Dais Analytic secures funding for wastewater treatment technology development

Technology provider Dais Analytic has received a $1m grant under the US Army’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme to continue with the development of its NanoClear water clearing separation application.

The application is equipped with the firm’s Aqualyte nanomaterials, which is a patented membrane used to clean contaminated grey-water sources.

The NanoClear grant project is entitled as ‘Non-Fouling Water Reuse Technologies.’

Dais NanoClear programme project manager Abram Nashed said: "Two key attributes of the Aqualyte(TM) nanomaterial make the NanoClear application highly resistant to fouling, a common issue that leads to failure and downtime in other technologies.

"The pore-free nature of Aqualyte eliminates locations that are prone to fouling, while the novel surface chemistry of the polymer makes it difficult for contaminants to attach to the material."

SBIR has contributed for the project based on the firm’s previous innovations and initiatives taken for potable water generation.

Dais plans to launch first commercial water filtration module by June this year.

The additional SBIR funding will increase the scope of the innovation to compete in the growing contaminated water separation and wastewater industry, starting from 2016, the company said.

Dais chief technology officer Brian Johnson said: "Our approach is radically different from today’s water purification technologies. Our unique membrane selectively absorbs the water molecules into nanometer-sized regions within the solid plastic that act as channels to promote the flow of the water molecules through the membrane.

"With these unique channels, we are able to process pure water without the high pressures required in today’s common processes."