NanoH20 gets $15M funding round

Los Angeles, Calif.-based NanoH20 said today it has raised $15.05 million in Series B funding for its reverse-osmosis membrane technology.

The company said it will use the funding for R&D and to help commercialize the company’s thin-film nano-composite reverse-osmosis membrane.

NanoH20 claims its membrane reduces the energy needed to purify seawater into drinking water. The membrane does so with greater permeability and is designed to be less prone to contaminants clogging the flow of liquid through its system.

The company said its membrane technology is designed to fit into existing desalination facilities.

The funding round was led by Oak Investment Partners and Khosla Ventures.

Water experts have identified nano-level membranes as being an important innovation to watch (see Indian water purification goes nano).

Over the next five-to-10 years, experts have said, that membrane technology and its low-energy utilization are expected to move into commercial and home use (see U.S. water challenges spark research efforts).

The market for nanotechnology in water varies widely. Industry analyst Helmut Kaiser projects that applications of nanotechnology products in water and wastewater worldwide will reach $1.6 billion in 2007 and $6.6 billion in 2015, with over 43 percent focused upon filtration products.

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