Cavitation-based nanobubble generators will be installed as part of the water piping system on the Pori campus. The aim is to study the effect of oxygen nanobubbles produced by hydrodynamic cavitation technology on biofilms and water quality. The project will investigate the benefits of the technology, for example in keeping the water supply network clean.
The impact of nanobubbles on biofilms in building water supply systems will be studied as part of the project "Management of biofilms in water systems using hydrodynamic cavitation technology". The pilot installations will make use of existing biofilm collectors in the campus water supply system. Biofilm collectors are sections of pipe that can be separated by valves from the rest of the water pipe for sampling. The collectors can be removed from the water pipe and replaced with new ones to allow water and biofilm sampling. The selected biofilm collectors are fitted with a nanobubble generator that produces nanobubbles in the water.
The collectors have been in the water system for several years, so they have developed a biofilm. A biofilm is a microbial community surrounded by a layer of mucus that has formed on the surface of a pipe or collector. The effect of the nanobubbles on the biofilm in the waterpipe and its bacterial population can be seen in biofilm samples. By analysing the biofilm layers, changes in corrosion and the amount of calcification can also be detected.
The project "Management of biofilms in water systems using hydrodynamic cavitation technology" has started in 2022 and has been funded by the South Savo ELY Centre and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as part of the Water Competence Growth and Internationalisation Programme. The Water Competence Growth and Internationalisation Programme is part of Finland's Sustainable Growth Programme, funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU). The project aims to demonstrate the impact of nanobubbles on microbial reduction in pipelines, prevention of lime scale and corrosion.
More information:
Jussi Tamminen
jussi.tamminen@samk.fi