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Re: Highly Efficient CO2 reactors
> CrypDude at aol_com asks about: Highly Efficient CO2 reactors.
<snip>
> This has worked well enough to reduce pH from 7.2 to 6.0.
The 6.0 pH is below the optimum for plant growth (from what I read).
I also reach pH near this when I have new yeast-sugar at about 1
bubble every 3 seconds. I don't know how serious this low pH is
however the plant growth seems fine and algae growth is nil at this pH.
Fish seem ok (so long as pH doesn't change much!)
<snip>
> I was using about a bubble a minute
Typo?
The two important factors affecting rate of CO2 dissolving.
1) surface area
2) concentration (mixing)
Temperature and pressure are also factors but not significantly
controllable. Surface area is maximized by creating tiny bubbles and
by have a large enough reactor vessel. Turbulence is another way
of saying mixing, it just means keeping the water close to the
liquid vapour interface in rapid motion. The best way (IMHO) ;-)
to achieve rapid dissolving is to pass both water and CO2 bubbles
through a pump. The pump impeller does a pretty good job!
You can go with fancy reactors but the truly efficient ones still
need to circulate water. The only down side to using a pump might be
corrosion caused by the carbonic acid. But then, I don't think I'd
want a pump that could corrode anyhow. That's my .02$ :-)
--Steve