Hydrate Gel Filtration

According to WHO, 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home and tap water in many Asian, African, South and Central American countries is currently unsafe to drink. Even tap water in industrialised nations may still contain hundreds of different species of bacteria, protozoa and viruses.

Schenk Lab’s Hydrate Gel Filtration project has developed simple, low-cost filter prototypes based on our patented technology to enable production of affordable, clean, safe water. Hydrate Gel Filtration uses a gelatinous layer of hydrate with a pore size of only 10 nm that enables high flux nanofiltration of contaminated water. Properties include 30-fold higher unassisted and pressure-assisted flux than currently available membranes, pressure-resistance, impenetrability to filtered particles, easy cleaning by backwashing and simple, cost-effective replacement of low-cost gel filter cartridges.

As a result, filtration of water (e.g. turbid river water) contaminated with colloids and microorganisms, yields clear water free of measurable particles or detectable microorganisms (including viruses; 99.99999% removal), while small water-soluble molecules (salts, sugars, proteins) remain in the filtrate. Hydrophobic molecules, such as oils and hydrocarbons can also not pass the gel layer.

We have demonstrated the viability of hydrate gel filtration at scale with high-flux, low-cost water purification devices and have worked with UniQuest on multiple pilot projects. Our prototypes include a user-friendly Tap Filter, a 2-Litre Water Jug, a 10-Litre household filter, a bushwalker’s survival kit and an industrial 1 m² hydrate filter.

For more information please contact us to get involved.