ACO – active catalytic oxidation into the ZPM after the filters
ACO stands for Active Catalytic Oxidation and is unique to Dryden Aqua . ACO contains several components , one of which is a catalyst supporting the natural photo oxidation from UV light . The energy of the sun or UV light is catalysed by ACO to form free radicals to disinfect pool water . The radicals work just like chlorine to remove pollutants but they do not form combined chlorine .
ACO has three primary functions :
1 . Oxidation enhancer , makes chlorine and other oxidising agents work better
2 . Protect chlorine from photolysis 3 . Cationic flocculant works synergistically with APF
ACO is a catalyst and it is there for not consumed by the process . It gradually builds up in the water over a period of 8 weeks until it reaches equilibrium .
How does ACO work ?
ACO consists of a mixture of poly silicates and metal oxides . The short-wavelength , energyintensive ultraviolet rays from the sun are converted by ACO into longer wavelengths . When this energy is released , it splits water molecules producing free radicals ( hydroxyl radicals and oxygen radicals ). They are even more powerful than ozone and can oxidize pollutants such as urea and chloramines completely back to carbon dioxide ( CO2 ), water ( H2O ) and nitrogen ( N2 ), so no combined chlorine or toxic disinfection by-products , just clean , safe water . So whenever there is strong sunlight , ACO will help to disinfect the water but it will not be consumed and it will not form reaction by-products .
By the conversion of the short-wavelength UV light to longer wavelength light , chlorine is protected from photolysis ( decomposition by the sun ). The half-life of chlorine increases by over 300 %. In contrast to traditional chlorine stabilisers such as cyanuric acid , ACO amplifies the performance of chlorine to kill bacteria and provides you with cleaner , safer water for both private as well as public pools .
UV is used for dechloramination ( reduction of combined chlorine ), however medium pressure UV will double the chlorine demand . Also , some of the combined chlorine is converted to chemicals such as chloroform and cyanogen chloride that are hundreds of times more harmful than combined chlorine . When ACO is dosed into the water before UV , it helps to reduce chlorine demand and reduces the formation of harmful by-products .
ACO is a cationic flocculant that removes positive charged particles . In combination with APF which removes negative charged particles , we will get a double stage flocculation of both positively and negatively charged particles in the water .
How to use ACO ?
ACO is best dosed continually into a ZPM after the AFM ® filter , using a peristaltic dosing pump . The application rate is the same as APF and should be used at a continuous flow rate of 1 ml per m 3 of water filtered . ACO can also be dosed manually ; the dosage is 1 l per 100 m 3 pool volume per week . We recommend the first dosage be double this amount . ACO takes around six to eight weeks before the full effects are visible .
DRYDEN AQUA 11