SBIR-STTR Award

Portable Electric Capacitive Desalination
Award last edited on: 2/1/2013

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : Army
Total Award Amount
$455,243
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
A09-116
Principal Investigator
Alex Kolessov

Company Information

Physical Optics Corporation (AKA: POC~Mercury Mission Systems, LLC)

1845 West 205th Street
Torrance, CA 90501
   (310) 320-3088
   info@pocsports.com
   www.poc.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 43
County: Los Angeles

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2010
Phase I Amount
$69,987
To address the Army need for a man portable desalinator, supporting the Individual Soldier On-The-Move Hydration system, and compatible with the currently employed modular lightweight load-bearing equipment pack (MOLLE), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Portable Electric Capacitive Desalination (PECAD) system, based on the separation of salts from water by the alternating electric polarization of porous electrodes (capacitive deionization), producing drinkable water that exceeds the quality standards outlined in the U.S. Army guidelines. The system will weigh less than 2.5 lb, including a battery pack, with the batteries in a volume less than 100 in.^3. Its operation is automatic and self-recharging, using only natural sourced brackish water supplied at the device’s inlet. The simple design of the device and absence of any high-pressure components guarantees low manufacture cost and long lifetime. In Phase I, POC will build a benchtop prototype for evaluating the desalination efficiency of this approach. Experience gained from these tests will be utilized in constructing an optimized deployable prototype in Phase II.

Keywords:
Desalination, Man Portable, Electric, Capacitive Deionization, Drinking Water

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2011
Phase II Amount
$385,256
To address the Army’s need for a man-portable desalinator to support the Individual Soldier On-The-Move Hydration System, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has developed a Portable Electric Capacitive Desalination (PECAD) system. PECAD is based on the innovative implementation of capacitive deionization: separation of salt from water by electric polarization of porous electrodes, which produces drinkable water that exceeds the quality standards outlined in the U.S. Army’s guidelines. In Phase I, POC built a system prototype and demonstrated the feasibility of the approach by desalinating seawater (36,000 ppm TDS) with >98% salt rejection rate (

Keywords:
Desalination, Man Portable, Electric, Capacitive Deionization, Drinking Water