[Aleph Null]

http://www.miox.com/News/CDI_MIOX_License.html

http://www.miox.com/images/purifier_red_web.jpg

MSR MIOX PURIFIER "PEN" NOW AVAILABLE!

Approximately 8,000 MSR MIOX Purifiers have been shipped to the US Department of Defense for delivery to various branches of the armed forces. In addition, the purifiers are available at sporting goods outlets such as REI and Campmor. The MIOX Purifier is a miniaturization of the MIOX capital equipment used for treatment of municipal water. Over 1,000 MIOX capital equipment units have been sold to date, with a combined treatment capacity of over 1 billion gallons of water per day. MIOX Corporation and Cascade Designs Inc. (CDI) signed a license agreement in 2003 to manufacture and distribute the miniaturized MSR MIOX Purifier to the military and consumer markets. Prototypes of the MSR MIOX Purifier were field tested in 2002 by the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and other locations.

The MSR MIOX Purifier occupies only 14% of the space required by a typical portable water treatment filter and is ¼ the weight. The sleek and compact design is an attractive feature for backpackers or travelers trying to minimize packing volume and weight. The disinfectant solution does not leave an aftertaste at standard doses, unlike chlorine or iodine tablets. Each dose will treat anywhere from 1/2 liter up to a gallon of water.

The device operates by converting a brine solution to a mixed-oxidant solution via electrolysis. Each purifier utilizes two 3V lithium camera batteries, common salt and a tiny electrolytic cell. The purifier will treat approximately 200 liters of water on one set of batteries. The purifier can be used over and over, making water treatment an inexpensive procedure after the initial purchase. An important feature of using simple salt as the disinfectant source is that salt has an infinite shelf life, so the purifier will still function even if stored without use for a long period of time. (The batteries have a 7-10 year shelf life.) The disinfectant will inactivate a number of common pathogens, including E. coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, as well as chemical and biological warfare agents. The purifier has passed the EPA Guide Standard and Protocol for microbiological purifiers, achieving more than 10 times the level of inactivation required, even in the EPA's "worst-case" water.

Other well-known CDI products include Therm-A-Rest™ mattresses, SweetWater™ filters, Platypus™ hydration bags, and PackTowl™ adsorptive towels. CDI also owns Mountain Safety Research (MSR), a respected maker of high tech outdoor goods, including tents, stoves, cookware, water filters, snowshoes, and trekking poles. The MIOX Purifier is in the MSR family of products.

[Aleph Null]

Here's the story about their use...

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGB4MTKMO3E.html

Tsunami Victims Get Water Purifiers Panhandle Base Helped Create
The Associated Press
Published: Jan 7, 2005

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will soon benefit from water purification devices the size of a marking pen that were recently developed for the military.

Two companies that make the purifier and the Department of Defense are sending 1,200 of the devices and instructors to Asia for the relief effort.

The miniature purifier will make only a small difference there, but it could aid many more victims of future disasters, including hurricanes and floods, as its use spreads, said Frank Downs, a senior scientist at the Panama City Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Downs helped develop the 3.5-ounce, shock- and freeze-proof MSR MIOX Purifier made by Miox Corp. of Albuquerque, N.M., and Mountain Safety Research Inc. of Seattle, Wash.

The device runs on a lithium camera battery and destroys common waterborne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa as well as anthrax, bubonic plague, smallpox and other contaminants.

"It is the municipal water supply treatment process that's reduced down to a small pen," Downs said. "It's the same process they use at the water plant."

The device converts salt water into a solution similar to a chlorine liquid disinfectant that then can be used to purify a gallon of drinking water in about 45 minutes.

A few were distributed to Florida National Guard troops during hurricane recovery efforts last year.

"The National Guard is looking at this technology now for the next disaster we have in the U.S.," Downs said.

In disasters such as hurricanes municipal water systems usually are restored first, but water still often needs to be boiled, he said. That task can be difficult for those without electrical power. The miniature purifier would reduce the need for bottled water, Downs said.

It is an improvement on iodine tablets used since World War II because iodine doesn't kill all contaminants and leave water with a bad taste, Downs said.

Miox introduced the technology in the 1990s. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA, then partnered with MIOX and MSR, which makes outdoor gear, to develop the purifier.

Downs served as a technical assistant and liaison. He used military troops to test it and identify changes needed before it went into production.

Environmental Protection Agency certification was sought in 2002 so the purifier could be sold commercially, which meant it could avoid additional military testing and get to the troops quicker, Downs said.

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Information from: The News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com

[Seldom Seen]

I looked at those in the local sporting goods store. $130 each. I'll stick with my Sweet Water filter for awhile more I think.

[Potemkin]

Interesting.

I used to use the "Early Winter's" filtration straws.

You had to be REALLY thirsty to draw water through them.