Low cost methods are sought for removing high concentrations of boron, salts and other minerals from millions of gallons of water per day. Existing industrial scale engineering approaches for treating saline water (including filtration, sedimentation, distillation, reverse osmosis, flocculation, activated carbon, and ultraviolet light) have been examined closely by the Seeker and are unsatisfactory because of high cost or low throughput.
This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one eligible submission.
Low cost methods are sought for removing high concentrations of boron, salts and other minerals from millions of gallons of water per day. Existing industrial scale engineering approaches for treating saline water (including filtration, sedimentation, distillation, reverse osmosis, flocculation, activated carbon, and ultraviolet light) have been examined closely by the Seeker and are unsatisfactory because of high cost or low throughput for repurpose or reuse.
This Challenge is focused on finding new, non-traditional chemical, physical or biological methods for removing the boron and salt from water at a substantially lower cost than existing solutions so that the water can be reused for other purposes. Within the details of the Challenge the Solver will be provided the full chemical composition, temperature and volume of the water as well as the target levels of “clean” as defined by the Seeker.
The source of the water is a deep underground aquifer. Seeker is open to all treatment ideas, including potential solutions at any point before, during or after the water is surfaced.
This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique features:
After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submitted a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided.
What is an InnoCentive Ideation™ Challenge?
An InnoCentive Ideation™ Challenge is a broad question formulated to obtain access to new ideas, similar to a global brainstorm for producing a breakthrough idea or market survey which may include ideas for a new product line, a new commercial application for a current product, or even a viral marketing idea to recruit new customers. Ideation™ Challenge submissions are typically about two written pages, and Seekers receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use all submissions.
In an Ideation™ Challenge, Solvers may:
Solvers should not reveal any confidential information in their submissions. Often the Ideation™ Challenge will be followed by one or more of the other three Challenge types to further develop the ideas and gain Intellectual Property protection when the concept has been well-defined.