Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters
We investigated the effectiveness of TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres in reducing the concentrations of three common harmful compounds, ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite, in fish aquariums. These cenospheres can contribute to more sustainable and eco-friendly aquarium filtration systems while al...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Environments |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/10/11/188 |
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| author | Monika R. Snowdon Robert F. L. Liang Avneet Kaur Erika A. Burton Shasvat Rathod Wenkai Fang Hadi A. Dhiyebi Leslie M. Bragg Norman Y. Zhou Mark R. Servos Marina Freire-Gormaly |
| author_facet | Monika R. Snowdon Robert F. L. Liang Avneet Kaur Erika A. Burton Shasvat Rathod Wenkai Fang Hadi A. Dhiyebi Leslie M. Bragg Norman Y. Zhou Mark R. Servos Marina Freire-Gormaly |
| author_sort | Monika R. Snowdon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigated the effectiveness of TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres in reducing the concentrations of three common harmful compounds, ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite, in fish aquariums. These cenospheres can contribute to more sustainable and eco-friendly aquarium filtration systems while also improving the health of fish. We designed a 30-day experiment with three treatment groups based on the filter type: (1) a control group with a conventional aquarium filter, (2) a group with a TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter, and (3) a group with a dark TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter. The water quality was the same baseline in all groups, and each tank was monitored daily for changes in temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations. We found that the TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter was effective in reducing the concentrations of all three pollutants. By the end of the experimental period, the average concentration of nitrite in the control group was 10.7 µM, while the average concentration in the TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter group dropped 55% to 4.7 µM from the baseline. The average concentration of nitrate was reduced by 17% and ammonia by 28% in the cenosphere-treated group. Hence, the cenospheres were effective in reducing the concentrations of all three pollutants, with the greatest reduction seen for nitrite. These findings support further investigation for incorporating TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres into aquarium filtration to help reduce the environmental burden of the aquarium industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:50:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-089f692aa6bb4817be049334f2211c92 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:50:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environments |
| spelling | doaj.art-089f692aa6bb4817be049334f2211c922023-11-24T14:41:10ZengMDPI AGEnvironments2076-32982023-10-01101118810.3390/environments10110188Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium FiltersMonika R. Snowdon0Robert F. L. Liang1Avneet Kaur2Erika A. Burton3Shasvat Rathod4Wenkai Fang5Hadi A. Dhiyebi6Leslie M. Bragg7Norman Y. Zhou8Mark R. Servos9Marina Freire-Gormaly10Center for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaCenter for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaCenter for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaCenter for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaCenter for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaCenter for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaWe investigated the effectiveness of TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres in reducing the concentrations of three common harmful compounds, ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite, in fish aquariums. These cenospheres can contribute to more sustainable and eco-friendly aquarium filtration systems while also improving the health of fish. We designed a 30-day experiment with three treatment groups based on the filter type: (1) a control group with a conventional aquarium filter, (2) a group with a TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter, and (3) a group with a dark TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter. The water quality was the same baseline in all groups, and each tank was monitored daily for changes in temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations. We found that the TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter was effective in reducing the concentrations of all three pollutants. By the end of the experimental period, the average concentration of nitrite in the control group was 10.7 µM, while the average concentration in the TiO<sub>2</sub> cenosphere filter group dropped 55% to 4.7 µM from the baseline. The average concentration of nitrate was reduced by 17% and ammonia by 28% in the cenosphere-treated group. Hence, the cenospheres were effective in reducing the concentrations of all three pollutants, with the greatest reduction seen for nitrite. These findings support further investigation for incorporating TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres into aquarium filtration to help reduce the environmental burden of the aquarium industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/10/11/188TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheresaquarium filterswater qualitysustainabilityeco-friendly |
| spellingShingle | Monika R. Snowdon Robert F. L. Liang Avneet Kaur Erika A. Burton Shasvat Rathod Wenkai Fang Hadi A. Dhiyebi Leslie M. Bragg Norman Y. Zhou Mark R. Servos Marina Freire-Gormaly Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters Environments TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres aquarium filters water quality sustainability eco-friendly |
| title | Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters |
| title_full | Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters |
| title_short | Effects of Substituting Activated Carbon with Titanium-Dioxide-Coated Cenospheres in Conventional Aquarium Filters |
| title_sort | effects of substituting activated carbon with titanium dioxide coated cenospheres in conventional aquarium filters |
| topic | TiO<sub>2</sub> cenospheres aquarium filters water quality sustainability eco-friendly |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/10/11/188 |
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