Apogee Corporation is addressing the topic of the present solicitation dealing with conserving water resources and restoring water quality by proposing the development of an innovative, proprietary method of potable water production on a scale much larger and cost much lower that heretofore possible. The objective is to demonstrate feasibility of developing a method of water demineralization or desalination at sufficiently high capacity and low cost to be suitable for application in farm production including irrigation of crops, watering of animals and aquaculture. The new method, named CED, is based on electrodialysis (ED). The effort consists of implementing certain major modifications in the existing method. Specifically, the approach will be to construct a CED test apparatus and to study the dependence of desalination performance on independent process parameters, especially on one which has been overlooked in the past. It is expected that at high values of this key parameter, substantial gains in the water-salt separation ratio, the rate of desalination, the volume of water produced and power efficiency will be realized, as well as the elimination of expendables - filters and membranes.Applications:It is anticipated that the CED method will be applicable to producing potable water from contaminated surface or ground water, brackish water and sea water. Because of its anticipated compact and scalable design, a variety of applications are envisioned, including backpack desalination units for personal outdoor use, mobile units for field and marine uses, and large size, commercial installations for utility production of drinking water and water for farm production.
