With recirculation of drain water, the risk of spread of bacteria, fungi and viruses arises. A drain water sterilizer can limit this spread. A sterilizer kills the bacteria, fungi and viruses that are harmful to your plants. At the same time, the sterilizer preserves the oxygen and the fertilizer (the nutrients) in the water.
Enerdes water sterilizers can save you a vast amount of water and money every year.
How a water sterilizer works:
- Water is acidified to a pH of approx. 4.5
- The drain water is heated quickly to a minimum of 85°C, at least 3 times
- 99.9% of the viruses and bacteria are killed
- The drain water is cooled down and neutralized to a pH of approx. 7
- The sterile water can be used for irrigation
Water must be acidified before it is heated otherwise the heat exchanger would quickly be filled with calcium deposits. After this, the water is heated up until all pathogens and microbes are killed. Before the water can be used as sterile irrigation water, it must be cooled down sufficiently and it must be neutralized to a pH of approximately 7 again. After this, the water is perfectly safe to use. Additional nutrients and fertilizer can be added for the plants, and the sterile irrigation water is distributed over the greenhouse.
Responsible drain water sterilizer
To increase the efficiency of the sterilizer, the heat which is released during the cooling of the sterilized water is being used to:
- heat up cold supply water
- heat polluted water
This reduces the energy consumption to a minimum.