Commercialization of an Affordable Arsenic Filter
Project Opportunity
The arsenic removal technology/IP belongs to Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and ICAST. We are looking for a management team who can come up with a business plan, bring in the necessary investment with our help, and manage the business. ICASTand CSM would be open to discussing any form of payment for its IP with the management team.
Project Description
Excessive arsenic in the drinking water supply is a worldwide problem. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, in the United States alone, 13,000 communitieswill not meet its new water quality standards, effective January 2006. Current solutions are expensive and complex. The Design EPICS (Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence)program at Colorado School of Mines (CSM) has been working with its partner, ICAST (InternationalCenter for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology),for the past three years to develop an affordable arsenic filtration system. The team has focused its efforts on an arsenic filter for utilization in homes with unhealthy arsenic levels in their drinking water supply. Last year, program participants successfully tested a solution that has the potential to reduce the cost of an arsenic filter from $500 to $50. The team is currently field testingthisaffordable arsenic filtration system and initial results are positive. Upon successful field testing, CSM andICAST would like to commercialize this technology with the help of entrepreneurs. A successful business will provide an affordable solution to thousands of people who are currently unable to afford an arsenic filter. Further work planned at CSM includes adapting the model from its current focus on individual home wells to a focus on community wells, thus helping communities worldwide mitigateexcessive arsenic from their water supplies.
The Arsenic Problem
Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical that is found in soil and rock. It can be released into the environment through volcanic action and rock erosion, as well as through human activities such as mining or smelting of arsenic-containing ores and the use or disposal of arsenic-containing pesticides. Long-term exposure to arsenic through drinking water has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects. After a few years of lowlevel exposure, skin ailments such as hypopigmentation (white spots on skin), hyperpigmentation (dark spots on skin), and keratosis (break up and flaking of skin on hands and feet) may appear. After a period of about ten years of exposure, skin cancer, nerve damage and vascular disease may develop. Finally, after twenty to thirty years of exposure, bladder, lung, liver and prostate cancer, as well as blindness, may occur.
Because drinking water contaminants often originate from rocks and soil, contamination is more prevalent in groundwater than in surface water. Naturally high arsenic levels are found in soil and groundwater in many areas, particularly in the western United States. Arsenic has been reported as a potential drinking water contaminant in the Colorado counties of Alamosa, Boulder, Conejos, Costilla, El Paso, Gunnison, Jefferson, Logan, Phillips, Routt, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma. With approximately 200,000 permits for groundwater wells in Colorado, the potential for exposure to unhealthy levels of arsenic is quite high.
Objective:
Develop a business plan for a new venture that produces and sells arsenic filters to homeowners.
This project has two components:
1. An analysis of the multiple markets and marketing strategies needed to sell an affordable arsenic filter.
2. An assessment of additional products and services that may be required to serve current markets.
Deliverables:
Using estimates of capital costs, production volumes, operating costs, and product sale price, a business plan needs to be completed for the financial viability of the enterprise. The business plan will pull together all of the project information and analysis into a document that contains:
The Market Opportunity
The Service (Product Description and Operation Details)
Market Description and Marketing Strategy
Management and Personnel
Financial Projections and Risks
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