Water Desalination & Treatment
ARBOK-Tritium removes tritium (³H) from contaminated water — the one radionuclide that conventional treatment cannot capture, because tritium is not a dissolved impurity but part of the water molecule itself (tritiated water, HTO).
Technology brief
ARBOK-Tritium removes tritium (³H) from contaminated water — the one radionuclide that conventional treatment cannot capture, because tritium is not a dissolved impurity but part of the water molecule itself (tritiated water, HTO).
The challenge
Primary use cases:
• Stored tritiated water (e.g., Fukushima Daiichi, ~1.3 million tonnes in >1 000 tanks)
• Tritium-bearing effluents at heavy-water reactors (CANDU in Canada, PHWR in India)
• Reprocessing-plant and research-reactor tritiated streams (e.g., La Hague, Wolsong)
• Decommissioning sites needing volume reduction and site clearance
Typical scenarios:
• Closing an irreversible "dilute-and-discharge" program with real removal
• Recovering clean fresh water instead of dumping it to the ocean
• Freeing tank farms that block site decommissioning
Scale:
• Single unit: 200 tonnes/day
• Multi-unit deployment: 3 units = 600 t/day (Fukushima-class)
ARBOK solution
ARBOK-Tritium removes tritium (³H) from contaminated water — the one radionuclide that conventional treatment cannot capture, because tritium is not a dissolved impurity but part of the water molecule itself (tritiated water, HTO). The unit is built on the same multi-phase vacuum evaporation–condensation isotope-separation physics as ARBOK-DEUTERIUM: instead of filtering the water, it progressively splits the slightly heavier tritiated water from ordinary light water across many phase transitions, concentrating tritium into a tiny residual fraction while returning clean, fresh water. It operates at ambient temperature, recovers up to 98% of heat, uses no membranes, reagents or consumables, and fits inside a shipping container. The proprietary cycle is closed IP. Offered under a BOOM model (build–own–operate–maintain): the client invests nothing and pays only per tonne actually treated.
The system works under deep vacuum, where water evaporates at ambient temperature without heating. Crucially, a single distillation does NOT separate tritium — the volatility difference between ordinary and tritiated water is only ~4–7%. ARBOK therefore runs a multi-phase evaporation–condensation cycle: at every transition the heavier tritiated water and the lighter ordinary water diverge into different fractions, and over many stages the tritium is concentrated while clean water is condensed out. This is the same isotope-separation family as ARBOK-Deuterium; tritium separates even more favorably than deuterium because of its greater mass contrast with ordinary water. The exact staging sequence and the separation efficiency achieved at each transition are the outcome of proprietary process engineering built up across the ARBOK isotope-separation platform.
Key steps:
Limitations:
• Requires stable deep-vacuum conditions
• Per-unit throughput is lower than simple desalination (isotope separation is inherently staged)
• Tritium configuration is at pilot/engineering stage (vs. TRL 9 for ARBOK's water-only ZWD lines)
Market and application
Target sites:
• Fukushima Daiichi (~1.3 million tonnes stored — the only large stockpile)
• Continuous dischargers: CANDU (Canada), PHWR (India), La Hague (France), Wolsong (South Korea)
Context:
• Tritium itself is valuable (~$30 000–40 000/g), but the value proposition is problem closure, not tritium sales — ~1.3 million tonnes of Fukushima water contains only ~2 grams of tritium
Commercial model: BOOM — client pays approximately $1,000 per tonne treated; zero client CAPEX.
Fukushima backlog (~1.25–1.3 million tonnes) implies service revenue on the order of $1.2–1.5 billion at that tariff, plus ongoing inflow from continued discharge.
End-state: approximately 10–15 tonnes of concentrate (holding the roughly 2 grams of tritium originally present) is solidified in a cement matrix (~35 m³) and disposed of as low-level waste on-site; the residual hazard resolves through radioactive decay (half-life 12.32 years).
Unit CAPEX is not itemized here; under the BOOM model the client carries no capital cost regardless of the underlying plant cost, so the relevant figure for the client is the per-tonne service tariff above.
Use cases
Primary use cases:
• Stored tritiated water (e.g., Fukushima Daiichi, ~1.3 million tonnes in >1 000 tanks)
• Tritium-bearing effluents at heavy-water reactors (CANDU in Canada, PHWR in India)
• Reprocessing-plant and research-reactor tritiated streams (e.g., La Hague, Wolsong)
• Decommissioning sites needing volume reduction and site clearance
Typical scenarios:
• Closing an irreversible "dilute-and-discharge" program with real removal
• Recovering clean fresh water instead of dumping it to the ocean
• Freeing tank farms that block site decommissioning
Scale:
• Single unit: 200 tonnes/day
• Multi-unit deployment: 3 units = 600 t/day (Fukushima-class)
Implementation:
• Delivered as containers, placed on concrete, commissioned in weeks
• Works in any climate
• BOOM: ARBOK builds, owns and operates; client pays per tonne treated
Fukushima reference case:
• 3 units (600 t/day) clear ~1.3 million tonnes in ~6 years
• ≈ 5× faster than Japan's 30-year discharge plan
• Absorbs ongoing inflow (~100 t/day) and continues to serve afterward
Related ARBOK technologies:
• ARBOK-DEUTERIUM — shared multi-phase isotope-separation platform
• ARBOK-Nuke — vacuum removal of dissolved radionuclides (uranium, Cs, Sr)
• ARBOK water-treatment / ZWD lines
Digital integration:
• SCADA, PLC automation, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance
ARBOK-Tritium removes tritium (³H) from contaminated water — the one radionuclide that conventional treatment cannot capture, because tritium is not a dissolved impurity but part of the water molecule itself (tritiated water, HTO). The unit is built on the same multi-phase vacuum evaporation–condensation isotope-separation physics as ARBOK-DEUTERIUM: instead of filtering the water, it progressively splits the slightly heavier tritiated water from ordinary light water across many phase transitions, concentrating tritium into a tiny residual fraction while returning clean, fresh water. It operates at ambient temperature, recovers up to 98% of heat, uses no membranes, reagents or consumables, and fits inside a shipping container. The proprietary cycle is closed IP. Offered under a BOOM model (build–own–operate–maintain): the client invests nothing and pays only per tonne actually treated.
Primary use cases:
• Stored tritiated water (e.g., Fukushima Daiichi, ~1.3 million tonnes in >1 000 tanks)
• Tritium-bearing effluents at heavy-water reactors (CANDU in Canada, PHWR in India)
• Reprocessing-plant and research-reactor tritiated streams (e.g., La Hague, Wolsong)
• Decommissioning sites needing volume reduction and site clearance
Typical scenarios:
• Closing an irreversible "dilute-and-discharge" program with real removal
• Recovering clean fresh water instead of dumping it to the ocean
• Freeing tank farms that block site decommissioning
Scale:
• Single unit: 200 tonnes/day
• Multi-unit deployment: 3 units = 600 t/day (Fukushima-class)
The system works under deep vacuum, where water evaporates at ambient temperature without heating. Crucially, a single distillation does NOT separate tritium — the volatility difference between ordinary and tritiated water is only ~4–7%. ARBOK therefore runs a multi-phase evaporation–condensation cycle: at every transition the heavier tritiated water and the lighter ordinary water diverge into different fractions, and over many stages the tritium is concentrated while clean water is condensed out. This is the same isotope-separation family as ARBOK-Deuterium; tritium separates even more favorably than deuterium because of its greater mass contrast with ordinary water. The exact staging sequence and the separation efficiency achieved at each transition are the outcome of proprietary process engineering built up across the ARBOK isotope-separation platform.
Key steps:
Limitations:
• Requires stable deep-vacuum conditions
• Per-unit throughput is lower than simple desalination (isotope separation is inherently staged)
• Tritium configuration is at pilot/engineering stage (vs. TRL 9 for ARBOK's water-only ZWD lines)
|Parameter|Conventional (RO / IX / ALPS / cryogenic)|ARBOK-Tritium|
|---|---|---|
|Tritium removal|None (filters) / works only in giant cryogenic plants|Yes — vacuum isotope separation|
|Operating temperature|≈ −250 °C (cryogenic distillation)|Ambient — no heat supplied|
|Energy consumption|Very high|~1–1.5 kWh/m³ (heat recuperation up to 98%)|
|Consumables|Membranes, reagents, sorbents|None|
|Footprint|Industrial plant|~25 m² (20-ft container)|
|Output|Concentrate / secondary waste|Clean fresh water + small tritiated concentrate|
Typical values:
• Throughput: 200 t/day per unit
• Energy: ~1–1.5 kWh/m³, recuperation up to 98%
• Residue: ~10–15 tonnes of concentrate from ~1.3 million tonnes processed
Core components:
• Vacuum multi-phase evaporation–condensation module
• Heat recuperation system (up to 98%)
• Concentrate enrichment / collection stage
• Control system (PLC / SCADA)
• Sensors (pressure, temperature, flow)
The unit is containerized (20-ft), installed on a flat pad under the open sky. Modular: multiple units run in parallel to reach required capacity.
Technical:
• Removes tritium where no filter, membrane or single distillation can
• Ambient temperature; no cryogenics, no boilers
• No membranes — no fouling or degradation
Economic:
• ~half the cost of the only conventional alternative for real removal
• BOOM model — zero client CAPEX; pay-per-result (no cleanup, no payment)
Environmental:
• Real removal, not dilution-and-dispersal
• Clean fresh water recovered and returned to use
• Tiny final waste form; zero liquid discharge
Strategic:
• Closes irreversible ocean-discharge programs
• Frees tank farms and accelerates site decommissioning
• Globally scalable to all major tritium dischargers
Related ARBOK technologies:
• ARBOK-DEUTERIUM — shared multi-phase isotope-separation platform
• ARBOK-Nuke — vacuum removal of dissolved radionuclides (uranium, Cs, Sr)
• ARBOK water-treatment / ZWD lines
Digital integration:
• SCADA, PLC automation, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance
Implementation:
• Delivered as containers, placed on concrete, commissioned in weeks
• Works in any climate
• BOOM: ARBOK builds, owns and operates; client pays per tonne treated
Fukushima reference case:
• 3 units (600 t/day) clear ~1.3 million tonnes in ~6 years
• ≈ 5× faster than Japan's 30-year discharge plan
• Absorbs ongoing inflow (~100 t/day) and continues to serve afterward
TRL 7 (confirmed by Michael).
Evidence:
• Isotope-separation physics demonstrated on the ARBOK-Deuterium line (TRL 6, R&D)
• Tritium configuration in engineering / pilot
Remaining steps:
• Full-scale tritium pilot at representative concentration and volume
• Regulatory validation of the detritiation method
• Scale-up to multi-unit deployment
Target sites:
• Fukushima Daiichi (~1.3 million tonnes stored — the only large stockpile)
• Continuous dischargers: CANDU (Canada), PHWR (India), La Hague (France), Wolsong (South Korea)
Context:
• Tritium itself is valuable (~$30 000–40 000/g), but the value proposition is problem closure, not tritium sales — ~1.3 million tonnes of Fukushima water contains only ~2 grams of tritium
Commercial model: BOOM — client pays approximately $1,000 per tonne treated; zero client CAPEX.
Fukushima backlog (~1.25–1.3 million tonnes) implies service revenue on the order of $1.2–1.5 billion at that tariff, plus ongoing inflow from continued discharge.
End-state: approximately 10–15 tonnes of concentrate (holding the roughly 2 grams of tritium originally present) is solidified in a cement matrix (~35 m³) and disposed of as low-level waste on-site; the residual hazard resolves through radioactive decay (half-life 12.32 years).
Unit CAPEX is not itemized here; under the BOOM model the client carries no capital cost regardless of the underlying plant cost, so the relevant figure for the client is the per-tonne service tariff above.
• Tritium configuration at pilot stage — scale-up and concentration risk
• Regulatory acceptance of a new detritiation method
• Positioning: the client's default baseline is cheap dilution-discharge, so the deal requires selling the "dilute ≠ remove" narrative first
• Tritium is mobile and can diffuse through ordinary concrete — long-term safety of the residue rests on small volume + decay, not on permanent sealing
ARBOK-DEUTERIUM · ARBOK-Phosphate · ARBOK MedZWD · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)
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