Hydraloop, an Innovative Home Wastewater Treatment Plant

We have covered a slew of wastewater treatment plants, from water filtering technologies inspired by the gills of manta rays to bacterial solutions for wastewater treatment. However, this is probably the first time that we come across a domestic water recycling unit. But, in a way, it was a matter of time. Hydraloop, as the company and its line of home appliances is called, belongs to a new decentralization trend. Electricity, with the arrival of solar PV panels and wall-mounted batteries would be one of the clearest examples. Hydraloop’s water recycling technology was graced with an innovation award at the CES Las Vegas 2020 tech show.    

At a first glance, Hydraloop’s home wastewater plant looks like a sleek futurist fridge, but it hosts a range of advanced technologies that enable substantial water savings. Following a ten-year research cycle, its developers have implemented six water purification methods: sedimentation, flotation, dissolved air flotation, foam fractionation and an aerobic Bioreactor, as well as a UV light disinfection system. The outcome is the reuse of up to 85 percent of the water consumed in a home, with a 45 percent reduction of water consumed from the mains and a further 45 percent reduction on sewage emissions. Additionally, it reduces the carbon footprint by 6 percent. We should introduce a caveat though; the recycled water is not used for drinking. Instead it can be used for showers, washing machine cycles, toilet flushing or swimming pools. There is also a unit specifically designed to water the garden.

The initial goal of this technology project was to develop a low-cost domestic wastewater plant with low maintenance and intuitive handling. Thus, as pointed out by its developers, Hydraloop can be installed as easily as a washing machine. It is also a self-cleaning device and, if there are any malfunctions, the device automatically draws water from the mains instead. As it is an always online machine, it alerts customer support in the event of any failures. Finally, this home wastewater plant includes an app for the optimization of water consumption.

Wastewater treatment without electricity

While not as advanced as Hydraloop’s solution, there are other domestic technologies for wastewater treatment. Some of them can process water, also known as desludging, without the need for electricity thanks to an aerobic treatment. These water purification technologies, however, are more suited for countryside homes with cesspools and lacking conventional sewage systems.   

Of course, all these wastewater treatment solutions are fully compatible with a more sustainable use of water, which is an increasingly valuable asset. The old tips of taking showers instead of baths, placing a bottle in the toilet tank, filling up washing machines or closing the tap as soon as possible remain current.  

Fuente: Electrek