Innovation for Nitrate-free Drinking Water
Perhaps one of greatest securities is in the trust that the water we drink is safe. This human need for clean drinking water is global, and with good reason. The presence of nitrates in drinking water has been found to have a direct connection with infant mortality and fatal disease.
Nitrate is the most common chemical contaminant found in ground water. Excessive concentration of Nitrate is linked to the fatal blue baby syndrome, cancer and other illnesses. In California and other places in the world, about 10% of the wells produce water that exceeds the regulatory Nitrate limit.
Safe, environmentally friendly ways to clean up drinking water from harmful nitrates are high on the global agenda. A recent study conducted by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, states that. “Nitrate contamination of potable water sources is becoming one of the most important water quality concerns in California and across the United States.”
New technologies to make the cleaning of contaminated water economically viable and effective are urgently needed.
Responding to the clear need to clean out the nitrates from our water resources, a dynamic new company based on front-line Technion innovation, is aiming to bring a revolutionary water purification system to market. The new technology is cited as both effective, economic, and environmentally friendly.
Called WellToDo, the startup is already operating a pilot system to demonstrate its effectiveness on a pilot well in Israel. We spoke to WellToDo CEO Hovav Gilan about the process of technology transfer, and the next moves the young company will be taking into the market-place.
Gilad Hovav; CEO of WellToDo
Q: What is Nitrate and why do we not want it in our water?
Hovav Gilan:
Nitrate is the most common ground water pollutant in the world. It is estimated the 10% of global ground water is contaminated at levels higher than the maximum allowed drinking limit. Drinking water with high concentration of Nitrate is a major health risk. It can lead to diseases such as cancer, birth defects, miscarriages and can even be fatal to infants through a condition called blue baby syndrome where the Nitrate prevents red blood cells from transporting oxygen to the cells.
Nitrate is also a common pollutant in industrial waste water of many industries such as mining, oil and gas, power generation and food and beverage.
Q: What would be the WellToDo advantage over its competition?
Hovav Gilan:
Available treatment technologies rely on removing contaminants from the main water stream and concentrating it into a small volume of water called a concentrate stream. These methods are problematic since it does not eliminate the contamination rather it just moves it some place else. This concentrate stream still needs to be disposed and treated which adds costs and complicates matters. In many cases there is no possibility to treat this concentrate stream and this prevents the entire water treatment operation.
The WellToDo process is advantageous since it converts contaminants into nonpolluting compounds. We do not move the contamination some place else, We eliminate it all together. The way we do this is by reacting the contaminants with materials that convert it to harmless compounds. In the case of Nitrate we use Hydrogen to convert the Nitrate to Nitrogen gas and water. This conversion reaction is possible due to a proprietary catalyst that we have developed.
Q: At what stage is WellToDo right now?
Hovav Gilan:
The company was established 2.5 years ago when we licensed the patent from the Technion. Today we have proved the technology in pilot sites in contaminated wells in Israel and are in the final stages of negotiations to install a full scale commercial system with a big water utility in Israel.
Q: What will happen with the company if its mission is fulfilled? How will it impact the world?
Hovav Gilan:
Our technology is an enabler to treating water otherwise untreatable. In many places in the world drinking water is not treated due to lack of available treatment technologies. In many places in the world industries do not treat its industrial waste streams thus causing a major damage to the environment.
Implementing our technology will enable safe drinking water to communities around the world and will ensure industries will not damage the environment. Basically we will make the world a cleaner and safer place.
Q: Can you say something about the process of commercialization through the incubator model?
Hovav Gilan:
The incubator model of the Office of the Chief Scientist is an excellent tool to assist inventors and entrepreneurs in commercializing their inventions. Bringing a new technology to market and converting it to a sellable product can be a risky and audacious task that requires vast resources and time. In the incubator model, some of the risk is assumed by the government which gives “peace of mind” and allows the engineers and scientists to mature the technology and make it market ready.
Q: Can you tell a bit about the service given by T³ in its connection with the project and/or bridging the scientists with entrepreneurs?
Hovav Gilan:
T³ has been very helpful in connecting us to the relevant researchers in the Technion and in helping us evaluate various technologies. We came to T³ with a clear goal to license a winning technology in order to build a CleanTech company. T³ introduced us to a short list of possible technologies which was already screened by T³. This was a great help since it made the selection process shorter and easier. After we had focused our efforts on the chosen technology, T³ added value by helping with benchmarking the technology and conducting the commercialization process.
The vast network of contacts maintained by T³ is also an important asset and a big help in the commercialization process.
Q: How would you describe Technion as a world center of innovation?
Hovav Gilan:
I graduated from the Technion almost 20 years ago and I have strong feelings for this prestigious institute. Managing a company that is based on a Technion developed technology shows me that the Technion is not just an academic institute: the research done by the Technion staff has real life and day to day applications. This shows that the Technion is not just an innovative institute – it is practical and contributing to improving the world.