Ultraviolet light-emitting diode maker Sensor Electronic Technology Inc (SETi) of Columbia, SC, USA and Cascade Designs Inc of Seattle, WA, USA, which manufactures equipment for outdoor applications, have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop the next generation of portable water purification systems for commercial, military and disaster relief/humanitarian applications. The water purification systems will take advantage of SETi’s germicidal UV LEDs to provide potable water to small groups from any source of fresh water anywhere.
SETi says that germicidal UV LEDs represent new technology that offers an alternative to mercury lamps or chemical treatment and enables a compact, lightweight and mechanically robust disinfection solution that can stand up to the rigors of military and humanitarian use and, when powered with an alternative energy source, can offer a sustainable source of drinking water for many months.
Through a development program funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), SETi has already demonstrated the use of its germicidal UV LEDs in a bench-top disinfection chamber. The collaborative effort with Cascade Designs will further this work and targets development of the first multi‐stage UV LED‐based water purification system.
Cascade Designs has 40 years of experience developing and manufacturing products for the outdoor and military markets. Under the MSR (Mountain Safety Research) and Platypus brand names, it has a significant share of the portable, point‐of‐use water treatment market. The firm is the standard‐issue supplier of sleep pads, snowshoes, camp stoves, and on‐the‐move water treatment systems for the US Army and Marine Corps.
Together, the companies believe that UV LEDs, combined with proprietary filtration and absorption technologies, will have breakthrough potential for the military and humanitarian relief efforts.
“With SETi’s UV LED technology and our experience in designing and manufacturing a broad range of water treatment products, we believe we can develop revolutionary new water treatment systems that will advance the work we’re already doing to supply the US military and bring sustainable relief to people around the world who lack potable water,” says Cascade Designs’ president Joe McSwiney.
"With a strong track record of taking new technologies to market, Cascade Designs is the obvious choice for SETi to partner with,” comments SETi’s president & CEO Dr Remis Gaska. “This collaborative effort will demonstrate the effectiveness in UV LEDs for disinfection and will not only address the need of the public sector markets, but will also pave the way for the development of UV LED‐based disinfection products in the private sector.”
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