Nano-oxygenation in water treatment by ambient-pressure air-fed, ultra-low-energy nanobubble generation

Introduction

Spun out of UCD Chemical Engineering, AquaB's ambitious mission is to no less than clean up the world's water.

Technology Overview

The ‘intellectual machinery’ embedded in our nanobubble-generation and controlled release is based on an electric-field-inducing electrostriction. This process serves to create a transient negative-pressure region, thereby 'sucking in' gas into the liquid in the form of many nano-bubbles. These bubbles are kinetically metastable, typically lasting for many weeks and longer.

Energy Efficiency

The energy costs of this additive-free, non-contact method are an order of magnitude lower than 'classical' approaches. Traditional methods often involve massive pressure drops from pumping across Venturi tubes, which are less efficient. Our method offers:

• A far longer lifetime
• A smaller, more uniform size range

Project Goals

In this project, we will revolutionize the low-energy and low-maintenance aeration of water. The novel NB generator will be tested in three use cases:

1. Wastewater treatment
2. Aquaculture
3. Agriculture

These tests will prepare the technology for full commercialization.