More than two billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Factors like water scarcity, urbanisation and climate change also continue to add pressures on the demand for water which is expected to grow.
Singapore-Sweden collaboration leads to development of compact water purification system
Liquinex Group, a Singapore design and engineering specialist in wastewater treatment had developed a water purification system targeting remote areas, humanitarian aid and rural applications. In its search for technology partners with complementary technologies to co-develop an upgraded water purification system, it got to know about LightLab Sweden’s UV disinfection technology after the green technology company exhibited at TechInnovation 2017.
An introduction facilitated by IPI led to a collaboration where both parties synthesized the efficacies of Liquinex’s ceramic ultra-fibration membrane and Lightlab Sweden’s mercury-free UVC tubes and co-developed the H20-KASE, a compact water purification system for clean drinking water. The innovative system, the size of a suitcase, was launched in July 2018. Powered by battery or solar energy, the portable system can produce up to 500 litres of clean water per hour and operates under challenging maintenance and site conditions. This makes it suitable for humanitarian missions.
Johan Tingsborg, CEO of LightLab Sweden, shared, “Tapping into IPI’s platforms have led to the successful integration of our UV disinfection technology with Liquinex’s next-generation water purification system. This cross-border partnership underscores our vision to contribute to a better environment through sustainable technologies.”
“Our innovation has been deployed by our customers to disaster-hit places such as Kerala, India after the floods in August 2018; and Sulawesi, Indonesia following the major earthquake and tsunami more recently on 28 September 2018. Liquinex is currently working to increase production to support their disaster-relief efforts,” said Bashir Ahmad, CEO and Technical Director, Liquinex Group.
Second collaboration to build scalable water treatment solutions
Through TechInnovation 2017, Liquinex was also introduced to Grafoid Inc, a Canadian graphene research, development and investment company, to explore the use of graphene in its water treatment applications. A year later at TechInnovation 2018, both companies announced their strategic collaboration to provide commercial scale water treatment solutions using Grafoid’s graphene-based filtration technology which can overcome limitations of standard filtration materials and treat a wide variety of contaminants.
“TechInnovation is certainly helpful to companies that are looking for suitable technology partners for collaboration. We are extremely pleased to have found a partner like Liquinex and see potential global impact in our partnership,” said Dr Kiran Manga, Engineering Manager, Grafoid Inc.
“We recognise that we need to be different from what is available in a highly competitive market. The support provided by IPI has been integral for a young start-up like ours. Through their open innovation services, we have been able to connect with new partners with promising technologies beyond our own network. This has reduced our sourcing time and accelerated our product development efforts,” remarked Ahmad.
Globally, more than two billion people lack access to clean and safe drinking water. This critical issue is exacerbated by factors such as water scarcity, rapid urbanisation, and the ongoing impacts of climate change, which continue to increase the demand for potable water. For communities in remote regions and those affected by natural disasters, the challenge is even more acute. Traditional water purification systems are often too large, complex, or dependent on stable infrastructure, making them unsuitable for deployment in emergency scenarios or isolated locations. Humanitarian missions require compact, robust, and easily deployable solutions that can operate under challenging maintenance and site conditions. Liquinex Group recognised the pressing need for portable water purification systems that could deliver safe drinking water quickly and efficiently to disaster-hit areas and underserved communities. However, to achieve this, they needed to integrate advanced technologies and collaborate with partners possessing complementary expertise in water treatment and disinfection.
IPI Singapore facilitated introductions between Liquinex Group and international technology partners through its open innovation platforms, including TechInnovation. By connecting Liquinex with LightLab Sweden, a green technology company specialising in mercury-free UV disinfection, IPI enabled the synthesis of Liquinex’s ceramic ultra-filtration membrane with LightLab’s UVC tubes. This collaboration led to the co-development of the H20-KASE, a suitcase-sized, portable water purification system capable of producing up to 500 litres of clean water per hour. The system, launched in July 2018, is powered by battery or solar energy and is designed to function reliably in demanding field conditions, making it ideal for humanitarian missions and remote applications. In addition, IPI Singapore introduced Liquinex to Grafoid Inc, a Canadian graphene research and development company, at TechInnovation 2017. This connection enabled Liquinex to explore and subsequently announce a strategic collaboration with Grafoid at TechInnovation 2018. Together, they are developing commercial-scale water treatment solutions using graphene-based filtration technology, which offers superior contaminant removal compared to standard materials. These partnerships, brokered by IPI, have accelerated Liquinex’s product development and expanded its technological capabilities to address global water challenges.
"Tapping into IPI’s platforms have led to the successful integration of our UV disinfection technology with Liquinex’s next-generation water purification system. This cross-border partnership underscores our vision to contribute to a better environment through sustainable technologies."
"Our innovation has been deployed by our customers to disaster-hit places such as Kerala, India after the floods in August 2018; and Sulawesi, Indonesia following the major earthquake and tsunami more recently on 28 September 2018. Liquinex is currently working to increase production to support their disaster-relief efforts."
"TechInnovation is certainly helpful to companies that are looking for suitable technology partners for collaboration. We are extremely pleased to have found a partner like Liquinex and see potential global impact in our partnership."
"We recognise that we need to be different from what is available in a highly competitive market. The support provided by IPI has been integral for a young start-up like ours. Through their open innovation services, we have been able to connect with new partners with promising technologies beyond our own network. This has reduced our sourcing time and accelerated our product development efforts."
Liquinex Group is a Singapore-based design and engineering specialist in wastewater treatment. The company focuses on developing advanced water purification systems for remote areas, humanitarian aid, and rural applications.