Above: Photos of a lake Gaalswyk used its new nanovoid technology easy on algae to clean. Photos courtesy of Mark Gaalswyk.
Fairmont – A new prototype has been developed to clean lakes and other bodies of water almost instantly. Additionally, the new technology was developed by local inventor, Mark Gaalswyk, founder and CEO of Easy Automation, Inc. in Welcome.
Gaalswyk founded Easy Automation, which provides AG software and automation to cooperatives and feed mills in 1986. Then, in 2006, he founded Easy Energy Systems where technology related to biofuels is developed. Most recently, in 2023, he founded Easy Modular Manufacturing, where easy nanovoid technology – a system that uses tiny bubbles to clean water without chemicals or filters – was developed.
“I love to invent and create,” Gaalswyk said. “I want to solve problems.”
He spoke about the problems with algae in local lakes as well as the demand for clean water around the world.
Nano Bubbles first broke the news about Gaalswyk in 2012 and was initially interested in the physics of it, in which its background lies. Interview again around 2020.
Since his sons, Chris and Brady, and general manager, Jayden Grupe, took on more management of the day-to-day operations at Easy Automation, Mark’s has had more time to develop this new technology.
Speaking about Nano Bubbles, Gaalswyk said, “There is the principle of physics that the smaller and smaller you make a bubble, the surface tension is reduced. If you make it small enough, the surface area disappears and it makes a vacuum. »
While looking further into nano-bubbles with the desire to provide clean water, Gaalswyk figured out how to fit 28,000 bubbles into the spindle of a needle.
“If you make the bubbles tiny enough, they will stay longer,” Gaalswyk said.
He explained that normal aerators in a lake make larger bubbles that dissipate quickly, but small bubbles can stay in a lake for a month. The bubbles are so small that they can only be seen with a laser beam.
“It’s the bubble that interacts with the algae and the bacteria that eats the algae that does the good,” Gaalswyk said.
The technology developed by Gaalswyk was tested by the University of Minnesota, which examined how many of its bubbles can be placed in a gallon of water and it was found that 1.67 trillion bubbles can be placed in a gallon of water. ‘water.
The oxygen bubbles specifically target algae.
“Algae can form from fertilizer runoff and then you get different forms of bacteria, the aerobic bacteria (thrives in an oxygenated environment) will eat the algae and the other form of bacteria stinks. We really want to move the good ones forward. The oxygen bubbles at the right ones are like an energy drink, “ Gaalswyk explained.
He first tested his prototype on a local pond that was green with algae. He led the unit for four days and he cleaned the pond a little, but not as much as he expected. However, when he returned later, the water was clear.
“The bubbles were there for a month and he cleaned the whole pond. I didn’t even have unity there,” Gaalswyk said.
The unit has a hose that can suck water from a lake, pond, stream or pool, put the bubbles in and put the water back out. The bubbles then spread and gradually clean the water.
“There are no chemicals, no membranes, no filters,” Gaalswyk said.
Since first testing the pond, Gaalswyk has tested it on a local lake which cleared some of it within a few days. He also tested it on some ponds at a golf course in Arizona that was dealing with major algae and odor issues. Additionally, Gaalswk tested it in a swimming pool, which also resulted in clear water.
One thing he has received questions about is how the bubbles affect the fish; However, he said a study showed that dead loss in fish had been eliminated by 90%.
“Fish like oxygen up to a certain level…we train to do a little work with the fisheries because one reason a lot of fish farms go bankrupt is because they don’t have enough oxygen. ‘oxygen in their water’, » He said.
How long the unit should run depends on the water condition. There are now four different unit sizes that have been created that can be used for different needs and come in at different price points.
The smallest unit, which is being demonstrated this week at the Minneapolis boat show, can treat 16,000 gallons of water in an hour while using three gallons of water. He thinks it’s ideal for a lake property owner or even a few neighbors to use together. The larger unit can treat entire lakes, golf courses or swimming pools.
Gaalswyk said the units can be managed as needed and the software can be monitored remotely by his company as it already does for Feed Mill technology. Running the unit is similar to running an air compressor.
In addition to cleaning water, Gaalswyk has tested the technology using nitrogen bubbles to clear oil and says it could be a game-changer for cleaning up oil spills.
Gaalswyk has heard of expressed interest in this new technology from other states and even other countries.
“Africa wants to clean up their water” He said.
Product manufacturing begins with easy automation control panels at its facility in Welcome and other assembly taking place in southern Minnesota.
He just wants people in the area to know that there are local businesses thriving and working on solutions to problems – both locally and around the world.
“I want our community to be proud that technology transforming lakes around the world is being developed and distributed around the world here in small town southern Minnesota,” Gaalswyk said.
More information and photos can be found about nanovoids online at EasyEnergySystems.com. To further commercialize the technology, Gaalswyk recently acquired publicly traded Digital Utilities Ventures, Inc. (DUTV) and will move the company to Minnesota and merge easy modular manufacturing under its umbrella.