Perfect pitch for five water technology innovations

The inaugural AWA Water Innovation Forum, held last week at Royal Randwick, gave technology companies the chance to put forward solutions they believe will revolutionise the water industry.

Pitches came from organisations large and small, and covered everything from valveless toilet flushing to efficient water aeration. Of the 15 pitching companies, five were selected by an expert panel to receive free exhibition space at Ozwater’15 later this year.

Instrumentation company ijinus was recognised for its wireless, real-time, autonomous monitoring solution that prevents the unnecessary cleaning of sewer networks. The sensor monitors conditions in the networks in order to determine normal conditions, since all sewers are different. When conditions are deemed abnormal, an alarm alerts the operator to the fact that the sewer needs to be cleaned.

Turning to pipe maintenance, NICTA put forth a product that takes historical failure data and translates it into prediction data. By recognising recurring patterns, the system is able to identify those pipes which are likely to be at high risk of failure. This enables utilities to prioritise maintenance of those pipes before others.

Oxyzone presented the Ozone Pipeline Disinfection System - a product that utilises naturally occurring ozone to inactivate pathogens in pipes. Developed in collaboration with Sydney Water, the system is said to provide a suitable alternative to superchlorination, which can be time-consuming, harmful to people and toxic to the environment.

Mineral processing company Calix meanwhile pitched its magnesium hydroxide liquid (MHL) coating for treating corroding infrastructure in sewerage systems. When sprayed on sewer walls, the product produces magnesium oxide particles which pop like popcorn. This maintains a high pH on the sewer walls, neutralising the sulfuric acid and preventing it from reacting with the pipe concrete.

The outlier, and winner of the People’s Choice Award, was Propeller Aerobotics for its supply of drone data to organisations operating in the water industry. Drones have the ability to provide companies with aerial data, but few of these companies know how to utilise this data. Propeller says its data formats are easy to understand, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate them into the workflow.

The five companies will be showcasing their technologies in the Innovation Hub at Ozwater’15, also organised by AWA. The water conference and trade exhibition will be held from 12-14 May at the Adelaide Convention Centre.