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Floriculture: nanobubble technology to improve water quality
Italian flower exporter significantly improves water quality and soil structure with nanobubble technology. Michele Alfano: “I recommend nanobubble technology of Moleaer to other producers, not only in the flower industry”.
“Thanks to the nanobubble generator, we can always have clean water without chemical treatment. We can see the efficiency of this well-treated and well-oxygenated water cycle after cycle” – said Michele Alfano, technical director of Spais Fiori, a flower producer in Sicily. The company has been in operation for over two generations with over 30 hectares of flowers including Chrysanthemums, Lisianthus, Limonium, Carnations, and Gypsophila, and has a constant need of clean, oxygenated irrigation water for its intensive operation.
Moleaer’s nanobubble technology improves the quality of the irrigation water by increasing dissolved oxygen and injecting hundreds of millions of electrochemically charged nanobubbles that alter the properties of water to deliver multiple benefits for the plant development. The patented technology has been validated by many universities and research institutions in the US and Europe, and by more than 500 greenhouses worldwide.
“Since the installation of the Moleaer unit – pointed out the producer -, the dissolved oxygen level went up from 7 ppm to 25-30 ppm, and they have observed better and healthier root development and plant vigor, and a cleaner irrigation line, amongst other benefits”.
The nanobubble generator has been in use by Spais Fiori for about a year and has brought various indirect and direct benefits.
“The first benefit is seen in the irrigation system throughout the greenhouse – revealed the entrepreneur -, including hoses and drippers, which are well cleaned from any biofilm or impurities, and the water appears more transparent and clearer. Another advantage we can clearly see from the nanobubble generator is that the soil surface becomes softer, and the root system is definitely more developed, with the presence of white and uniform secondary root hairs”.
Increased dissolved oxygen levels maximize oxygen utilization by plants and beneficial microbes in the rhizosphere, promoting healthy root development and improving plants’ resilience to environmental stressors such as drought and heat. Nanobubbles also produce a natural, mild oxidant when they encounter contaminants in the water, reducing water-borne pathogens and algae. Their hard, stable shell allows them to abrade biofilm from irrigation systems and coat piping walls to limit new accumulation – improving system hygiene and reducing treatment costs.
“It is definitely a tool that I recommend to other producers – concluded Alfano -, not only in the flower industry, but especially to those who have problems with soil compaction, poor soil oxygenation, and issues with algae or biofilm in their irrigation systems”.
Moleaer develops industrial-scale nanobubble technology that delivers extraordinary improvements in chemical-free water treatment, sustainable food production, and the recovery of natural resources.
