AquaB Nanobubble Innovations has been named in the top three companies at the prestigious Colorado Cleantech Oil & Gas Challenge, finishing ahead of more than 40 competing companies from around the world in a competition that spotlights breakthrough technologies for the energy sector.
The global technology-scouting competition, held in Denver in late September, sought clean-tech innovations that tackle the oil and gas sector's toughest operational challenges. AquaB was selected for its groundbreaking approach to enhanced oil recovery, gas engineering, and water stewardship applications.
Pitching to Industry Leaders
Professor Niall English, CTO of AquaB, represented the company at the live pitch event where a dozen finalists presented to leading operators, service companies, and investors. The Challenge specifically targeted technologies addressing air and methane management, carbon capture utilisation and storage, digital oilfield solutions, water stewardship, and footprint reduction.
"Being recognised among the top innovators in this highly competitive global challenge validates the transformative potential of our nanobubble technology for the energy sector," said Professor English. "Our electrostriction-based approach offers the gas and oil industry a pathway to significantly improve recovery rates whilst reducing environmental impact, and water, surfactant, methane and CO2 management are our collective top concern."
Platform Technology for Multiple Applications
AquaB's nanobubble technology addresses multiple challenge categories simultaneously. The company's generators utilise static electric fields to create ultra-dense nanobubbles that can significantly enhance oil recovery efficiency while reducing the need for chemical additives.
As a platform technology, AquaB's electrostriction-based nanobubble generators offer significant potential to cut emissions, boost efficiency, and reduce operational footprints across multiple energy-sector applications. The technology's versatility was a key factor in securing the Top 3 position, demonstrating applications from enhanced oil recovery to water treatment and beyond.
"AquaB offering game-changing gas and oil yield, process efficiency and sustainability improvement, without any trade-off, is truly exciting," Professor English added. "The Colorado Cleantech Challenge is an invaluable platform to demonstrate how our ultra-low energy nanobubble generators can address critical challenges in the energy, renewable-energy and water sector."
The recognition comes at a pivotal moment as global energy companies seek technologies that can improve operational performance while reducing environmental impact. AquaB's technology offers a unique proposition: enhanced productivity alongside sustainability benefits.
Unlike conventional nanobubble-generation technologies that rely on high-pressure systems and membranes, AquaB's generators use electric fields to create nanobubbles with exceptional properties. This approach delivers:
- Very low power consumption – tens of Watts versus several kW
- Minimal maintenance requirements due to solid-state nature with no moving parts
- Nanobubbles that are stable for days or weeks – far exceeding the residence time of most industrial processes
- Applicability for any gas
- Chemical-free operation, working well at low pressure and with ambient air
The Colorado Cleantech success reinforces AquaB's position as a leading innovator in the cleantech space, with the company's certified nanobubble generators now ready for commercial deployment across the energy sector.
About the Colorado Cleantech Oil & Gas Challenge
The Colorado Cleantech Oil & Gas Challenge is a global technology-scouting competition that fast-tracks clean-tech solutions into the oil and natural gas value chain. The competition connects innovative companies with leading operators, service companies, and investors, providing a platform for breakthrough technologies to gain exposure, credibility, and potential commercial partnerships. Applications are welcomed worldwide, with no geographic barriers to participation.
