During the project, AquaB concentrated on advancing its nanobubble technology and exploring new applications. The team actively engaged in validating and enhancing the existing technology through the use of Light-Scattering techniques and proxy methods to measure oxidative “fingerprint” of NB aeration in water and wastewater. These methods were instrumental in providing valuable insights into the characteristics of nanobubbles.
Achievements included the establishment of strategic partnerships to facilitate scientific research and validation. Collaborations were formed with external entities to leverage expertise and resources in conducting trials and validating AquaB's nanobubble technology. Key collaborations include engagements with commercial providers and academic technology-development partners.
One core aspect of the AQUA-BUBBLES project was focussed on the technical development from TRL-6 to -8 of AquaB’s novel nanobubble-generation method in the guise of energy-efficient nanobubble (NB) generators. Excellent design and validation progress was made in all of these core project areas, realising elevated levels of nanobubble populations, dissolved oxygen and oxidative action for these TRL-7 prototypes and increased design nous, particularly in high-performance electrode design on foot of boosting upstream populations of meso- and macro-bubbles.
Moving on from TRL-6 towards TRL-8 prototypes, electrode-design optimisation was pivotal for ammonia and nitrite conversion in water-treatment operations, as well as in “smart” units to optimise the level of additives being used in wastewater treatment (WWT). Great progress was achieved in both of these areas, with important verifying field-trial results and careful scientific-publication data and strong TRL-7/8 trial data.
Another core goal of the project, and especially so in the second year, was TRL-7/8 field trials, often in full industrial settings, with associated data acquisition for developing and training Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-based software models “in the wild” (i.e. outside of the laboratory as a starting point). Combined with very promising AI-model-training progress, it is clear that AquaB now has the most sophisticated suite of solar- and AI-enabled, low-energy and low-maintenance TRL-8/9 NB generators on the planet.
Reaching TRL-9 for product maturity in select models at project’s end was always a goal of the LEAR, Prof. English, when the AQUA-BUBBLES proposal was crafted in Spring 2022. AquaB has achieved this – with heartfelt thanks to the EIC.
