Although it shares attributes with many different compost, wastewater and bioremediation systems, make no mistake, O.O.R.B.S. is in a class all its own!
The O.O.R.B. system represents a new standard in aerated basin technology. It's incredible efficiency and ease of use allow it to surpass all other bioremediation and compost systems.
Part of the reason O.O.R.B.S. is so unique is due to the path that led to its development.
O.O.R.B.S. began development as part of a larger project that aimed to improve the health and productivity of plants through a more holistic, ecologically balanced approach to horticulture. The goal was to create a system that would accelerate the natural nutrient cycle that converts food waste into high quality, nutrient dense, safe, organic “fertilizer”.
With this in mind, the O.O.R.B. system was designed to ensure the specific
oxygen rich environment for the growth and proliferation of the specific bacteria and micro-organisms that are necessary for the release of nutrients in the correct form for absorption by plants and the control of pathogens.
*Click to get a closer look at how nutrients move through aquatic systems
Living Planet Solutions
*Click on the picture to meet some of the key micro-organisms responsible for keeping our water clean
The Physics of O.O.R.B.S.
Harnessing the Storm
Thunderstorms can be spectacular, bolts of lightning, booming thunder, pummeling hail and devastating tornadoes, nature comes alive! Each flash of light that illuminates the night sky contains roughly one billion (1,000,000,000) joules of energy! The source of all this raw power:
Cumulonimbus clouds.
More specifically it is the conditions that lead to the formation and progression of Cumulonimbus clouds that create this awesome display. These clouds result from the formation of atmospheric instability; An unstable stratification of warm moist air at low elevation forced up into a layer of cool dense air.
upwards pushing it through the cool air. This causes the water vapour from the warm air to condense into droplets. The energy released by the condensation warms the surrounding air which in turn leads to yet further ascent and the
process repeats. The result of all this is a column of rapidly rising air with turbulent vortices curling downward around its edges. The mass of warm moist air eventually reaches an altitude where an equilibrium is reached and it stops climbing; at this point, the column
spreads outwards and starts to fall back down as evaporative cooling begins to dominate.
In essence, O.O.R.B.S harnesses the powerful mixing properties that govern storm formation for use in fluids mixing and aeration.
Essentially, O.O.R.B.S. works by first injecting compressed air into the bottom of the reactor to create a type of unstable stratification referred to as Rayleigh–Taylor instability, and then by controlling the subsequent reactions with the use of several different principles, most notably Bernoulli's principles, to create a powerful controlled flow pattern.
Seen here is a computer model of the velocities and pressure gradients inside O.O.R.B.S.
The redder an area is, the higher the velocity of the water flowing past that point. Highlighted by the arrows on the still frame, You can see how, despite having no moving internal parts, O.O.R.B.S. is able to establish stable flow patterns through the bottom of the reactor which in turn creates the specific pressure gradients necessary to ensure toroidal vortex formation and complete mixing.
O.O.R.B.S. in action!
In fact, O.O.R.B.S. is so good at controlling pressure gradients that we have been able to eliminate the need for fine pore membrane diffusers.
Rather than using membrane diffusers which are prone to clogging and add back pressure to the air lines, O.O.R.B.S. uses the bernoulli effect and bifurcation patterns to create countercurrents allowing it capitalize on the relationship between residence time, pressure, surface tension and bubble size to create a supersaturated fluid and ultra fine microbubbles. This results in a massive increase in both efficiency and reliability, and best of all, it's virtually impossible to clog!
Still curious? Click here to check out the O.O.R.B.S photo gallery