Lightweight, Small Volume, CO2 Removal Technology for Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA) and Undersea Platforms: An Advanced Nanotechnology Resolut

We will employ the very latest methods in nanotechnology to realize vastly improved CO2 scrubbing efficiency in closed cycle underwater breathing apparatuse(UBA). Our system will occupy minimal volume, will be simple in design and will employ benign nano-particles as the CO2 active scrubbing material. Due to the design, CO2 uptake will be maximized and breathing flow resistance will kept at a minimal value over a wide temperature range, i.e. -5 degrees Celsius to over 200 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the scrubbing device will be 100% recyclable and may be replaced immediately in the field as needed by combat swimmers. We estimate that our scrubbing device will occupy less than .05 liters and will weigh less than 0.75 lbs. BENEFITS: We anticipate commercial needs in recreational diving and mine safety. Present mine safety devices employ lithium hydroxide within present escape/rescue emergency breathing devices. This is a health hazard and can be efficiently replaced with our benign, lighter weight system. These systems could be made available to numerous applications where workers might be exposed to high-level CO2 environments.