Member Article

Entrust clears the way for Clarizon

A Newcastle business is hoping to revolutionise water treatment with its latest development. Newcastle University spin-out company, Clarizon, has developed a breakthrough electrochemical ozone generator to be used for disinfection, sterilisation and other oxidising processes.

Established in 2005, Clarizon has successfully secured an equity investment of £100,000 from the North East Equity Matching Fund (NEEMF), managed by enterprise development agency Entrust, and a six-figure sum from private investor, Robin Rae, MD of Edinburgh-based investment company, Jaroscope. Over the last three years, Clarizon, led by chemistry professors at Newcastle University, has developed technology that produces ozone (O3) using an efficient electrochemical process, rather than the current approach of passing oxygen through a high-voltage current.

When water passes through Clarizon’s electrochemical cell, some of it is converted into ozone. This ozonated water, which is disinfected and sterilised, can then be used in a broad range of applications including municipal water treatment, bottled water treatment, food disinfection and preservation, swimming pool treatment and a range of industrial processes.

Clive Dyson, managing director of Clarizon, said: “Together with our partners at the Universities of Newcastle and Hong Kong we have spent the last three years developing and proving the technology. “Initially, we are targeting the white goods and drinks industries in areas such as laundry disinfection and beer-line cleaning. The rest of this funding will enable us to take our first products to market during 2009 and to progress the development of larger ozone generators.”

Sarah Thorpe, Entrust’s Investment Executive said: “It’s fantastic to attract investment from outside the region to support a blossoming North East enterprise. “It’s very unusual for NEEMF to be involved with a business at such an early stage of its growth but Clarizon has created an innovative product with a broad range of applications. The year ahead will be challenging for the company but we’re looking forward to seeing how the product develops.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .