The Problem
Running an efficient and violation-free lagoon system can be a large undertaking. Just one potential problem that can be very time consuming and expensive to control is duckweed. A duckweed bloom can cause serious problems to a wastewater lagoon’s operations. A few parameters that it can wreak havoc on include:
Dissolved Oxygen
Duckweed blooms can block incoming sunlight into the lagoon disrupting the photosynthesis process thus reducing dissolved oxygen concentrations.
Increased Bacterial Discharge
Duckweed impairs complete treatment which can increase E-coli bacterial counts in the wastewater effluent.
Nutrient Concentration
Duckweed can concentrate nitrogen and phosphorus in the water column through the repeated blooms and die-offs increasing future duckweed blooms and negatively disrupting sludge biology.
These are but a few serious disrupting events that duckweed can cause wastewater lagoon systems!
Our Duckweed Harvester is constructed with aluminum and stainless steel to greatly reduce corrosion issues from acidic wastewater conditions. It is designed for longevity with no moving parts. Cleanouts and removable panels were included in the design to make internal cleaning easier. The piping is Schedule-80 PVC for improved durability. The float was built with an influent box which allows for better duckweed intake. The Duckweed Harvester utilizes either a 3-inch or 4- inch trash pump that is also capable of removing floating flushable wipes and other debris.
Duckweed Harvester Benefits
No Moving Parts
Highly Durable
Easy To Clean
Low Maintenance
Highly Efficient
Save Money
Save Time
Duckweed Uses
Now with all the duckweed collected, what to do with it next? How do you plan to dispose of this pest of a plant? Luckily there are many beneficial uses! They include:
Livestock Feed
Duckweed can be an important part of the diet when fed to livestock. With more than double the protein than alfalfa has to offer, this plant will ensure healthy farm animals!
Gardening
Great for gardening! Add this plant to enrich the nutrient content of compost piles for increase yield and viability of any plot that it is incorporated into.
Biofuel
Great biofuel alternative to corn. With the high water content in duckweed, it has up to 8 times the theoretical yield as compared to corn!
Farm Fertilizer
Makes for a great crop fertilizer! With highly bioavailable amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron and copper, incorporate this weed into the soils for greatly improved crop production and yields.