Water Purification

Water Purification

With increasing demand placed on the world’s limited supply of fresh water, there is growing interest in generating it from non-fresh water sources, such as sea water and gray water, a component of most waste water streams.   The desalination and removal of dissolved solids is arguably the most difficult and energy intensive component of any water purification strategy.  The most common method used for this, Reverse osmosis, is costly and problematic due to system fouling and high energy consumption.  It is also not very efficient, recovering only 80% of contaminated water. Furthermore, It is also ineffective at removing certain contaminants which may have toxic effects.

Our system can either replace or compliment reverse osmosis, to reduce the amount of dissolved solids to levels far below EPA recommended levels, and recover 95% or more of water.   When used alone, our proof of concept system has demonstrated its ability to purify gray water for reuse, lowering dissolved solids to below EPA established limits, with most lowered to undetectable levels.  Because it does not require high operating pressure, it reduces energy consumption, does not foul, and has up to a 95% treated water yield.   The technology is easily scaled, allowing the construction of units of sizes suited from household use to industrial waste water recovery.

The potential market for our system is extensive, particularly in situations where the collection and reuse of gray water would be a benefit, such as marine vessels, temporary settlements such as relief camps, food and beverage manufacturers, and households in where water conservation is required or encouraged.