The air lift pump is an important component of our floating wetlands growing environment. The pump's role is to move - or recycle - water within the growing environment, oxygenating it as it does so.
An air lift is used in the test tank environment and, if the floating wetlands eventually moves into production in the Lagoon, one or more such pumps could be used to help oxygenate water around the floating pontoons or, perhaps, near the duck pond.
To help everyone understand how the air lift works, we commissioned a simple, scaled down model constructed from clear PVC.
The air lift pump creates air bubbles at the base of a vertical cylinder filled with water. The bubbles create sufficient pressure to raise the water then pipe it horizontally for a distance provided there is no rise in level / head. The pump is highly energy efficient, quiet, and ideal for recirculating water in a flat, water filled body such as a tank, pond or lagoon.
Environment Officer David Hellot demonstrates a see-through educational model of the air lift pump designed by his NBC Coasts & Catchments team.
Further information about the Floating Wetlands pilot is provided under 'Projects' on the main menu of our website's homepage.