It doesn't look that complicated, this collection
of hardware store materials, but it may represent a breakthrough in cleaning up polluted water
near coal mines. (nat sound: water bubbling in pipe) Even more compelling - this device is actually
a revived 16th century technology that uses no electricity and requires little maintenance. Call it simple and sustainable - this is a
trompe. Water comes in here and falls down a vertical
pipe. At the same time, air is entrained and the
velocity of the water carries the air bubbles down to the bottom here, where we change direction,
and the pipe enlarges. The water bubbles then float to the top and
are captured in these reservoirs. Then the water without air comes out the discharge
pipe and is discharged here. In turn, the bubbling air oxidizes the iron
in the water, which then settles out -- leaving the water clean. Leavitt first encountered a trompe -- the
largest known in the world - in the 1970s as an engineering student. We were on a trip in Canada, driving past
the Ragged Chutes air compressor and they pointed out of the bus and said "yeah, they
use falling water to compress the air and they use the air from that compressor to run
the rock drills in the mines of Cobalt, Ontario. But the trompe's history goes back to the
1600s, when ancient engineers realized falling water could capture and compress air, and
make it usable. Later on, Spanish engineers refined the process
for iron forging. In 2010, OSM issued a call for proposals for
ideas on how to clean up polluted minewater, preferably off the electric grid, at lower
costs, and with a potential for wide use. That's when Leavitt remembered his visit in
the 70's. It was largely a forgotten technology, because
once electricity came along, the need for this type of an air compressor disappeared
because it's not mobile. The irony is that the same reason people abandoned
using trompes is why it's attractive for use here - it doesn't need electricity or any
other power - just water and gravity. The first time we read the proposal, it was
just awesome. It was well received, it was innovative, it
was simple. And it was applicable to many regions across
our country that have these types if issues, these mine drainage issues, so it fit many
categories for us. Better yet, the materials needed to build
a trompe are all off the shelf, ready to use. You can buy most of the parts at Home Depot. As a result, Leavitt succeeded in winning
an Applied Sciences grant from OSM to begin developing the device. But then, another problem arose - a big one. Just about two years ago in July, I was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer. To keep things moving, Leavitt asked several
non-profit and commercial groups to step in and handle the heavier lifting. In the meantime, he faced surgeries and chemotherapy
and a long recovery. They took a bunch of pieces and parts out,
and so far, we're optimistic. In March the full scale trompe went online,
moving compressed bubbling air into polluted minewater. While it may look like the opposite is happening,
the rusty coloration means the air is oxidizing the iron. In other words - it's removing it. Now, with the proof of concept underway and
early results promising, Leavitt hopes to offer trompe design and development to other
mining and clean water groups. I think our watershed groups are going to
love it -- the non profit groups that spend their time and money to develop passive water
treatment systems. I think it's going to work for the abandoned
mine land sites, where our states go in to do projects, and I think it's potentially
good for industry -- that industry will be able to further develop their treatment systems. It's the kind of innovation OSM seeks - and
sponsors - in its mission to protect people and the environment. For the U.S. Department of the Interior and
the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, I'm Chris Holmes.
