Abigail Klein Leichman
June 11, 2014, Updated June 25, 2014
Mapal's Zeev Fisher and United Utilities' Tony Conway
Mapal’s Zeev Fisher and United Utilities’ Tony Conway.

Israel’s Mapal Green Energy signed its third contract in the United Kingdom to provide its Floating Fine Bubble Aeration (FFBA) system for wastewater treatment.

United Utilities, the UK‘s largest water company, supplies some seven million homes in northwest England. Mapal’s FFBA will be installed at United Utilities’ Horwich plant to make it more energy-efficient.

Mapal’s solutions also were recently chosen by British water companies Anglian Water, supplying around six million homes, and Thames Water, supplying around 14 million customers in the London area.

United Utilities announced that it will use 16 of Mapal’s units to upgrade its current system, which depends on traditional fixed mechanical aerators. The company has budgeted for upgrades at dozens of additional wastewater treatment plants.

Dale Walker, senior engineering manager for United Utilities, said the Mapal system “will provide a number of benefits in addition to attractive power savings, and may provide a financially viable lower-cost solution compared to traditional installations for small- to medium-sized surface aeration plants.”  

Walker noted that the system can be retrofitted to existing plants and installed without requiring major shutdowns of the existing plant. The equipment is also readily accessible for maintenance purposes.

Mapal's Floating Fine Bubble Aeration system.
Mapal’s Floating Fine Bubble Aeration system.

Mapal’s innovative system is expected to deliver the same or improved process performance but with up to 70 percent less power.

Mapal Green Energy CEO Zeev Fisher commented, “The last couple of installations have proven the technology beyond expectations, which is why we keep getting more requests from British water organizations and manufacturing enterprises interested in our FFBA system, to achieve significant savings of operation costs in energy and maintenance.”

Mapal’s unique technology, invented by Hanoch Magen, is operating in more than 35 installations in Israel and worldwide. These installations are in South Africa, Brazil and the UK, and soon in Denmark as well. Mapal UK was accepted as a member of British Water, the UK’s leading trade body.

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