물과 폐수 분야에서 미국 최대 규모의 공익기업인 American Water와 네덜란드의 조류 제어 시스템 제조 업체인 LG Sonic가 비즈니스 공로상을 수상했다. 이번 수상은 뉴저지의 비(非)법인 지역인 Short Hills에 위치한 Canoe Brook 수처리 플랜트 식수 저수지에 네 개의 태양열 조류제어 부표인 ‘MPC-Buoys’를 설치한 결과이다.

 

 

 

American Water, the nation's largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, and LG Sonic, a Dutch manufacturer of algae control systems, recently received a Business Achievement Award for the installation of four solar-powered algae control buoys -- MPC-Buoys -- in a drinking water reservoir at the Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant located in the unincorporated community of Short Hills, N.J.

 

Blue-green algae can present major challenges such as health issues, fish deaths and odor problems when blooming in lakes and water reservoirs. In order to provide an environmentally friendly solution to these problems, LG Sonic developed the MPC-Buoy, a floating solar-powered platform that emits specific ultrasonic parameters to target the algae present.

 

In 2014, American Water installed four buoys in a drinking water reservoir at the Canoe Brook facility, where extensive testing was conducted. The research revealed that the buoys had a significant impact on the algae, allowing the treatment plant to reduce chemical consumption by more than 20 percent and minimize the concentration of compounds that can cause undesirable tastes and odors.

 

The MPC-Buoy is a solar-powered system that combines continuous online water quality monitoring, web-based software and ultrasonic technology to effectively control harmful algal blooms in large water surfaces, such as lakes and drinking water reservoirs. At this moment, the MPC-Buoy is installed in lakes and water reservoirs in, among other countries, the U.S., Canada, the UK, Malaysia, and Poland.

 

[출처 = Water World / 2015년 3월 13일]