Isowater completes deuterium oxide development program

Isowater Corp. based in Canada said Monday it has completed a $3.2 million program to fully develop its method of producing deuterium oxide water known as the D2X Process.

Deuterium oxide water, known as heavy water, contains larger amounts of hydrogen isotopes known as deuterium and is often used in the nuclear industry and other areas within life sciences and environmental technology and other heavily technical areas.

The project was implemented to address a shortage of this heavy water as more industrial processes came to utilize it. 

The D2X project received funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and the Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

"We are most pleased with the results of our D2X Process development," Isowater President and CEO Andrew Stuart said. "As the world supply of deuterium oxide shifts to shortage, our process will provide a scalable method to produce high-purity deuterium oxide to the growing non-nuclear users and eventually the nuclear energy market. The D2X Process can be built on a much smaller scale than traditional production methods and produce deuterium oxide at costs below new builds of current production technology. 

"The nature of Isowater's process also is suitable for private sector implementation as opposed to historic technology which has been financed and operated by governments based on their nuclear energy policies," Stuart said.