PRESCOTT, AZ, Aug. 28, 2007 -- Vortex Corporation, a global innovator of chemical-free water and air purification products for consumer and commercial use, announced that it has been awarded a $250,000 enhancement to its current U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Advanced Research Projects Agency Small Business Innovation Research (HSARPA SBIR) contract. As a follow on to two other contracts DHS awarded Vortex within the last two years, the $250,000 contract is for the continued testing and development of chlorine-free water purification systems for municipal drinking water use. The contract supports a field trial with a major U.S. water utility, designed to prove the efficacy and robustness of the Vortex system with ground water sources containing challenging microorganisms such as Adenoviruses and Naegleria fowleri.
"Clearly, there is a significant benefit to combining UV and ozone for the defeat of microorganisms," said Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, an expert on water treatment and a Vortex partner on the DHS program. "In our laboratory we have seen at least an additive effect and many times a synergistic effect when combining UV and ozone."
Vortex's patented technology is unique in that the ozone is generated solely from a UV lamp at enhanced concentrations using proprietary methods, and the generated ozone is injected directly into the UV reactor. The approach delivers the beneficial oxidizing power of hydroxyl radicals, without the need for a separate ozone generator or an ozone contact chamber.
"Our simple design has the ability to inactivate microorganisms that UV doses four to five times higher can't eliminate," said Vortex Corporation Vice President Ron Martin. "We have the ideal solution to treating ground water, particularly in light of the recent EPA Ground Water rule."
Dr. Jim Bolton, a consultant on Vortex's DHS program and co-organizer of the 2007 World Congress on Ozone and UV Technologies that kicked off yesterday, said, "The benefits that have been demonstrated with the Vortex system is precisely why both the International UV Association (IUVA) and International Ozone Association (IOA) decided to bring the scientific community together to begin a dialogue on these combined technologies."
Taking place in Los Angeles through Aug. 29, the World Congress on Ozone and Ultraviolet Technologies is the first conference of its kind to address the benefits and synergies of ozone and ultraviolet light.
"Vortex technology has emerged as a leading choice for a scalable, cost-effective, compact and powerful water disinfection system that has proven effective against all microorganisms tested to date, and has promise to eradicate the organisms of tomorrow," said Vortex Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ray Denkewicz.
Vortex Corporation is a global innovator of chemical-free water and air treatment products. Its product portfolio is based on a patented technology platform that reproduces the photo-oxidation process that naturally occurs in the environment.
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