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The National Science Foundation Provides Funding for Development and Testing of Portable Oxygenation Unit
Device Under Development by BlueInGreen, LLC Will Allow for Remediation of Waterways at Remote Locations
Fayetteville, AR – BlueInGreen, LLC has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research award for $100,000 from the National Science Foundation for the design and engineering of a trailer-mounted Supersaturated Dissolved Oxygen Injector (SDOXTM). The trailer-mounted unit is self-contained and can be powered with a standard generator which will allow for the delivery of dissolved oxygen to water bodies at remote locations. The Phase I project will demonstrate the SDOXTM system’s ability to cost effectively deliver dissolved oxygen to both a polluted stream and the deep waters of a lake so these waters can support fish and maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Low dissolved oxygen concentrations in a body of water can occur due to the presence of excessive organic matter that result from a number of factors, such as surface runoff, algae blooms or accidental spills from wastewater treatment facilities, aquaculture facilities, animal waste lagoons, septic systems and other sources. The naturally occurring microbes in the water can break down these pollutants, but require oxygen as part of the aerobic digestion process. In some cases, the uptake of oxygen by microbes is so great that the dissolved oxygen content can fall to critically low levels resulting in fish kills, objectionable odors and general impairment of the water body.
There are many methods to add oxygen to water, such as paddle wheel aerators, bubble diffusers, Venturi injectors and direct addition of liquid oxygen. However, BlueInGreen’s patent-pending technology has several key advantages: more efficient delivery of oxygen resulting in significant cost savings, the ability to effectively add dissolved oxygen to any depth in a water column, the ability to add dissolved oxygen beneath a thermocline or layer of ice without mixing with the upper layers, the ability to carefully control the amount of oxygen added, nearly 100% utilization of added oxygen, and portability. Dr. Scott Osborn, Chief Technology Officer of BlueInGreen commented “We think that the uses for this device will range from restoration of polluted water ecosystems to emergency response following spills of organics to seasonal needs in fisheries, wastewater treatment facilities and maintaining proper oxygen levels in tailwaters of hydroelectric dams during summer months to prolong trout fishing season.”
One of many applications that BlueInGreen is targeting is to build very large scale SDOXTM systems for direct addition of dissolved oxygen to the forebay region of hydroelectric dams. This device would ensure that the water exiting a dam has sufficient dissolved oxygen content, which would be of tremendous benefit both to man and the environment. A healthy aquatic environment would be supported downstream; the sport fishing industry would benefit from increased dissolved oxygen levels, and drinking water treatment facilities would have higher quality raw water entering their facilities.
BlueInGreen has exclusively licensed this technology from the
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