Download AFM Active Filter Media

AFM
Active Filter Media for sand filters
100% Sustainable high performance water treatment
www.AFMfilter.com
Applications for AFM
Marine mammals and
birds in biological and
chlorinated systems
 Freshwater and marine
aquaria
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Mammals and birds
Chlorinated systems
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One of the main reason for stress &
mortalities among marine mammals
and birds in chlorinated system is
pneumonia from lung damage
caused by the chlorine reaction
product trichloramine
Trichloramine is formed by reaction
between ammonium and chlorine at
a low pH in the biofilm on the
surface of sand in the sand filters
AFM does not support a biofilm,
therefore there is no trichloramine
production
Mammals and birds
Biological Systems
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The high organic input results in the
sand filters rapidly becoming
biofilters.
Muco-saccharide alginates excreted
by heterotrophic bacteria causes
coagulation of the sand filter bed
which leads to channelling of water
directly through the bed
AFM actively prevents biofouling, so
an AFM bed does not coagulate.
AFM improves sand filter
performance by 30% to 80%,
resulting in a major improvement of
water quality.
AFM
in Marine & freshwater aquaria
Monaco aquarium

AFM was developed to replace sand used in sand
filters for commercial aquaculture. Due to the high
organic loading sand filters suffer from biofouling and
coagulation. This also happens in marine aquaria,
albeit at a slower rate, but after a few weeks or
months, it will start to impact on performance.
Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of the Sciences
(KFAS)
"We have had your AFM in our raw water filters for a few
weeks now and have been monitoring the results. Wow
what a difference. Backwash is complete and there is no
channelling or clumping at all even with our very fine
sediments. I wish the aquarium folk would take more
cognisance of what is happening in the aquaculture field"
AFM
Active Filter Media replaces sand in all types of sand filter
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Benefits
Channeling eliminated & filter
performance improved by 30% to
80% in terms of solids removal.
Major life cycle cost savings over
sand, 75% saving on back-wash
water, 15% to 25% on pump
energy
visibility through the water
doubled
Reduced ozone demand, better
pH stability, reduced rate of
nitrate production
www.AFMfilter.com
AFM
back-wash performance
Backflushbalance 14/08/03&19/08/03
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What goes into a filter
must come back out.
Performance of AFM is
maintained because backflush efficiency is 100%
Sand filters discharge
retained solids and
bacteria in pulses back
into product water
70
60
50
turbidity

40
sand 14/08/03
afm 14/08/03
Sand 19/08/03
30
afm 19/08/03
20
10
0
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
time
AFM reproducible normal distribution on back-flush
efficiency. Sand was a variable straight line on back-flush
performance as measured by turbidity against time
Bacterial levels
Bacterial levels on AFM and sand after 3 months in a clean water
filter. The Table below is certified data showing total bacterial
levels of 3.6 million with sand, and essentially zero with AFM
Enterococci Faecal
Pseudomonas
cfu/10ml
Coliform cfu/10ml
cfu/10ml
Sand < 1
<1
<1
S.aureus
cfu/10ml
<1
APC @
37°C
cfu/ml
3,600,000
AFM
<1
<1
<1
<1
18
AFM is an active filter media
rate of Biofouling
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Electron micro graphs of
sand and AFM
Sand has 100% bacteria
coverage after 3 days
AFM stays free of
biofouling, even after 5
years in sewage effluent
High level of bacteria
reduce filter
performance by 30-80%
and increase ozone
demand & load on
biofilters
New sand
Used sand
New AFM
Used AFM
AFM is an active filter media
Adsorption
8
7.5
7
6.5
6
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
inlet
afm
21/08/2003
14/08/2003
07/08/2003
31/07/2003
sand
24/07/2003

DOC mg/l
17/07/2003
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Hydrophilic surface with
a negative Zeta potential
Adsorbs small particles
and even dissolved
organic molecules from
the water.
AFM-plus in development
will approach activated
carbon performance
DOC mg/l

Graph shows that AFM adsorbs organics
directly from solution
www.AFMfilter.com
AFM is an active filter media
Bio-resistant

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stays clean.
inlet
AFM
sand
Nitrite N mg/l
17
/0
7/
03
31
/0
7/
03
14
/0
8/
03
28
/0
8/
03
11
/0
9/
03
25
/0
9/
03
09
/1
0/
03
23
/1
0/
03
0.3
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
inlet
0.05
AFM
0
sand
17
/0
7/
03
31
/0
7/
03
14
/0
8/
03
28
/0
8/
03
11
/0
9/
03
25
/0
9/
03
09
/1
0/
03
23
/1
0/
03

Sand becomes a bacteria
incubator after only a few
days
In RGF (rapid gravity) and
pressure filters, biofouling of
sand reduces performance.
The extracellular alginate
excreted by bacteria cause
worm holes through the sand
bed and coagulation of sand.
AFM resists biofouling and
NO2-N mg/l

NH4-N mg/l
Ammonium -N mg/l
The above two graphs show that the sand is
becoming a biofilter as indicated by the
reduced ammonium and high nitrite levels.
Test conducted on UK water company systems
AFM
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see the difference
Summary
30% to 80% more solids removed
Turbidity levels reduced by 50% and visibility
doubled
Reduced ozone demand, reduced nitrate production,
reduced alkalinity consumption for pH stability
Back-wash water reduced by 75%
Energy savings approx 15% to 25%
AFM will never need to be replaced
Can be used in any good quality sand filter
Filter operating criteria
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The performance of any media
bed filter be it sand or AFM varies
inversely proportionally to the flow
rate.
Run phase flow should be less
than <20 cubm/hr/sqm
Air scour 90 cubm/hr/sqm for a
period of approximately 5 minutes
Back-wash > 40 cubm/hr/sqm for
2 to 5 minutes, or until the water
runs clear.