Technical Implementation
The Bioreactor Garden Operates in Three Layers
Top Layer: Vegetation
A top layer of native plants or vetiver grass grows and performs bioremediation (breaking down pollutants with natural organisms). These plants growing in the garden bed absorb water; evapotranspiration effectively reduces the total volume of water exiting the system.
Middle Layer: Soil (Microbes)
In the middle layer, the soil in which the plants grow harbor nitrifying bacteria that covert ammonia into nitrate. The top layer of the media is 14 inches of sand, where the naturally nitrifying bacteria thrive.
Base Layer: Wood chips & biochar
At the base layer, wood chips and biochar produced from local woody materials and invasive species serve as a carbon source for denitrifying bacteria, which convert the nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas (this is 78% of the air we breathe!) Cleaned water flowing out of the bioreactor garden system is safe for the environment.