Now a company that has designed a water-purification system for the ISS is developing spin technologies with the potential to provide clean drinking water to locations that are in dire need.
At ISS, every drop from moisture to urine has to be filtered and reused. But the current system is very heavy, having to be replaced every 90 days, and, according to NASA, fails to filter out certain impurities.
The Danish company Aquaporin A / SA has developed a new system that uses a protein called aquaporins. Peter Holm Jensen, CEO of Aquaporin A / S, says, “It is essentially a mechanism that allows water to cross the cell membrane of living cells. In nature, this protein allows plant roots to absorb water from the soil, and two human kidneys together for about a day. Allows 45 gallons of liquid to be filtered.They are also very selective, which prevents contaminants from passing through.
After testing it in space, NASA is considering replacing its existing system with aquaporin, but the technology is also exploring uses closer to home.
Aquaporin technique can help. To remove micropolitants and microplastics from wastewater, to prevent them from flowing into the ocean, the company is working with wastewater companies – including Denmark’s largest government wastewater utility, and Hungary’s UTB Envirotech.
A study conducted on BIOFOS showed that aquaporins remove more than 95% of microplastics and microprobulins in wastewater using much less energy than conventional systems.
“There is a huge potential for this,” said Diane Thornberg, BIOFOS innovation manager, who led the study. “I think the Aquaporin system could lead the way in the future in the creation of clean, affordable drinking water from wastewater. I am really hopeful that with such technologies we will be able to meet the challenges of water scarcity in many parts of the world.”
Clean water at home
Last month, Aquaporin A / SA launched an under-the-sink household filtration system that operates without electricity. The cost of the system is 50 650 And the company is currently targeting the European market. It plans to expand to the United States in the next two years and then to India and China.
As production increases, their long-term goal is to provide affordable production for water stress regions. “I really believe we can make a difference,” Jensen says.
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