Zero-Effluent Recirculation-Optimized (Z.E.R.O.) Aquaculture Systems

The focus is now shifted towards the discussion of how the Z.E.R.O. System design addresses shortcomings of traditional closed-circulation aquaculture filtration.  The inefficiency in nutrient management is largely due to two related factors: lack of an adequately-sized microbial population to reduce the nutrient content satisfactorily, and lack of a design which maximizes the rate of nutrient uptake by these same microbes.  The Z.E.R.O. System design overcomes both of these limitations in a unique fashion. 

First, it utilizes a filtration and infrastructural substrate with surface area for microbial colonization which is at least 30x greater than that of conventional media per unit volume.  This aspect of the Z.E.R.O. substrate enables the entirety of the microbial biomass to be maintained within a space that is dramatically smaller than the next best media (to say nothing of the more conventional substrates in use, which are ~1,700x lower in their surface area to volume ratios).

Second, the Z.E.R.O. System design intermittently exposes the filtration substrate to atmospheric oxygen within a protective vessel utilizing no moving parts, but being continuously fed by a pump extracting water from the grow-out tank.  This alternating exposure of the microbial consortium to nutrient-rich water and atmospheric oxygen maximizes the rate at which nutrients are converted into additional microbial biomass or are reduced into progressively elementary forms of organic waste, ultimately exiting the system in the form of inert gas.  This method of nutrient reduction is patent pending.  The intermittent discharge of the filtered, nutrient-poor water from the filtration vessel(s) back into the grow-out tank results in physical displacement of water, which encourages particulate organic material (the result of uneaten food and solid metabolic waste) to become suspended in the water column where it is more readily extracted by mechanical filtration means.

Third, as mentioned previously, the Z.E.R.O. System design incorporates unique infrastructure which mitigates aggression associated with resource competition, taking advantage of instinctive behavioral tendencies to improve yield and further reduce nutrient load throughout the system.  This benefit is realized without the need for exposing the cohort to mood-altering chemicals.
 
Modifying a Z.E.R.O. System to satisfy husbandry requirements of organisms with “special needs” (whether due to behavioral or physical requirements) is possible due to the fundamental system design, and any modifications may be temporary or permanent as the operator desires (furthermore, with the exception of the operator’s investment in any necessary equipment to achieve their specific aims, the cost associated with modifying a Z.E.R.O. System would be miniscule relative to the cost of modifying a conventional closed-containment system).  It is also possible to incorporate features into a Z.E.R.O. System which specifically addresses the behavior and aggression of certain families of fish and crustaceans, reducing associated mortality and improving the consistency of growth rate across the cohort.  For example, this feature is incorporated into Z.E.R.O. Systems used to raise salmonids, which exhibit intraspecific aggression and resource competition post-alevin stage.
 
The scalability and flexibility of the fundamental Z.E.R.O. System design also lends itself to both mobile and temporary units.  Mobile units comprise those employed to transport aquatic organisms, such as when moving fish from a hatchery to a stocking site, or during an emergency (e.g. long-term power outage, tank rupture, or natural disaster that threatens the Z.E.R.O. System location and/or the cohort (such as a flood or forest fire)).  A design for such a system, which can be scaled from a unit that sits in the bed of a pickup truck to one employed in a tanker or seagoing vessel, has been completed and is patent pending.  Temporary units may be set up for short periods of time before being deconstructed as necessary.  Fisheries biologists collecting specimens from natural water bodies for the purpose of brood stock procurement, and those performing seasonal studies within a specific geographic region, would find that such a system offers flexibility, reliability, and definite advantages over other livestock holding methods in practice.
 
Finally, the Z.E.R.O. System design affords modularity, permitting expansion or contraction of a system as desired.  This feature enables an operator to adapt an existing Z.E.R.O. System without buying a new one should their production requirements change with time.
 
Transportation of the Z.E.R.O. System is made simple by the fact that most components are assembled on site, and otherwise take up little physical space during the transportation phase of an installation.  This feature enables delivery of Z.E.R.O. Systems to destinations where rigid containment tanks utilized in conventional closed-containment aquaculture systems could not be transported. 
 
From a conservation perspective, it is entirely possible to incorporate post-consumer materials into Z.E.R.O. Systems, specifically in components traditionally made of petroleum-based compounds (e.g. rubber, plastics).