Mexican scientists have developed a unique “nanobubble” system using solar power to improve water quality in the canals of Mexico City’s Xochimilco Ecological Area, a popular tourist attraction.
Mexico City officials have focused on cleaning up the long-polluted waters of Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the few areas in the capital that still boasts a canal network dating back to Aztec times.
A team of researchers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Synwestv) has developed a method using solar power to activate a pump that sends cleaning “nanobubbles” into water. According to Synwest researcher Refugio Rodriguez Vazquez, the bubbles help oxygenate the water, eliminate harmful pollutants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to healthier flora and fauna.
“We’ve seen in places where we’ve seen a good spread of Montezuma frog bubbles,” Rodriguez said, referring to one of the amphibian species native to Mexico. Xochimilco is known for its “chinampas,” floating beds of agricultural produce cultivated by the Aztecs in the 14th century to feed the population of the pre-Hispanic city. Rodriguez said, the Nanobubble system enables local farmers to “work on their chinampas and make them productive with clean environments and conditions.”
The Cinewestv team said the nanobubble system is also being implemented in two water treatment plants. This could potentially be replicated in other waterways in Mexico City, where water quality is considered poor and supplies are often at the mercy of drought.
Hoss swims as members of a team of researchers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Sinwestv) as part of a project to clean polluted water in the canals of Xochimilco in Mexico City, Mexico August 20, 2021 Let’s examine a water system. (Reuters)
Solar panels powering the nanobubble technology sit atop Xochimilco’s famed “trageneras,” which shuttle tourists via boats. They also provide electricity on the ship.
“It can give us greater advantage in both national and international tourism,” said Miguel Poblano Lugo, a Tragenera service provider. “People who bring their cell phones and don’t have batteries can recharge them right there.”
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