Virtuous technology... and three-in-one
Not requiring much energy and land — thanks to its columns that are four to six meters high for a footprint of only one to four square meters —, the Vacuum AirLift also provides three key functions in water treatment alone. “historically provided by three distinct technologies”, as Sébastien Latz notes.
The first of these is particulate extraction, which removes mineral matter present in suspension in water, in the same way as organic particles: viruses, bacteria and other microalgae. The second concerns the rebalancing of gases dissolved in water, ensuring its oxygenation in the process. Finally, the third is mechanical: by setting in motion the bodies of water that it involves, VAL technology makes it possible to do without many of the pumps that were hitherto essential to water treatment installations. In fact, its basic principle consists in partially vacuuming the core of the technology — the column — combined with air injection. Conditions that will then mechanically lead to hydraulic circulation. According to the figures put forward by Coldep, VAL thus makes it possible to reduce by three to five times (depending on the configuration and the treatment objectives targeted) the electrical consumption associated with the movement of the water to be treated by three to five times, compared to conventional pumping equipment. All of this, with flow rates of up to several hundreds of m3/h.
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