Efficient water circulation and aeration are central to achieving productivity, resilience, and environmental sustainability in modern aquaculture systems. However, conventional pumping and aeration technologies remain constrained by their high energy demand, frequent operation outside their optimal efficiency range, mechanical wear, and costly maintenance. Moreover, most existing designs of these technologies were originally developed for general water and wastewater applications rather than tailored to the unique hydrodynamic and biological requirements of aquaculture, limiting their scalability and long-term reliability. As aquaculture operations scale toward larger and more intensive systems, increasing attention to energy efficiency, environmental impact, and regulatory restrictions has accelerated the need for more sustainable water movement technologies.
Our approach focuses on leveraging advances in multiphase flow research to develop engineered airlift systems that uses gas–liquid dynamics to simultaneously move and aerate water without any moving mechanical components. Building on the exceptionally simple yet powerful technology first introduced by German engineer Carl Emanuel Loschge in 1797, airlift pumps remain a remarkable example of engineering elegance, achieving complex fluid transport using only gas injection and buoyancy-driven flow. Its beauty lies in its simplicity: no moving parts, minimal maintenance, and an inherent ability to combine water circulation and aeration within a single, energy-efficient process. This sustainable concept continues to inspire modern designs across the nuclear, oil and gas, and mining industries, and with proper adaptation can address today’s sustainability and scalability challenges in aquaculture.
This presentation will introduce the fluid dynamic principles underlying airlift operation, from flow stability and gas–liquid interactions to mass transfer and system optimization. Through selected case studies, it will demonstrate how airlift-based designs are transforming aquaculture infrastructure, offering scalable, low-maintenance, and energy-efficient solutions for sustainable global food production.