Jessie Owens

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Aggregation of Biogenic Particles with Clay

• Jessie Owens
• Undergraduate Research in Biodiversity and
  Ecological Processes in Fluctuating Environments
• National Science Foundation
• Texas AM University
• Bonner, J., Page, C., Ojo, T., Sterling, M.

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Outline

• What is Flocculation?
• Why is it important?
• Laboratory Experiments
• Algae growth
• Coulter Counter
• Field Work
• Instrumentation

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Flocculation

• What is flocculation?
• Particles clump together to form aggregates.
• Particles destabilize by elimination of their
  repulsive barriers transport bring them into
  contact.
• Can be sped up with the addition of chemicals.
• Why is it important?
• Removes small particles that would be too light
  to settle.
• Current Applications
• Water and Wastewater Treatment

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Objectives

• Grow Algae
• Flocculation experiments with the Coulter Counter
  Multisizer
• Flocculation Model
• Collision efficiency values
• Field Study
• Characterize Corpus Christi Bay
• Conduct a dye study

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Lab Work

• Chlorella kessleri
• Relatively uniform in shape
• Spherical, diameter 5.559um
• Constant Density 1.069

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Methods and Materials

• Algae
• Prepared growth media in 1 L autoclaved DI Water
• Inoculated six 125 mL Erlenmeyer flasks from
  culture sent from UTEX Culture Collection
• Made transfers weekly into 125 mL Erlenmeyer's
• Experimental Design
• 50 mL algae in 500 mL NaCl solution
• 2.6 mg/L Fe(III)
• 50 mL algae in 500 mL NaCl, 0.07 grams clay
• 1.56 mg/L Fe(III)

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Coulter Counter Multisizer

• Measures Particle Number and Size
• 140 µm aperture size
• Manometer set at 100 µL
• Slow stir rate for all experiments

Coulter Counter Aperture Tube
Electrodes
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Fe (III) Conc. 2.6 mg/L Slow Mixing Speed
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Fe (III) Conc. 2.6 mg/L Slow Mixing Speed
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Fe (III) Conc. 2.6 mg/L Slow Mixing Speed
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Fe (III) Conc. 1.56 mg/L Slow Mixing Speed
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Fe (III) Conc. 1.56 mg/L Slow Mixing Speed
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Field Work Corpus Christi Bay
The Lafitte
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Field Work

• Day 1 Corpus Christi Bay perimeter Baseline
  Survey Study
• Acrobat Submersible Towed Vehicle from Sea
  Sciences, INC.
• LISST 100 Particle Analyzer
• FastCat CTD Sensor (Salinity, Temperature, Depth)
• ECO-FL3 (Fluorometer)
• Day 2 Modeling Validation work being done for
  Dr Bonners doctoral students
• Dye Study
• ECO-FL3
• ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler)

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(Acrobat Submersible Towed Vehicle)

• used to deploy an in-situ instrument package
• can maintain either constant depth/elevation or
  undulating flight paths

FastCAT CTD Sensor
LISST 100
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Sea-Bird Electronics 49 FastCAT CTD Sensor

• designed for use in autonomous profiling
  applications with towed vehicles (e.g., Acrobat)
• measurements include
• Conductivity/Salinity
• water temperature -5oC 35oC range
• depth housing 0-7000 m range

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ECO-FL3WET Labs, INC.

• ECO - FL3
• Fluorometer
• Measures
• Chlorophyll A
• Fluorescein
• CDOM (Colored Dissolved Organic Matter)

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DYE STUDY
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Operator Console and Real-time Visualization
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Acknowledgments

• Dr Jim Bonner for leadership into my research
  project.
• Cheryl Page for EVERYTHING!
• Michael Sterling and Tope Ojo for helping in my
  research.
• Hannah Wilner for all the help in the lab.
• Chris Fuller and Terry Riggs for boat work in
  Corpus Christi.
• Funding provided by the National Science
  Foundation

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Questions?