Decentralized Desalination using Nona's ICP with Bruce Crawford

In this episode of Liquid Assets, host Ravi Kurani dives into a game-changing approach to sustainable desalination with guest Bruce Crawford, CEO and co-founder of Nona Technologies. An MIT spinout backed by the U.S. Army, Nona is pioneering a new way to turn saltwater into fresh water at any scale. At a time when many countries are investing in large-scale desalination megaprojects to combat water scarcity – for example, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 program – Bruce’s vision is radically different: bring Desal to the people via small, flexible systems that can work anywhere.

From decentralized water treatment units that fit on a pallet to innovations in reusing cooling tower water, Bruce’s story exemplifies how water tech startups are driving the future of water. This conversational yet insightful discussion explores how Nona’s novel Ion Concentration Polarization (ICP) technology makes desalination portable, efficient, and adaptable – unlocking resilient water solutions for a thirsty world.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• A breakthrough in desalination technology: How ICP (Ion Concentration Polarization) works to separate salt from water without high pressure or heat, and why it’s a leap beyond traditional reverse osmosis.
• Decentralizing water treatment: Why moving desalination from massive plants to modular, on-site systems can bring water to remote communities, disaster relief operations, and even military field camps.
• Water reuse in cooling towers: How Nona’s compact desal units can recycle blowdown from industrial cooling towers (like those in data centers and power plants), saving huge volumes of water amid the booming demand for AI and cloud computing.
• Challenges and rewards for water tech startups: Insight into Nona’s journey from an MIT lab project to an award-winning startup, and how it fits into a larger wave of innovation in the water industry.
• The future of sustainable water innovation: Bruce’s vision of a world using less water – from household-sized desalination appliances to industry-scale water savings – and how physical technologies and digital water solutions together can secure our water future.

Check out the episode's sponsor, the leader in water treatment solutions - ⁠⁠⁠⁠HASA⁠⁠⁠

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