Varicon Aqua Solutions Ltd products

The Phyco-Lift range of photobioreactors provides a robust laboratory or pilot sized solution to growing algae for commercial or research purposes (0.07 – 2.5 m3). The simple modular design allows for scale-up with negligible performance drop; and the reactor can be operated in either airlift or column mixing configurations, both of which allow for low shear, high turbulence and high mass transfer culturing conditions.

The Phyco-Tainer system is a complete algae production facility fitted inside a single or multiple containers. This allows for a quick, flexible and mobile solution where microalgae are needed for research purposes or commercial production of either shellfish, fish or shrimp. The system can be single species or multi species according to the chosen configuration.

The Phyco-Pond is a high rate algal pond (HRAP) manufactured by Varicon Aqua according to optimised geometric considerations which impact rate of mixing, photosynthetic efficiency, power consumption and biomass yield. Smaller systems are fabricated from a fibre glass mould, whilst larger systems comprise of a levelled and compacted solid matrix, onto which an impermeable geotextile is overlaid. The process flow is mixed via a motorised paddle wheel ensuring homogenous delivery of light, nutrients and carbon dioxide.

The Phyco-Flow photobioreactor is an innovative serpentine system that scales easily to meet increased production requirements at both pilot and commercial scales (0.6 – 30 m3 in volume). This configuration has superseded our BioFence photobioreactor and offers numerous operational improvements. This includes lower capital and operational costs, and reduced shut down time via an integrated cleaning system. The photostage is made from Duran® grade borosilicate, in partnership with SCHOTT AG Glass. This results in a highly productive system with a superior lifespan to many competitors.

Aqua-spheres consist of small spheres (4.0 to 8mm) of magnesium hydroxide. The Aqua-spheres are used in the form of a contact bed through which the water passes. The Aqua-spheres dissolve slowly in response to acidity in the water, and during the process the pH and magnesium hardness of the water are increased. At a pH of 8.3 Aqua-spheres are insoluble in the water, as the pH becomes more acidic, the solubility of media increases, the product therefore has a built in pH buffering capacity. Due to the pH increase on the Aqua-spheres’ surface the product is also excellent for heavy metal reduction.