters, the Propeller-washed Bead filters, the Polygeyser filters, and a static air scrub bead filter for mechanical and biological filtration in a variety of applications. A synopsis of the design characteristics and operating criteria of the systems utilizing bead filter technology is to be presented. Overall, bead filter technology has played a solid role in the design and operation of the many RAS units in operation at the HBOI-FAU marine aquaculture research facility.