Ahlstrom has completed an exclusive licensing agreement with the Argonide Corporation to manufacture and commercialize patented electrostatic nano fiber filter media under the Disruptor brand name. Disruptor is a wetlaid technology designed to be used in pleated, spiral wound, disc or flat sheet media formats. The key to its effectiveness is the grafting of alumina nanofibers onto microglass fiber. The microglass fiber acts as a platform for the nanoalumina while enhancing flow rates through the creation of pore space and providing mechanical retention for large or uncharged particles. The nanoalumina fibers are approximately 2nm in diameter and several hundred nanometers long, having a typical surface area of 350-500 square meters per gram. The blend of the nano and macro fibers in Disruptor allows for the creation of media with exceptional pressure drop to efficiency ratios and an incredible dust holding capacity. Because it is a depth filter, it has inherent benefits over polymeric membranes.

Disruptor technology has been proven to remove a wide range of contaminants from water including bacteria, virus, lead, tin, copper, chrome 3 and aluminum as well as colloidal minerals such as carbon dust and silica. Its unique characteristics make Disruptor an alternative filter media choice to membranes for many applications. These include point of entry and point of use potable water, pharmaceutical make up water, boiler feed water, chiller water, metals removal from waste water and filtration of gelatin, inks, starch, carbon, paint pigments and many other industrial and pharmaceutical processes. Disruptor functions effectively in liquid applications of both high and low salinity, up to 400°F and between ph4 and ph9.

Disruptor is based on Argonide technology developed through basic research conducted during the past five years. The development, partially funded by NASA, was aimed at purifying recycled water in advanced space vehicles used on the moon and beyond. Argonide’s NanoCeram water filter received the Space Foundation’s Hall of Fame award in 2005. Ahlstrom and Argonide have been working closely together to obtain independent test data validating the effectiveness of the technology and to initiate the commercialization process.