Central KY business says it has ‘game changer’ for clean water technology. How it works
A Central Kentucky water filtration and treatment facility is helping to make a difference in third-world countries with portable filtration technology to provide clean drinking water.
Square1 Technologies, based out of Nicholasville, is working to provide several different versions and sizes of systems which use chemical-free methods to clean almost any type of water source.
Designed by Timm Finfrock, the company creates three systems at the Nicholasville location which are purchased by two humanitarian organizations and are being transported to Kenya.
“We are a for profit business but we are making an impact,” said Joe Montgomery, the president and co-founder of the company. “The fact that people’s lives will be made better and people’s lives will be saved by this technology, there is no question about it that our technology could make a really big difference.”
The company has sent about 40 water filtration units to Africa with 35 additional systems purchased by Transform Africa and Water for the World. They hope to send nearly 600 in total, and are working to secure funding.
“The disappearing clean water, which is happening, is the biggest threat to human life,” Montgomery said. “The lack of clean water is a huge human issue.”
Nearly two billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water at home worldwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 1.2 billion people have basic drinking water service, meaning individuals are drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip, including lining up and waiting.
To help combat this, Square1 Technologies produces three different purification systems, including portable systems of different sizes which produce anywhere from 7,000 to 18,000 liters of water a day. That provides thousands of individuals with clean drinking water, according to Montgomery.
“Our technology, quite frankly, we think is a game changer,” Montgomery said.
How does the water filtration work?
Montgomery said the 14-stage filtration system begins when water comes into the system and goes through a pre-filter to get any large organisms floating in the water. It then enters an Electro Micron Seperator Cell — a titanium tube with another tube inside which forces the water through the holes, and hits it with electrolysis.
This portion splits the molecules. Then hydrogen instantly turns into gas and any heavy elements like lead or iron fall out of the solution.
This creates a chemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl — elements that kill any living organisms which come into contact with bacteria and viruses.
“What happens when it comes out of the cell, is (the result) has dead or benign organisms and heavy metals living in it that have been released out of the molecule structure. All of this happens in seconds,” Montgomery said. “This is kind of the secret sauce to our system.”
Water then travels through an additional four-step filtration process to clean out anything released. It also goes through an ultraviolet light chamber and ozone generator – a natural disinfectant. Finally, the water goes through a charcoal filter.
“Basically what we are doing is taking it through a series of filters and taking out all the things we have freed up from this process,” Montgomery said.
The company’s system has been EPA lab tested, demonstrating a 99.9% reduction in all micro-biological materials and 75% to 95% reduction in most heavy metals and elements from one, four-minute treatment cycle, according to Square1 Technologies.
Each system is software controlled and features a cloud based monitoring system, which Montgomery said is unique to their company. This helps the company monitor operation, maintenance and financial performance.
Montgomery said the technology can disinfect and sanitize water much cheaper and better than widely adopted methods such as chemical treatment and reverse osmosis. In addition, the scales to cost produce a large amount of clean drinking water within a much smaller footprint than either chemical treatment or reverse osmosis.
When companies such as Transform Africa and Water for the World purchase these systems, they transport them to places in Africa and set them up in commercial areas where bottled water is sold.
According to Montgomery, bottled water is a $9 billion industry in Africa, with people paying anywhere from 80 cents to $1 per liter for water.
Once the portable filters are set up, water produced is sold for around 18 to 20 cents per liter. After they meet their bottom line, what is left over is about four cents per liter, which goes into the humanitarian mission and is given away for free.
“It is a commercial venture supporting a humanitarian mission,” Montgomery said.
Dr. Rollan Roberts, founder of Transform Africa, said the group works directly with African leaders to facilitate strategic and impactful investments and projects that are designed to accelerate the economic, technological, educational, social and health care transformation of Africa.
“Access to clean drinking water is essential to this transformation and the current lack of clean water on the African continent contributes greatly to the economic and social challenges experienced daily by the African people,” Roberts said in a Sqaure1 Technologies presentation.
“After considerable research of available systems, we have determined that Square1 Technologies has the best solution for providing sustainable, safe, locally produced clean water.”
Dr. Danny Thomas, founder and CEO of Water for the World, said Square1 Technology’s system was “the answer to the problem.”
“I asked Dr. Finfrock to build me a system that could help me save lives and reverse that horrific statistic. The SQ1 technology that has been developed and is now being deployed in Africa, will make that difference and save lives,” Thomas said. “I consider myself somewhat an expert in water treatment technologies and I can say with confidence, there is no technology on the planet that compares to the SQ1 Water Treatment and Purification Technology.”
Partnership efforts are continuing to expand to other countries including India and China, Montgomery said. Their efforts have also made an impact locally. During the Eastern Kentucky floods when many were without access to drinking water, a system was shipped to help with access.
Square1 is also working to partner with companies in the bourbon distillery industry with wastewater, and emergency management agencies to assist in future disaster situations.
