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:
- There is a guaranteed award for at least one eligible submission. Eligibility is defined as meeting the requirements in the Challenge Specific Agreement and Solver Terms of Use as well as having the rights and ability to provide a license to the Seeker. The awards will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $30,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $10,000 and no award being smaller than $5,000.
- This Ideation Challenge has several other features, including:
- A posting period of 30 days.
- Forwarding your submissions to the Seeker once you submit your proposal, instead of at the end of the Challenge.
- Please make sure you upload only a finished proposal. You can submit an updated version of your proposal only as a new submission.
- The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker. Rather, by submitting a proposal, the Solvers grants to the Seeker and its assignee a royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to have, use, and create derivative works of any information included in this proposal.
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:
- Submit ideas of their own
- Submit third party information that they have the right to use and further the authority to convey that right and the right to use and develop derivative works to Seekers
- Submit information considered in the public domain without any limitations on use
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.
