OXYGENATION

Oxygenation is the process of raising dissolved oxygen levels to restore aerobic conditions throughout the water column, down to the benthic margin where pore water and sediment meet.

It is important to note the difference between oxygenation and “aeration.”

Aeration systems were originally developed for wastewater treatment. Wastewater treatment needs to enable bacteria to absorb nutrients from the wastewater and convert them into a thick microbial sludge. This sludge is then removed in clarifying settling tanks before the water is discharged.

As a result, aeration systems are designed for use in specially constructed, relatively shallow tanks and lagoons that require turbulence to prevent microbes from clumping together and to keep them circulating and forming sludge.

In rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, “aeration” systems are known to fall short in promoting the oxygenation the water bodies need to maintain sustained dissolved oxygen levels at their bottom.

Moreover, the turbulence created by aeration systems can actively stir up sediment, resulting in even more intense algae blooms.

Our RADOR (Rapid Acting Dissolved Oxygen Restoration) oxygenation technology consistently ensures full oxygenation of the water column, allowing for the remediation and restoration of lake health

RADOR technology is proprietary and unique. Some have attempted to copy and reverse engineer RADOR technology, but their attempts have all failed, often at great cost to the clients who bought a system that didn’t work.

When evaluating the difference, it’s best to look at performance rather than technical engineering explanations of protected intellectual property– in other words, measure the success of oxygenation.

When a water column is properly oxygenated, Dissolved Oxygen levels remain high throughout the water column.

RADOR technology is different because it oxygenates the water all the way down to the bottom. RADOR systems have achieved this in lakes and reservoirs covering thousands of acres and over 150 feet deep.

We have often replaced “aeration” systems with RADOR systems and transformed the oxygenation of the water body in a matter of weeks.

Without restoring oxygenation of the water column, no other remediative interventions can take place.

Oxygenation and aerobic conditions are necessary to:

1. Ensure that animal life in the food web, ranging from benthic zooplankton to fish, can thrive and fulfill their role of nutrient clearance.
2. Ensure that aerobic benthic microbial populations can again thrive and function to suppress the recycling of nutrients that favor toxic cyanobacteria.
3. Decrease the solubility of phosphorus in benthic water to negate how this favors cyanobacteria.
4. Eliminate the production of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which are toxic to fish and favor cyanobacteria.

Every system is custom designed for that waterbody—we don’t sell off-the-shelf systems.

We start with a detailed bathymetric scan of the water body. We run that data through our software algorithms and use detailed “virtual twin” modeling techniques to determine how many RADOR Units will be required and where to locate each one (GPS coordinates).

Each RADOR diffuser needs its own adjustable air supply via a self-sinking airline that runs from the compressor to the RADOR unit.

Next, we need to identify where electricity can be supplied to power the compressors that drive the RADOR system. That allows us to run all the various permutations and combinations of compressor locations, costs, and airline lengths and costs in order to arrive at the most cost-effective design.

Without this level of detail, it is not possible to design and configure the right oxygenation system.

Too often, designs depend on guesswork and patching together pre-configured off-the-shelf kits, hoping for the best.

As a remediation program progresses and accumulated sediment is Bio-Dredged away, the depth profile and volume of water contained in the water body changes. We often run the new bathymetric data through our modeling software to reoptimize the RADOR system for the new situation.

Our RADOR systems are designed to allow such adjustment and modification to accommodate changes in oxygenation dynamics, seasonal changes, and changes in the depth profile of the lake.

This adaptability ensures that the oxygenation system remains effective and efficient throughout the remediation process, ultimately leading to the successful restoration of the aquatic ecosystem’s health and balance.