CSIRO Manufacturing Materials Technology has developed a simple ‘air shower’ device which, when fitted into existing showerheads, fills the water droplets with a tiny bubble of air. The result is the shower feels just as wet and just as strong as before, but now uses much less water. The device is claimed to increase the volume of the shower stream while reducing the amount of water used by about 30%.

The average Australian household uses about 200,000 litres of water a year, and showers account for nearly a third of this; the ‘air shower’ could help the average household save about 15,000-20,000 litres a year. Extend across the population, CSIRO says that is an annual saving of more than 45,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

While the general concept of using an aerated showerhead to save water is not new, the technology behind the CSIRO’s device is novel.

Developed by a team led by Dr Jie Wu, the aeration device is a small nozzle that fits inside a standard showerhead. The nozzle uses a small Venturi tube – whose diameter varies, creating a difference in pressure and fluid speed. Air is sucked into the Venturi tube as a result of the partial vacuum created, causing air and water to mix, forming tiny bubbles within the water stream.

‘The nozzle creates a vacuum that sucks in air and forces it into the water stream,’ Dr Wu said. ‘We make the water droplets in the stream hollow and the bubbles expand the volume of the shower stream.’

Small-scale experiments using the aeration device found that people detected no difference in water pressure, sensation, or overall perception of showering.

After almost two years of research and development, CSIRO is ready to take the aerated showerhead technology to the commercial stage.

‘We have very promising results on the aerated showerhead’s water-saving potential. Now we are looking for commercialisation partners who will be involved in the development needed to turn the technology into a marketable device,’ Dr Wu said.