Isowater® purchases downgraded deuterium oxide (D2O) and refines it to a high-purity product for commercial sale.
The D2O is acquired from organizations that have used it in their industrial and research activities such as semiconductor and fibre optics manufacturing. These processes can reduce D2O concentrations to 50% or less.
Isowater enriches this downgraded feedstock to a market-grade purity of 99.9% or higher using our company’s proprietary processing technology. The finished product is then sold to global customers.
Proprietary Processing Technology
Deuterium oxide is produced using proprietary processing technology developed by Isowater to enrich water containing low concentrations of D2O to a high deuterium concentration that meets the requirements of many applications. The company achieved this technological breakthrough in early 2023 with its first production of market-grade D2O.
Isowater’s D2O enrichment capabilities are the result of a dedicated, multi-year effort to build a scalable, sustainable and green deuterium oxide supply chain. In addition to increasing the D2O supply, Isowater’s technology is designed to produce deuterium oxide at near-zero emissions – a dramatic improvement over conventional hydrogen sulphide and ammonia-based enrichment processes.
Since early 2023, the technology has been further refined to reach commercial-scale production, advancing the company toward the output of sustainable long-term commercial supplies that can meet the rapidly growing global demand for deuterium oxide. This has been supported by the parallel implementation of ISO 9001-certified quality management systems, including for the commercial production and distribution of D2O.
20 Tonne/Year Deuterium Oxide Production Facility Planned
Isowater plans to build a 20 tonne per year deuterium oxide production facility. The plant will serve as a stepping-stone to the deployment of an aggregate 100 tonnes/yr of D2O production. The planned facilities, announced on Oct. 17, 2023, will produce sustainable long-term commercial supplies of de novo deuterium oxide from natural water, building on the same technology foundation as the existing D2O refinery.
Historically, deuterium oxide was produced by governments to support the build-out of large-scale heavy water nuclear reactors. The quantities available for non-nuclear uses have traditionally been inconsistent and unreliable. In response to this market gap, Isowater focused from its inception on building a reputation as a trusted and reliable supplier, and now serves customers in more than 20 countries. The highly sophisticated products made using deuterium oxide depend on the supply chain stability that Isowater is committed to bringing forward.