(Auburn, Washington) — Seattle-based HaloSource, a company
formed in 1997 to develop and market a water purification technology
developed by AUBURN UNIVERSITY, has signed a formal licensing
agreement with the university.
Halosource president Clive Defty
said the company has some ideas about developing and selling
the technology to consumers.
"We've spent the past six months testing the technology," he
said. "Our testing has
been positive, and we believe we will have an immediate market
in the area of water purification."
The technology — invented
by AUBURN UNIVERSITY Chemistry Professor S.D. Worley— uses
a polymer base to destroy harmful contaminants without introducing
chemicals into the water source.
"This is a biocidal compound that is not soluble in water, which
kills the organisms, but does not put anything toxic into the
water," Worley said.
Iodine presently is the primary water treatment
method used throughout the world, Defty says. And currently,
there is no other satisfactory substitute.
"There are some 1.2 billion people in the world who do not have
safe drinking water," Defty
said. "We believe this technology provides a convenient and effective
alternative to iodine and other chemical-based water treatment
methods."
HaloSource expects to have a marketable product within
the year, Defty said. It will take several months, he added,
to obtain approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
