NT military-grade water purifier maker awarded $434,978 from Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund

Life h20, a company commercialising a mobile water purification and desalination system (WPDS), has been awarded $434,978 in support through the Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund (AMEF.)

The WPDS, named Life-Port, has been developed with input from Australian Defence Force trials and used across defence, disaster relief and humanitarian aid campaigns over four years.

The support from the NT government’s AMEF, administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, is for a project valued at $900,000 and linking Life h20 with TerraCorp Industries and BP Waters, bringing Life-Port to full production.

Life h2o Managing Director Charley Feros said the grant funding will enable development of a consumer product, an entirely NT-based supply chain, and see more Territorians employed.

“From the outset, we wanted Life H20 to be a Top End company, not just in physical presence but in supply chain, employment and exports,” said Feros.

“Life-Port WPDS has been wholly developed in the Northern Territory through leveraging the best Top End knowledge, skills and networks – and we intend to keep it this way and commercialise right here in the NT.”

According to a statement from AMGC on Wednesday, the military-grade purification system “can remove contaminants from any water source, including hard metals, chemicals, minerals, viruses, and bacteria” and “exceeds water quality standards through the use of pre-filtration, ultra-filtration, and post-filtration processing.”

Charmaine Phillips, AMGC’s NT Director, said: “Providing innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for clean water in regional Australia and the Indo Pacific is not only a testament to Life h2o’s commitment to delivering water security, but also a commitment to sustainability and growth of the NT as a manufacturing hub for the region.”

Picture: supplied