A Dual-Stage Filtration System for the Removal of Nuclear and Chemical Agents from Water

"Water may be the most important necessity for survival on the battlefield. Therefore, the military must be capable of treating any water source in the world. These sources include fresh and brackish water, seawater, and water contaminated with nuclear,biological, and chemical warfare agents. The current technology used for water purification in the military is reverse osmosis (RO). The RO membranes, however, are not able to produce water that meets the current respective military drinking waterstandards for each chemical agent. Therefore, the Army has added a polishing step to reduce the amount of each contaminant below the maximum permissible level. The Army is, however, interested in alternative polishing treatments that have advantages overthe current technology. The aim of this Phase I proposal is to construct and test an alternative water polishing unit in the form of a dual-stage water purification system that will produce water to meet the current military drinking water standards forremoval of various contaminants. The Phase I Option will position the technology closer to the building and testing of a prototype device. Work could then begin on a scaled-up version of the water purification system at the start of the Phase IIresearch. The water filtration technology will have a large capacity to remove nuclear, chemical, and biological agents from water. It will be made to be compact, light, and energy efficient. A p