In remote First Nations communities, the use of diesel generators is common, and sometimes results in the contamination of groundwater.
Dr. Dennis Reich, a local medical doctor by day and an inventor by night, has come up with a technology to remedy this situation.
The ActivatedWhite Portable Water Filtration System uses a polymer resin that's highly absorbent of oils, chemicals and gases while allowing water to flow through.
In some cases, it only takes a small amount of these fuels to contaminate hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, Reich said.
“Because that low concentration normally is difficult to get rid of, you often have to ship that water off to very expensive facilities to have it cleaned out, or utilize other methods that tend to be onerous, heavy and very expensive,” Reich said at a June 15 press conference.
“With our method, the materials are very light. We're able to mobilize it in very remote communities and use very little power to filter that water so those contaminants come out.”
As a doctor, Reich said he loves the idea that his product has the potential to positively impact people's health on a much larger scale than he can while treating individual patients.
Reich's company has received a contract worth $104,075 through the federal Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) to test the product with Indigenous Services Canada.
BCIP bridges federal departments that have an operational need with innovative businesses that can fill the gap.
Purchasing departments test the innovations in real-life settings and provide critical feedback, as well as that critical first reference.
The ActivatedWhite Portable Water Filtration System was developed at NORCAT's innovation mill. Reich said he “can't say enough” about the positive impact NORCAT has on local entrepreneurs focusing on innovation.
Sudbury Liberal MP Paul Lefebvre, who spoke at the press conference, said water is one of Canada's biggest natural resources, and when it becomes contaminated, such incidents need to be dealt with “swiftly and efficiently.”
“I'm glad to announce that the government of Canada has chosen to invest in ActivatedWhite,” he said.
“BCIP is one of the ways our government is committed to growing small and medium sized businesses in Canada.”
