Geotube,

1
GEOTUBE APPLICATION FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT IN A
SMALL FLOW-THROUGH AQUACULTURE SYSTEMJennifer J.
Hendricks, Roger C. Viadero, Jr., Aislinn T.
Creel, and Kenneth J. SemmensWest Virginia
University Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering

• Results and Discussion
• Polymer Selection
• Dogwood Lake Experimental Aquaculture
  Facility
• Initial polymer review using Jar Tests showed
  that polymers Praestol 186K, Praestol 187KH,
  Praestol 189K and Hyperfloc 626 doses ranging
  from 20 to 2 ppm worked as flocculation/coagulatio
  n aids.
• Repeating the Jar test with these four polymers
  shows Praestol 187KH and Hyperfloc 626
  repeatedly have the highest percent removal of
  turbidity at 78 and 79 for a dosage of 10ppm
  thus, were selected for further use in the study.

• Background
• The Geotube, a semi permeable geotextile bag
  has emerged as a simple and passive way to
  contain and dewater many substances from
  contaminated sediment to dairy and swine lagoon
  sludge, yet is unproven as a means to contain and
  dewater the intermittent flow and high water
  content sludge produced in flowing water
  aquaculture systems. The efficacy of a full size
  Geotube (30 cu. Yd.) to remove solids and
  dewater the solid waste stream of a small
  flow-through aquaculture facility will be
  evaluated.
• Investigative Approach
• Jar tests and cone tests were performed on a
  series of polymers.
• A small-scale pilot Geotube study was performed
  to analyze solids removal under small-scale
  operational conditions over time with and without
  polymer addition.
• Finally, construction of the full scale Geotube
  facility to be operational in February 2007

• Geotube,
• Reymann Memorial Farm,
• Wardensville, WV
• Site was developed using field surveys and
  automated drafting programs.
• Facility will continue normal operations, feeding
  fish and cleaning QZs once a day pumps and
  automatic switches will send the QZ waste water
  to the Geotube.
• Samples will be collected at the influent and
  effluent of the tube and analyzed for total
  suspended solids, total nitrogen, total
  phosphorus, and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand
  (BOD5).

• Small-Scale Geotube,
• Dogwood Lake Experimental Aquaculture Facility
• Monongalia Co., WV
• Three polymer treatments prepared No Polymer,
  10ppm Praestol 187KH and 10ppm Hyperfloc CP 626
  polymers.
• 3 custom made minitubes (2ft. X 4ft.) were set up
  on spill decks to collect filtrate.
• Wastewater was collected from the stand pipe
  effluent while the quiescent zone (QZ) was
  cleaned.
• Polymer was added to the hose before the
  wastewater sample is taken.
• Each bag was filled twice for 10 seconds
  (approximately 16 gallons of wastewater), and
  then sludge and filtrate were sampled.

• Small-scale Pilot Geotube
• Initial results from the start up of the
  small-scale pilot Geotube study show that polymer
  addition has 82 and 85 TSS removal and no
  polymer addition has 55 removal

This study is currently ongoing.