Quote:
Originally Posted by unirdna
I look forward to reading your analysis. I brainstormed possible methods to do a gas analysis myself, but when all was said and done, I simply didn't have the proper tools.
Thanks to everyone for your insight.
|
None of us really do the tools and clever ways around it are not going to be a happening anytime soon. Given the solubility of CO2, I doubt the hypothesis myself, but I have to try and test it anyway to rule it out before moving on.
So I will use an IR gas analyzer at the lab once I get a set up there that I can use for this and then customize the CO2 reactor to withdraw gas to the analyzer.
We all see the gas pocket build and shrink daily, but we still do not know what the gas is.
As far as CO2 mist theory, well, I have proven that one using O2 meters and good accurate CO2 ppm measurement methods.
O2 is a good
in situ measure of plant production/growth/pearling.
I had about 21-44% higher O2 difference than with 31ppm CO2 alone in 4 tanks.
That rules out CO2 liquid phase.
Bubbles might be breaking the diffusion layers around leaves etc also but as far as increasing growth is concerned, I know that it does do that vs plain CO2.
These tanks had the CO2 mist+ aqueous phase done 1st, then after had the CO2 aqueous only added to the same tanks to account for variations in species, water/current etc, you use blocks and test that way rather than having to do two identical replicates at the same time(pretty much impossible). That way the error in O2 production due to increased biomass will be slanted to the tank with a little bit more plant biomass(the CO2 aqueous phase treatment only).
The same can be done with the aqueous phase of CO2, skew the CO2ppm higher than the mist.
Simple test really and one that addresses assumptions and has consistent results.
For O2 comparisons, I used a YSI data logging DO meter.
This measured the DO every 20 minutes. I took the differences of a bell shape curves between treatment to determine the DO change.
This integrates the entire day's worth of O2 production for the control vs the treatement. It would nice to do a similar method for the CO2 reactor gas build up so I'd like to add that as well.
I have not really done much with the CO2 reactors lately though.
Regards,
Tom Barr