AQUALUNAR CHALLENGE SEMI-FINALIST WATERPURIS

Ontario start-up aims for the Moon with novel water purification technology

“At WaterPuris we believe that the innovations required to enable humanity's expansion into Space will also be critical to solving challenges here on Earth.”

-- Dr. Robert Liang, CTO WaterPuris

Interview with Dr. Robert Liang CTO WaterPuris

By Suzanne Forcese

WT: Please introduce yourself and the Team and give us an overview of WaterPuris.

Liang: WaterPuris was founded by a team of researchers. I am the lead of the technology side. As the CTO I am passionate about R&D at the intersection of advanced materials and environmental applications. My expertise is in advanced oxidation, emerging contaminants, water process engineering and materials science to drive development.

John Persic is the president of WaterPuris, and an expert in materials and technology businesses, drawing on his extensive background in microelectronics, environmental technologies, and manufacturing. John previously co-founded Microbonds.

Marina Freire-Gormaly is an R&D advisor at WaterPuris who is also currently an assistant professor at York University. Dr. Freire-Gormaly provides critical knowledge in sustainable water treatment, energy recovery and membrane technologies to advance WaterPuris’ R&D capabilities.

I formed WaterPuris because I was passionate about water research and taking problems found in industry or through discussions with customers and developing actionable ideas from conception and realizing them in some format. I first started to take this step as a University of Waterloo student start-up through AquaHacking (now known as Aqua Action competition) where we proposed a point-of-source treatment system to solve the problem of increasing endocrine disrupting compounds in our wastewater treatment effluents that can impact aquatic ecosystems.

Now we are focused on developing nanobubble technology to solve aeration and fouling issues in the environmental remediation and agriculture industry.

WT: What is the company mission/vision?

Liang: Our mission includes developing customized water technology solutions that substantially improve water quality, sanitation and sustainability outcomes across various industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, and food and beverage.

WT: Congratulations on being named 1 of the 8 semifinalists in the Aqualunar Challenge! What has this meant for you?

Liang: Being selected in the Challenge marks a major milestone for WaterPuris. It is incredibly validating to have our work and expertise recognized at this level.

We saw the Challenge as a perfect opportunity to leverage our expertise in advanced materials and water purification and push the boundaries of what’s possible in water purification both in Space and here at home.

The fact that we found water on the Moon in sunless areas is fascinating and exciting. The presence of lunar water means the potential for sustainable human habitation. We realized our expertise in advanced purification technologies could make a meaningful contribution.

WT: Your project for the Challenge is: Extracting and Purifying Water From Lunar Regolith: Innovating with Cold Trap and Vapour Membrane Distillation in an autonomous Multi-Stage System.

Please un-pack that for our viewers.

Liang: The proposed lunar water purification system uses a multi-step process to extract and clean water from the Moon’s soil in permanently shadowed craters.

First the soil is heated in a dome-like tent to vaporize the water along with various contaminants. This vapor mixture flows into a cold trap where precise temperature control allows the water vapor to condense and freeze while the pollutant gases pass through. The cold trap includes outlets to vent the gases and keep the system flowing.

Next, the water vapor passes through an adsorber and through a special membrane that only allows water molecules through, leaving most other impurities behind.

After that, the purified vapor is condensed into liquid water. Finally the water goes through a ceramic nanofilter to remove any remaining tiny contaminants.

This multi-stage system thoroughly purifies the water while minimizing consumable parts that would require replacement.

WT: How do you anticipate this project will impact your work here on Earth?

Liang: what we learn in designing for the extremes of the lunar environment will absolutely inform and accelerate our work for sustainable water solutions on Earth. The extreme constraints and unique challenges are forcing us to push the boundaries of water purification technologies.

The solutions we develop for the Moon such as advanced membrane distillation and robotic autonomy, could lead to breakthroughs applicable to terrestrial water treatment.

Successfully treating the heavily contaminated water and ice on the Moon would demonstrate WaterPuris’ s technologies can handle some of the most challenging water sources on Earth.

This could enable water treatment in remote Northern communities with limited or no infrastructure.

WT: What’s next in the Challenge? And here at home?

Liang: In Stage 2 of the Aqualunar Challenge, WaterPuris will develop and test key components of its lunar water extraction and purification system culminating in a proof-of-concept demonstration.

Looking ahead, WaterPuris aims to continue developing advanced water technologies for Space exploration while we continue to be a provider of sustainable purification solutions for industry as well as remote and underserved communities worldwide.

WT: Any words of wisdom you would like to pass on to young water researchers and innovators?

Liang: Stay curious. And keep exploring new ideas. The water challenges we face here on Earth and in Space will require innovative thinking and novel approaches. Do not be afraid to question assumptions and pursue unconventional approaches. Fresh perspectives are invaluable. Not every idea will work. But that’s okay. Failures are valuable learning opportunities to iterate and improve.