Shuya Yoshioka
Ritsumeikan University
Shiga, Japan
Human activity steals oxygen from natural water sources such as lakes and this oxygen-deficient water often contains high levels of toxic substances such as metals and organic material. Thus the number of lakes that can be used as a source of water is reduced, straining the available resources and creating a need for water-treatment plants of water which can have negative impacts when powered using fossil fuels.
Treating this oxygen-deficient water can be done by injecting oxygen microbubbles into the water to oxidize the metals and cause them to precipitate and stimulate the activity of mircro-organisms that breach down organic material. In testing the volume of microbubbles needed and the appropriate size of those bubbles, a team at Ritsumeikan University in Japan used COMSOL Multiphysics to predict all environmental phenomena having an impact on the body of water (wind, water flow, temperature, chemical reactions, and diffusion).
The team was able to test optimal depth and location for the introduction of the microbubbles in the Sounoseki Dam and is now using COMSOL Multiphysics to apply this process in other locations.
Suggested Stories
Innovative Packaging Design for Electronics in Extreme Environments
Power electronics appear in many everyday products, including smartphones, electronic car parts, and household ...
Addressing Oil Spill Cleanup Using Hydrophobic Meshes
Engineers at Amphos 21 tested a new solution for different oil spill scenarios, hydrophobic meshes, with numerical ...
Investigating Vibroacoustic Properties in Moth Wings for Acoustic Camouflage
Researchers at the University of Bristol modeled the acoustic camouflaging properties of moth wing scales to gain a ...
Understanding the Origin of Uncertainty in Thermometer Calibration
Thermometers have widespread application and like any measurement device, they must be calibrated. Many do this with ...
