“Let There Be Water”, a best-seller on innovative water solutions coming out of Israel for "a water-starved world", is based on over 200 interviews with leaders in Israel’s water arena. The author, Seth Siegel, met with Atlantium to learn about Atlantium UV technology and the impact it has had in the world: With a device that looks like it belongs in a James Bond movie, Atlantium was created by an inventor who learned about laser technology during his army service. "As you look at Israel," said Rotem Arad, an Atlantium executive since 2006, "there's lots of sophistication in the light category. Israel uses lasers in medical companies. We created the world of laserbased hair removal. We use lasers in our military all the time. So, Atlantium didn't create something out of nothing. The founders looked to see where there was a void in the application and how we may make use of it for commercial purposes." Food and beverage jumped out as an opportunity. Purifying water for food and beverage manufacturing is both essential and expensive. It can require a lot of energy. This use of energy affects the environment as well as the company's bottom line. The Atlantium product is a quartz tube in a stainless steel casing. Ultraviolet lamps came to replace the laser, but the concept remained the same. The quartz captures the UV wavelengths and directs the light toward any microbes in the water. After a few moments, the microbes are inactivated and the water is safe. Since water is often purified by a different process that makes use of chlorine, in those cases, residues of the chemical may be found either in the food or in the factory's wastewater. Because there is no chlorine used in the Atlantium device, there are never chemical remains. Added to the savings on energy, the chemical-free method is a double win for the environment. Atlantium's quartz and metal tube is now found in food and beverage factories in more than 150 countries. The tube is used to pasteurize water for yogurt and dairy products for companies such as Chobani and Danone, saving ninety-seven percent of the energy cost over standard pasteurization. The Atlantium cylinder is also used in water purification for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Schweppes soft drinks; Corona and Carlsberg beers; Nestle and Unilever beverages; and lots of other less famous brand names. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies, power plants, aquaculture, and municipal water utilities have become Atlantium customers. Excerpt From "Let There Be Water" by Seth M. Siegel.
