How can micro bubbles save money for water utilities?
The challenge
Over 10 billion litres of sewage are produced each day in the UK. Treating this volume of sewage uses over 2,000 gigawatt hours of electricity a year - almost 1% of total UK electricity consumption, and the equivalent of 5 million tones of CO2 emissions.
How can water utilities reduce energy consumption, and save money?
The solution
Novel micro-bubble technology invented by Professor Will Zimmerman at the University of Sheffield has the potential to dramatically reduce the energy demands of water purification and wastewater treatment
The technology uses a novel solid-state fluidic oscillator that can be fitted easily in the aeration blower pipework of waste water treatment works. It generates very fine micro bubbles that improve aeration efficiency due to their much greater surface area per unit volume. The technology can be used in existing plants and new-build solutions, and creates extraordinary energy savings for relatively little investment.
Overall, the system reduces operational energy requirements by 35%. This advantage, and the lower cost of the equipment, led Yorkshire Water to work with Professor Zimmerman to improve their treatment of sewage, and subsequently to the formation of a spinout company, Perlemax to commercialise it. For the last five years Perlemax and the Sheffield University have been working with the multinational AECOM to bring the technology to market. The technology has been on trial with United Utilities at a site in Sale, and at a plant sub-contracted to AECOM in Rosslare, Republic of Ireland, with highly encouraging results.
Resulting benefits
The novel fluidic oscillator has the potential to dramatically reduce energy consumption in wastewater treatment. Martin Tillotson, from Yorkshire Water, said: "Given the huge volumes, treating wastewater is very costly in electricity and carbon terms. This technology offers the potential to produce a step-change in energy performance."
Brenda Franklin, Global Technologist, AECOM Design Build said “we are excited to now be at the stage to take this innovative energy-saving technology to market. It will help our customers reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions.”
Future directions
The fluidic oscillator is being tested on a number of full-scale plants, with the longest running trial being in Ireland where AECOM won the contract for a new works at Rosslare. The technology also has multiple applications in other fields such as the clarification of potable water, algae growth and harvesting, and aquaculture.
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