System for removing ammonia from a freshwater environment

10138,143

14/997793

January 18, 2016

An ammonia adsorption product is described which may be used for fresh caught fish and bait. The product may comprise functionalized tectosilicate compound and a buffer. High concentrations of ammonia produced by fish waste can be lethal, even though oxygen availability is rich enough to keep fish breathing. The product is a user-friendly, sustainable, affordable product which is able to extend the life of the fish by safely removing ammonia by an ion-exchange mechanism. This product can convert toxic ammonia into ammonium and uptake ammonium by releasing sodium ions in the water.

Alcantar, Norma A. (Tampa, FL, US); Zhao, Wen (Tampa, FL, US); Ergas, Sarina Joy (Tampa, FL, US)

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL, US)

1. A system for removing ammonia from a water environment, comprising: a water environment containing ammonia; a functionalized tectosilicate compound, the functionalized tectosilicate compound produced by the steps of: obtaining a tectosilicate compound wherein the tectosilicate compound is chabazite; functionalizing the tectosilicate compound, comprising soaking the tectosilicate compound in a synthetic freshwater solution and removing ions from the tectosilicate compound that have a lower ion selectivity than ammonium ions wherein the synthetic freshwater solution consists of: 0.075 g/L of sodium; 0.00312 g/L of potassium; 0.024 g/L of magnesium; 0.193 g/L of chloride 0.043 g/L of calcium; 0.0048 g/L of bicarbonate; 0.096 g/L of sulfate; and 0.310 g/L of alkalinity; washing the functionalized tectosilicate compound in deionized water and then drying the compound; and a pH buffer, wherein the pH buffer is K 2 HPO 4 or KH 2 PO 4 in a solid state wherein an amount of the pH buffer used is such that the pH buffer maintains a pH of 7 in the water environment; and a container holding the functionalized tectosilicate compound and the pH buffer, the container comprising a porous material to allow water to flow through the material; wherein the pH of 7 of the water environment shifts an equilibrium between ammonia and ammonium in the water environment towards ammonium, and the ammonium is adsorbed by the functionalized tectosilicate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein removing ions from the tectosilicate compound comprises removing sodium ions from the tectosilicate compound.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein functionalizing the tectosilicate compound reduces a percentage of sodium in the compound by at least 50 percent.

5489323 February 1996 Yoshida
0072147 February 1983
2245809 January 1992

M. Orr, What Does That Number Really Mean? Aquarium Water Testing Methods, Results and Interpretation, Sea Scope, 2008, vol. 24, pp. 1-2. cited by applicant
R. M. Durborow, D. M. Crosby and M. W. Brunso, “Ammonia in Fish Ponds,” Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, 1992, No. 463. cited by applicant
S. S. Verma, “Wonders of Zeolite,” Chemical Business, 2012, 26(2), pp. 10-12. cited by applicant

edspgr.10138143