OXYGEN EXTRACTION FOR LIFE SUPPORT IN A CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENT

CURRENT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR A CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENT FILTER OUT CONTAMINATES AND ALLOW AIR TO ENTER THE INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE PROTECTION ENVIRONMENT. THIS WORKS WELL FOR KNOWN CONTAMINATES BUT MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO UNKNOWN CHEMICALS. SELECTIVELY CAPTURING THE OXYGEN WITHOUT REGARD TO THE ENVIRONMENT WOULD HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF PROTECTION. SINCE 1985, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAS CONTRACTED WITH AQUANAUTICS CORPORATION TO EXTRACT DISSOLVED OXYGEN FROM SEAWATER WITH A UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVING MOLECULAR ENGINEERING AND ELECTROCHEMISTRY. THIS PROCESS CAN BE MODIFIED FOR AIR SEPARATION. THE COMPANY IS JOINTLY DEVELOPING AN AIR SEPARATION PROCESS FOR LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIAL OXYGEN PRODUCTION WITH LIQUID AIR CORPORATION, THE WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF INDUSTRIAL GASES. IT WAS ALSO SELECTED BY NASA TO EXTRACT OXYGEN FROM THE MARS. FOR PHASE I, AQUANAUTICS WILL PERFORM A FEASIBILITY ENGINEERING STUDY FOR HIGH ALTITUDE APPLICATIONS. THE ARMY CAN APPLY THIS TECHNOLOGY WITH ONLY A SMALL INCREMENTAL INVESTMENT BECAUSE AQUANAUTICS HAS ALREADY INVESTED MORE THAN $7 MILLION IN R&D. AQUANAUTICS HAS DEMONSTRATED DRAMATIC TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS WITH A TEAM OF TWENTY PROFESSIONALS, OF WHOM TEN HOLD PH.D. DEGREES. THE COMPANY HAS SBIR EXPERIENCE AND THE FACILITIES TO CONDUCT THE SCOPE OF WORK.