One company uses moss to clean water, while another purifies it by passing it through stone. A third promises a new technology that can cut the cost of turning sea water into drinking water by 70%.
All these firms are out of Minnesota, where talent from a longstanding group of industries is combining with growing demand for water from places like California to create a thriving scene for water tech startups.
Here’s how these new technologies work:
Moss
On a return flight from Europe several years back, David Knighton, a retired Minneapolis-area surgeon, was reading an article on how injured WWI soldiers who had their wounds staunched with sphagnum moss had a higher survival rate than those that used cotton.
Being a doctor, he figured the moss must have had anti-bacterial property. Research in old medical journals confirmed his theory.
Knighton is now CEO of Creative Water Solutions, which uses a variety of the moss to purify water. In residential swimming pools and spas, the moss is packaged into a sleeve near the filter. Its cleaning properties reduce the need for chemicals, take the chlorine smell out of the water and extend the life of filtration equipment.
Read the full article here. [Via CNN Money]
