Ahlstrom has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, to use its Ahlstrom Disruptor technology in drinking water applications. Ahlstrom Disruptor, a new category of nonwoven media that filters water with the efficiency of a membrane but a higher flow rates and many times less pressure drop, is a unique nanoalumina technology designed for a wide range of water filtration applications.

Ahlstrom Disruptor is a commercially available product line of electroadsorptive filter media that improves water quality through a natural positive charge that is effective in both fresh and brackish water at removing submicron contaminants.

The innovative patented technology is based on attaching boehmite (AlOOH) fibres 2 nm in diameter x 250 nm in length onto a microglass structural fibre. The fibres create a highly electropositive nonwoven filter media with a zeta potential of >50 milivolts at pH7.2. Disruptor is said to have excellent loading capacity due to the availability of more than 42,000 square meters of electropositive fibre surface area per square meter of filter media.

In response to the need for clean water, Ahlstrom has developed the Disruptor technology that can be used in removing a wide range of tiny contaminants from water. DW&PS will incorporate Ahlstrom's Disruptor filter medium into a new set of drinking water purification products that aim to provide excellent pathogen rejection while operating at high flow and low pressure.

"One of the key goals in our product development is to create products that purify air and liquids in a sustainable way. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Dow since we see a wealth of opportunities for providing pure water solutions through combining our expertise with Dow's industry-leading product offering," says Fulvio Capussotti, Executive Vice President, Advanced Filtration, Ahlstrom. 

Ahlstrom Disruptor virtually removes microorganisms that can cause sickness. Its unique combination of large pore size and very high electrical attraction potential enable efficient removal of virus-sized particles at a high flow rate at very low pressure. Ahlstrom Disruptor can be utilized in a number of drinking water applications, such as under-the-sink purification, tap water filters and water pitcher filters. It can be used in areas with no electricity, it requires no use of chemicals, and does not generate waste water.

"Global trends such as population growth and urbanization put pressure on already strained water sources," said Snehal Desai, global business director for DW&PS.

"We see a real need for new innovations to expand access to clean safe drinking water in an easy, effective and sustainable way. Our collaboration with Ahlstrom extends our product offering to people who need effective water treatment but may not have access to pumps or electricity."

Further information