Evaluation of the new energy-efficient hot bubble pilot plant (HBPP) for water sterilization from the livestock farming industry

Abstract

Effluent and water management, in particular inactivating pathogens, have become more critical for the livestock farming industry, from both public health and business efficiency perspectives. The new hot bubble pilot plant (HBPP) uses hot air and hot combustion gases to produce hot bubbles that successfully inactivated Escherichia coli C-3000 (ATCC15597) in the lab, in different synthetic effluents and later at the farm using naturally occurring bacteria such as Salmonella, E.coli, Thermotolerant coliforms, and Cyanophyta and protozoa spores (oocysts and cysts) from Giardia and Cryptosporidium from piggery effluent.Many industries, such as pig farms, landfills, biogas power plants, and coal power plants, emit large amounts of hot combustion gases. The potential use of these hot combustion gases (waste) to produce hot bubbles in a bubble column reactor offers a new energy-efficient water sterilization process that fits within the circular economy principals by using waste gases as an input for the system. This new technology would then be able to compete with other water-disinfection technologies, such as UV irradiation, ozonation, and even chlorination, due to its low operating costs and high energy efficiency.