After taking a coveted first place at the Cleantech Open last year, Beaverton-based Puralytics, a startup that uses LED lights to purify water, is turning its focus to aiding the global water and humanitarian crisis.
After taking a coveted first place at the Cleantech Open last year, Beaverton-based Puralytics, a startup that uses LED lights to purify water, is turning its focus to aiding the global water and humanitarian crisis. Its SolarBag 3L uses the same nanotechnology as its Shield water purifier, used by industrial processing companies needing ultra-pure water for lab use. The SolarBag nanotechnology uses natural sunlight to produce oxidizing agents that help purify the water. The lightweight bag is made with a transparent outer layer of durable, double-layered plastic and an inner lining of food-grade plastic. Holding up to three liters of water, the filtering process can take around two hours when placed in direct sunlight. Unlike most purification systems, the SolarBag is effective at removing organic compounds such as pesticides, herbicides and petrochemicals, compounds usually too small for existing filtering systems to catch. Puralytics is hoping to begin discussions with humanitarian groups to get the products to developing countries across the globe. “With the recent win at Cleantech, we now have a global reach that we didn’t have three weeks ago; worldwide knowledge exists now,” says Dave Moser, VP of business development. “With investment, the strategy is to [focus on] the developing world.”
