Project’s context & challenges
About the project
Guy Sanchez Huîtres, an oyster producer on the Étang de Thau in southern France, initially planned a conventional water-treatment train: pumps, sand filters and UV. This approach was energy-intensive and complex to operate, while the business needed reliable, high-quality water for purification.
The challenge was to secure better water quality – in filtration, purification and oxygenation – while sharply cutting energy consumption and installation complexity.
The solution
Coldep replaced the entire conventional set with a VAL AQUA line – two VAL 900 units and one VAL 1400, commissioned in 2023. The vacuum-flotation process removes fine particles, viruses, bacteria and micro-algae while managing gas exchange (CO₂, O₂), without additives.
Consolidating filtration, purification and oxygenation into a single technology cut electricity use eightfold while improving water quality.
Key figures
8x
lower electricity consumption vs. the conventional design
1000 m³/day
water treated
Customer benefits
-
Up to 8× lower electricity consumption
-
Superior water quality in filtration and purification
-
Improved oxygenation of the water
-
One technology replacing pumps, sand filters and UV
Scope of supply
- VAL AQUA line: 2 × VAL 900 and 1 × VAL 1400
- Integration replacing pumps, sand filtration and UV treatment
- Engineering, installation and commissioning
Applied solutions
- Vacuum flotation (VAL AQUA) for shellfish purification water
- Combined particle extraction and gas exchange (CO₂ / O₂) without additives
- Single-line consolidation of filtration, purification and oxygenation
- Energy-efficient operation (~8× lower electricity)
"The initial plans called for the conventional technologies of pumps, sand filters and UV treatment. Swapping that whole set for VAL AQUA alone gave us eight times lower electricity consumption, and superior water quality in filtration and purification as well as oxygenation. "