Miox : My Water. My World.

History

MIOX Past

The MIOX mixed-oxidant technology [Mixed Oxidants] was originally developed in 1982 by Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA) under a contract to the U.S. Army to provide a portable unit that could be used for safe water disinfection in any remote location in any environment. The system was also required to eliminate the use of dangerous and difficult-to-obtain chemicals in remote field operations.

Over the ensuing years, the founders of MIOX worked with numerous agencies, including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other internationally-recognized scientific institutions and universities, to build a substantial body of scientific documentation demonstrating the dramatic improvements in human health when mixed oxidants were used to treat drinking water. The research further showed the superior sanitizing effects of mixed oxidants versus chlorination [Microbial].

The first patent for the MIOX technology was issued in 1988; the first field unit was installed in 1992; and the company was incorporated in 1994.

Early installations focused primarily (but not solely) on drinking water disinfection in small villages and rural areas. For the first decade after incorporation, the company focused on increasing production capacity, developing new markets, and improving existing equipment. As production capacity expanded from about 1 pound (0.5 kg) of free available chlorine (FAC) per day to over 1000 pounds (450 kg) of FAC per day, MIOX Corporation was able to treat drinking water for larger municipalities.

Although mixed oxidants offer a number of treatment advantages over conventional chlorine, these advantages were not applicable to many sites that simply want a safer method of generating a chlorine residual at the lowest possible cost. In 2001, MIOX Corporation introduced on-site generation of hypochlorite for those sites not needing the additional advantages of mixed oxidants.

In 2003, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company developed a miniaturized version of the mixed oxidant water purification technology for use by campers, hikers, soldiers, and travelers. MIOX Corporation partnered with Cascade Designs Inc., owner of the Mountain Safety Research (MSR) brand, to commercialize the 3.5-ounce (99 g), 7-inch (18 cm) long MSR MIOX Purifier. Within the first year of introduction, the MIOX Purifier became the third most popular individual use water treatment choice, grabbing a 15 percent share of the handheld filtration product market.

In 2005, the company reorganized to strengthen and broaden management. The current organization has significant experience in both production and marketing, and is continuing to invest in product reliability, customer service, and pursuit of new markets domestically and internationally.

MIOX Today

Today, MIOX has over 1,300 capital equipment systems installed in over 25 countries. About one-third of these installations are international. Applications include municipal drinking and wastewater, consumer products — including individual drinking water, commercial entities such as hotel and university swimming pools, industrial water treatment, cooling tower treatment, food processing, disinfection of hazardous bio-wastes and numerous military uses. Designs are utilized on Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, at remote U.S. Forest Service camp sites, by outdoor enthusiasts and by U.S. soldiers and Marines. The disinfection power is also applied to control Legionella outbreaks in hospitals and to treat medical waste. 

The equipment size ranges from the handheld MSR MIOX Purifier to systems large enough to treat water for a major municipality. Treatment capacity ranges from ½ liter to over 1 billion gallons (3.8 million cubic meters) of water per day. The combined installed capacity is in excess of 1 billion gallons (3.8 million cubic meters) of water per day. The EPA has designated the MIOX technology as safe for drinking water applications, and all capital equipment has received NSF certification for drinking water system components.

The Future of MIOX

MIOX Corporation is part of the solution for improving worldwide health. The solution begins in our own back yard, with rural water system operators turning to MIOX for a safer and easier method to treat their own water supplies.

Despite the fact that the U.S. offers some of the safest drinking water in the world, there are still U.S. communities that are hauling water to their homes, due to the inability to treat existing water supplies. This method of water supply is even more common internationally. Our products will continue to evolve to better treat drinking water, both in the U.S. and worldwide. We also hope to develop a point-of-use treatment technology to help individual households gain access to safe drinking water.

Implementation of the technology in industrial and commercial facilities will help to eliminate hazardous chemicals, reduce the cost of operations, and improve the quality of the final product.  With our on-site generation technology and expertise, MIOX Corporation is making a difference in our world.