Reliable, simple, and lightweight water recycling using pressure-driven distillation

OsmoPure Technologies proposes a new class of simple, reliable, and lightweight water recovery system for humidity condensate and urine treatment. The core of this water recovery system is the OsmoPure pressure-driven distillation (PD) membrane module. In the PD module, applied pressure is used to drive water flow through a highly selective, chemically robust membrane. The PD module offers high removal of total organic carbon (including dimethylsilanediol), ions, and other contaminants. PD is also chemically robust, allowing the membrane to be used in direct contact with chemicals used to stabilize urine. The chemically resistant nature of PD membranes also permits membrane cleaning with hydrogen peroxide after extended periods of dormancy. Because PD only requires a small high-pressure pump, operation is simple and low energy. The selectivity, robustness, and ease of implementation of PD make it appealing for applications requiring high-purity treated water including water recycling systems used in short- and long-term space travel. In the proposed treatment train, PD is followed by an activated carbon module (to polish product water) and ultraviolet irradiation (to provide final disinfection). The proposed process will weigh 11.7 kg and produce 285 kg of potable water from humidity condensate over the course of a 30-day mission. Overall, the OsmoPure Water Recovery System offers dramatically decreased mass and simplified operation compared to current water recycling processes. Funding will be used to further optimize the PD membrane module design, improve process control integration, and create a full-scale, integrated prototype to be delivered to a NASA facility. In addition to space-based water recovery, OsmoPure is positioned to enter key terrestrial markets where high-purity water is critical. This include ultrapure water production for semiconductor fabrication, where stringent contaminant removal is required to prevent defects in microchip manufacturing.

The pressure-driven distillation (PD) module in the proposed innovation is the result of five years of NASA funded research and development at the University of Colorado Boulder by the co-founders of OsmoPure Technologies. PD’s oxidant resistant properties, low mass, and high rejection of most solutes (including dimethylsilanediol) make it a promising solution to the problems faced in recycling of humidity condensate and urine. PD can highly remove the most challenging compounds in water recycling feedwaters with >97% rejection of dimethylsilanediol, ammonium and bicarbonate ions, urea, and propylene glycol. When PD is combined with a lightweight (0.5 kg) activated carbon column and ultraviolet irradiation processes, the overall water recovery system produces low total organic carbon (< 3 mg/L), biologically inactive, potable water. Conditions necessary for urine distillation include a temperature below 40 °C and the addition of a chemical pretreatment to prevent the hydrolysis of urea. Both conditions are ideal for PD as it does not require high temperatures for distillation and shows strong resistance to chemical oxidants and low pH. PD shows high rejection of all contaminants seen in pretreated urine including urea and other non-volatile compounds. Overall, the OsmoPure Technologies system will facilitate simple and high recovery water recycling of humidity condensate and urine for short-term missions. As population growth and climate change intensify global water scarcity, the demand for unconventional water sources—such as seawater and wastewater—continues to rise. Simultaneously, industries requiring ultrapure water are expanding, driven by increasing needs in electronic device manufacturing, hydrogen production, and spaceflight life support systems. Addressing both water scarcity and ultrapure water demands requires high-performance treatment technologies capable of removing nearly all dissolved solutes. However, current advanced water treatment processes are costly and energy-intensive, often relying on multi-pass reverse osmosis (RO) with extensive pre- and post-treatment steps. The complexity of these systems stems from fundamental limitations in existing RO membranes, which struggle to remove key contaminants and degrade when exposed to oxidants and chemical cleaning agents. Through over 100 customer discovery interviews conducted via the National I-Corps program, our team identified ultrapure water treatment as a high-value beachhead market. In electronics manufacturing and green hydrogen production, current ultrapure water systems face unmet needs due to stringent purity requirements, creating a strong market opportunity where our membrane technology provides significant advantages and pricing power. Our industry partner, Broadcom, a leading microelectronics manufacturer, has committed to pilot testing our technology at their ultrapure water production facility in Fort Collins, CO. Our membrane technology offers clear advantages over state-of-the-art methods such as reverse osmosis and thermal distillation, including improved contaminant rejection, chemical resilience, and energy efficiency. Following a successful pilot demonstration in the ultrapure water market, we plan to expand into desalination and wastewater reuse, where our energy-efficient solution can transform global advanced water treatment with a more sustainable approach.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.