Cost Effective Seawater Desalination With ICP Element Arrays

Okeanos Technologies is developing a desalination system that used Ion Concentration Polarization (ICP) elements and modular arrays. ICP can separate water from solutes and contaminants far more efficiently than Reverse Osmosis (RO) or Electrodialysis(ED) because no extreme hydraulic pressures or heat sources are needed. The improve efficiency translates into order of magnitude savings in operational costs ($0.20/1000L product water for ICP vs. $2-$10/1000L for PO and ED), suitability for alternate energy powered/off-grid operation, and appropriateness for remote, developing and/or disaster stricken areas. The ability of ICP to create water of potable quality with an order of magnitude cost-savings and a) its ability to remove a broad array of contaminants– salts, microorganisms, macro/microscopic debris, etc.), b) its entirely non-toxic construction, c) capability of being operated with renewable energy sources (low power consumption) and the simplicity and low maintenance of the system make ICP especially suitable for the developed word with direct implications for improving public health. With modular construction and scaling of cost benefits with respect to output, ICP is projected to out-compete RO and ED in developed, municipal settings as wee, with implication for the amelioration of upside-down budgets created in part due to high energy expenses for public utilities. We have already demonstrated proof to principle with a 1.0 version of the Okeanos Water ChipTM ICP Array element and have recently developed a highly parallelized, industrial-scale, commercial-grade 2.0 version capable of significant water production rates. In this Phase I SBIR application we propose to finish our work on the 2.0 version, specifically, to augment the design of the element to optimize performance, and ensure that our ion selective interface structure will be robust to constant water flow over time.