Apogee Corporation is addressing the problem of developing a process for the production of potable water at sufficiently high capacity and low cost to be suitable in farm production. We have conceived of an innovative desalination process named ECS and provided a proof of concept and demonstrated technical feasibility of developing a practical device. This device will be operating in a dynamic mode, in which impure water is continuously fed in and purified water and waste continuously removed. The ECS process can reduce the concentration of salt to levels 100 times lower than a prior art method. Because it is highly efficient and a membraneless process, ECS shows early signs of becoming economically competitive with Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Electrodialysis (ED). In Phase I the overall objective is to resolve any critical technical issues prior to undertaking the construction of a practical ECS prototype in Phase II. The specific objectives call for developing the capability of removing all common dissolved minerals found in brackish waters and for increasing the capability and energy efficiency to minimize the process cost. The effort will consist of conducting studies on components which we have identified as promising to achieve Phase-I objectives. The tests will include desalination performance on individual salts and then on samples of brackish waters containing a mixture of dissolved minerals. We anticipate a successful development of the enhancements needed to proceed with the Phase II effort, because of the availability and known performance characteristics of the selected components.
Anticipated Results:Potential commercial applications include production of potable water for farm applications and for public utility; purification of agricultural products; recovery of useful organic and biological materials from agricultural byproducts; toxic and radioactive waste treatment; recovery of valuable materials from wastes; and concentration of wastes for disposal. Government applications may include mobile or land- based production of potable water and the cleanup of waste water ponds containing heavy metal wastes or radioactive contaminants.
