Dec. 4, 2001, Bozeman, MT — Novel water purification membranes being co-developed by Osmotek Inc. of Albany, OR, and NASA Ames Research Center have the potential to efficiently and reliably treat water for space travel and, on Earth, to effectively treat industrial or contaminated water.
Osmotek recently signed an agreement with NASA Ames to test and further develop their Direct Osmotic Concentration (DOC) water treatment membranes for potential use for life support on future human space flight missions. The MSU TechLink Center in Bozeman, which is funded in part by NASA to help private companies in the northwestern U.S. gain access to space age technology, linked Osmotek with the Ames Research Center, which develops special technology to support space travel in its state-of-the-art scientific laboratories.
Water has not been found in sufficient quantity in space to support human life so future space dwellers will have to bring their water with them. Once in space, conservation of potable water will be the key to survival. Every precious drop of water, including wastewater, will be recycled and treated. The filtration and purification systems that treat water will have to be effective, reliable, and efficient to continue supporting life.
Osmotek uses a pioneering approach to water purification that mimics the process of osmosis in the human body. In osmosis, fluid passes from one side of a permeable filter to another, seeking balance. Such processes occur throughout nature to maintain salinity balances in living organisms. Osmotek's filtration system uses a finely engineered membrane and operates through the process of osmosis and reverse osmosis. Osmotek's DOC system was successfully demonstrated for NASA under the terms of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. The demonstration project led to further collaboration and the recently signed agreement for testing.
In the demonstration project, the DOC system successfully filtered a large quantity of wastewater containing a mixture of urine, shower water and humidity condensate, the same type of wastes that would be found in wastewater on the space station. In the new project, researchers at NASA Ames and the University of Nevada will jointly assess the effectiveness and longevity of the DOC system under rigorous conditions, such as those of space travel. The research has application on Earth, too, for commercial treatment of industrial wastewater.
Osmotek has recently introduced several other novel membrane technologies to the water treatment marketplace. One new technology is an oil and water separation membrane. This high performance, low-cost technology makes it possible to separate water and oil in oil emulsions or oil-contaminated waters. The membrane also has proven to be uniquely resistant to most organic solvents and thus can be used effectively to treat water contaminated with organic solvents.
Another of Osmotek's novel water treatment technologies is a low-cost, lifesaving water purification membrane bag for military or civilian use. The bag can be placed into nearly any water source and in less than two hours, it will produce approximately two liters of hydrating drink. Protein, sugar, vitamins and electrolytes can be built in to the system to provide nourishment for a soldier in the field, or medications can be built in for disaster victims. The bags are lightweight and portable. They have no moving parts and require no intervention on the part of the operator.
The research and development work that Osmotek is undertaking with NASA Ames will continue through 2002.
TechLink is located at Montana State University in Bozeman and is funded also by the Department of Defense. TechLink's mission is to link companies in Montana and the surrounding region with federal laboratories for joint research and technology transfer. Its overriding purpose is to contribute to the success of both technology-based companies and key resource-based industries in the state and region. More information on TechLink is available at the web site, www.montana.edu/techlink.
