Tiny Bubbles, Big Impact: Cleaning Water with Less Energy

IGS Water’s new aeration device helps treatment plants cut emissions and energy use without major upgrades

12 Jul 2025

Australia’s push for greener infrastructure has reached an unlikely frontier: the wastewater treatment plant.

Melbourne-based IGS Water has unveiled a nanobubble generator that injects microscopic oxygen bubbles into wastewater, boosting dissolved oxygen without the energy demands of traditional blowers. Roughly the size of a paperback, the device fits into existing pipes, turning outdated aeration systems into high-efficiency operations almost overnight.

Company trials suggest a sharp jump in oxygen transfer and noticeable energy savings. It also helps with another sticky issue—odors. Sensors track performance in real time, feeding data to a cloud platform that helps operators tweak airflow and catch problems early.

“The aim is to make sustainability a side effect of good engineering,” says Darren Glusac, a director at IGS Water. “Utilities can meet emissions goals without tearing out perfectly good tanks.”

Those goals are fast approaching. Australia’s Climate Change Act sets a national target of 43% lower emissions than 2005 levels by 2030, and several states are imposing new standards on utilities. At the same time, climate-driven droughts, population growth and industrial output are testing treatment capacity, making smaller, smarter upgrades more attractive than costly overhauls.

Nanobubbles are gaining ground globally. Pilot programs in Europe, North America and Australia have shown similar gains in oxygen efficiency, and analysts expect a surge in aeration retrofit spending across Asia-Pacific, with nanobubble systems taking the lead.

IGS Water plans to roll out the tech nationwide over the next 18 months, starting with regional councils hit hardest by electricity costs. The company is also eyeing sectors like brewing and aquaculture, where extra oxygen can speed up biological processes and reduce waste.

If adoption continues, nanobubbles might become as common as UV lamps in treatment systems. For cash-strapped councils and climate-conscious communities, that means cleaner water, less noise and a smaller carbon footprint—all from bubbles too small to see, but big enough to make a difference.