Spheres for clears: Water industry backs research that could lead to low-energy water purification

摘要

THE UK WATER industry is backing research into a potential new low-energy water purification technique that uses floating glass beads. Research starting next month at Cranfield University will investigate a concept patented by its inventor Barrie Wpodbridge, in which the beads are incorporated into a floc - a clump of solids formed during the purification process. The floating spheres themselves are of a type currently used in a number of industrial and engineering applications, such as forming lightweight solid structures when mixed with a resin.