Aqua Biofilter - Floating Wetlands & Floating Islands

The Aqua Biofilter™ is a unique biofiltration product and service that treats waste water, stormwater, aquaculture water, waterways, ponds, dams and lakes. Our proprietary Aqua Biofilter™ ecosystem service and product is integrated into our range of Aquaponics Gardens, Floating Wetlands, Floating Reedbeds and Floating Habitat Islands. Biomimicy of natural systems allows nature to be restored to a state of balance, benefiting human health and wellbeing by purifying water that we enjoy for drinking, bathing, showering, irrigation, recreation, and also the treatment of waste water that is to be released into the environment. The AquaBiofilter team were involved with the worlds largest aquaponics floating wetlands project in the world, in China’s third largest aquaculture lake to clean up a toxic algae bloom

The Aqua Biofilter™ floating wetland treatment technology that can be utilised within a wetland treatment train either retro-fitting or designed into future wetlands. Detention basins can be designed larger & deeper, effectively providing more storage and Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT). Wetlands can also be sized smaller as a result, bringing down costs, achieving best practice and effectively treating TN, TP, TSS, COD, BOD and reducing heavy metals. Ecological restoration of aquatic environments is now easier than ever before. AquaBiofilterTM utilizes a biomimicy approach to product design and development, harnessing the power of biological systems for restoration and remediation.

Total Nitrogen (TN) 40-80%
Total Phosphoros (TP) 50-80%
TSS (Total Suspended Solids) 50-80%
Chemical Oxygen Demand / COD 50-99%
Biological Oxygen Demand / BOD 50-99%
Clorophyll (Algae)50-100%
Clarity 50%-252%
Metals 50-95%
Pathogens 50-90%

The Aqua Biofilter™ functions by removing nutrients and pollutants from waste water, stormwater and aquaculture water, through biofilm contact with our unique Aqua Biofilter™ technology and the plant growth that our products support. Wetlands are the kidneys of the landscape, purifying and cleansing waterway pollutants, heavy metals, and excessive nutrients. Often wetlands and ponds accumulate excessive sediment, nutrients and pollutants whilst water quality declines, algal blooms and aquatic weeds proliferate reducing biodiversity. Restoring ecological function and healthy biological activity requires natural systems that mimic peak ecosystems – which led us to design and development the Aqua Biofilter™ in 2000, to improve water quality beyond existing methods for ponds, wetlands and waterways.

Wagga Wagga City Council Floating Wetlands and Reedbeds
Wollundry Lagoon floating wetlands and floating reedbeds project is located in the central city area, sized approximately 120m2, maintained by rainfall and storm water runoff from the surrounding city and peri-urban catchment. Located within Wagga Wagga, the lagoons are affected by nutrients and pollutants. The lagoon is valued for community amenity, visual value and recreation. The ecosystems contain a variety of life that contribute to a healthy catchment and also help purify urban run-off entering the Murray river catchment. The purpose of the floating wetlands is to provide an enhanced treatment above and beyond existing water quality. Plant establishment has been successful during winter with plants quickly colonising the floating biofilter media and is maturing.

Central Victorian Aqua Biofilter™ Floating Wetlands and Reedbeds
Client dams overflow into local waterways carrying sediment and nutrients, affecting river water quality. Land owners wanted to improve their dam’s environmental performance, improve the water quality in the dam, and provide habitat for birds and amphibians that was aesthetically pleasing. The design team visited the site and proposed a design that would capture as much nutrient and sediment as possible before water overflowed into the local environment. Natural materials were used, giving the floating reedbed a natural island aesthetic that would suit any dam, lake or wetland.

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.

Each Aqua Biofilter™ project design and installation is based on client and stakeholder needs, project requirements according to relavent regulations, and key water quality data that guides the project approach.

Project Requirements to take into consideration when thinking of developing an Aqua Biofilter™ installation are:

1. Existing Water Quality Parameters
2. Proposed Water Quality Targets

Aqua Biofilter™ modules are constructed ruggedly, made of long lasting materials, built to last, in any conditions.

1. Specific Pollutant Reductions
2. Site characteristics such as local and regional ecology, aquatic biology, water depth and variation, rainfall and storm events, atmospheric variation, exposure to wind and other site influences, etc.
3. Birdlife and aquatic animals.
4. Habitat and other values.

Installation costs are variable according to the above factors. Previous installations have ranged according to project, site, client and stakeholder requirements. and in different countries. Please contact Tom Duncan info@aquabiofilter.com for further information.