Category Archives: Uncategorized

Introducing Strombus, Triton Ceramics Water Purifier!

prototype-drawing-nov16

Imagine that you are completely on your own for your water. You cannot go to the tap and simply twist a knob and get sparkling glassful of delicious safe water. You don’t have a trustworthy government system of piped water like people over in the US. On the contrary, your ground water makes you sick when you drink it. It is so bad sometimes, that you get skin infections when you bathe in that water. You cannot afford to buy bottled water for your own drinking needs let alone your spouse and 4 children. What you do is boil your water or drink it straight. Some months you can afford cooking gas to boil your water,. Sometimes you don’t have the money and need to go out and cut forest wood to boil the water. That is IF you are lucky enough to live in a forested part of the world. You can afford some devices already for sale in your country, but they don’t meet the minimum quality standards needed to keep you from getting sick.

If you are lucky you will be able to purchase a few sachets of chemicals that you can use to kill most of the bacteria in the water, but this still leaves you exposed to intestinal worms. The sachets don’t seem expensive because each one is so cheap, but then you to add up how much you’ve spent on them in the last few weeks, and it doesn’t seem like a great solution, especially for water that tastes funky.

If you are a little more lucky… enough to have $62… then you can buy a LifeStraw filter which meets the quality standards you need to keep your family safe while making the water taste better. Great! You then put your water into your traditional ceramic jug because you love the way it keeps your water cool. You end up getting sick. Maybe from bacteria that has gotten in over the last few months, or maybe a fingerprint inside the jug from one of your kids sick with a stomach bug was enough to get you sick.

The Strombus purifier from Triton Ceramics is our solution to all of the problems above. It will be meeting the World Health Organization’s 3-star rating (99.999% of Bacteria, 99.999% of Viruses, and 99.99% of protozoa). The Packed Bed system is the treatment portion that does the heavy lifting, making the Strombus effective against microorganisms. Quality control measures will ensure that each and every purifier that goes out the door works properly. The Strombus purifier is easy to use and clean, and it sits right on your counter top. It doesn’t use any consumables, and costing $30 it will be the least expensive option available that meets the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 3-Star Quality rating. Lasting a year for a family of 6, the device will be good value. It is designed so the customer will not need to replace any part of the filter, but accidents occur, so in the event of damage from misuse, parts will be available. The thing that makes it really special though is, the filtered water has a lasting bactericidal effect. This means that your improved water will continue to remediate bacteria in the case of re-contamination between when the water leaves the purifier and meets your mouth. The Triton Ceramics Purifier has the potential to be better than the best treatment option out there. It has the potential to be the future of water treatment.

These are the major players that I know of:

water-filter-technology-comparison-chart

This list comprises the treatment options that are well made, widely available, and rigorously tested. These are compared to boiling as the gold standard in effective microorganism remediation. Options considered on this list are for a family of 5 or 6. The Strombus Costs per liter were calculated from listed prices and the reported lifetime of the filter.

Even though the Triton Ceramic filter isn’t quite there yet, I’m set at ease by the lab results which show that we are on the right path to meet the claimed microbiological remediation. But the only way to prove those claims is to test the actual prototype. The coming stage of research is all about vetting the technology and proving beyond a doubt that the filters actually meet the 3-star WHO quality mark.

I strongly believe that we have a great shot at making the best filter in the world, and I’m excited to prove that in the next phase!

Your opportunity to help grow Triton Ceramics

Grow Baby!

Triton Ceramics has reached a critical point in its development and is now ready to grow and expand. It has been four and a half years since I returned from Indonesia, to Alfred. I have accomplished much in that time! For example it has become clear that the technology will meet the stringent quality standards that I have been working towards since the beginning. Many samples in the lab are hitting the marks. The silver kills bacteria. The business plan is together (and I can send you a copy if you’d like to see it). I have developed dozens of relationships with advisors in the fields of materials science, microbiology, manufacturing, business, finance, and the law. I’ve even made NGO connections who are interested in purchasing the final product. I have been going slowly and learning as much as I can about all aspects of the field. All of this careful slow time over the last four and a half years has put Triton in an absolutely excellent position for the next steps.

So the silver is working, but to get consistent predictable results I need to ramp up the pace.

I need to free more of my time to work on Triton Ceramics. The time I am able to put into water filters after sustaining myself through my paid employment (school bus driving) is not enough. Working on Triton Ceramics while working another job has allowed me to do a huge amount of work with very little money, but I can dedicate myself to accelerated progress if I can draw a living stipend.

In addition to spending more of my own time on water filters, I also need to hire people with expertise that I do not have. Specifically, I need to hire a microbiologist. Since September of 2015 I have realized that my microbiology lab was not up to the task of repeatably testing the filters. By September 2016 I was able to get the lab in order, and that was with the help of Cheyanne Smith (summer Intern), John Buckwalter (lab assistant), and almost weekly visits from Mary Merner (consultant). An expert in the field would have taken only 1-2 months to do the same amount of work. I love learning new things, and learning more about microbiology testing will be valuable in this line of work, but hiring an expert is essential to make the business function.

By not charging for my time, and by carefully looking for inexpensive ways to do things, I have progressed to this point having spent very little cash. The value built so far has come without debt and with many lessons learned. It was wise to operate this way because it enabled me to challenge myself to find ways to do things that do not require cash. It has been an exercise in slow wise progress, but it is time to pick up the pace carefully and diligently.

My plan for the next step, which is to get the lab results consistent and a prototype developed, is to hire a microbiologist and a ceramic engineer. In addition, I want to dedicate myself to working full time on the water filters. I will use this time to ready my team for production.

I know YOU are interested in supporting the next steps, and we could use your help in the form of a loan to Triton Ceramics. This is a great opportunity to invest your money behind a positive technology poised to make a difference in the world. I hope to raise a significant portion of the money needed for the next year from our Triton Ceramics community through this loan. I am also looking for government grants to pay for another large chunk of this coming stage of the research. I have come to you first because the money from this community is a not merely a funding source, but a clear affirmation of the water filter work. Your support will keep me grounded. We are still in the early stages but we have a great shot at this. Be warned, there is risk involved. Any investment carries risk. I plan on having 20 or more lenders in this round of funding. There is not a nobler cause than helping people keep themselves healthy with pure drinking water.

If you are interested in finding more about this opportunity and the specifics of the loan, lets talk. You can contact me by email(TritonCeramics@gmail.com) or give me a call: 585.808.9172 I look forward to talking with you!

-Nick

Community Service – Firefighter

Circa Dec 2014

Dec 2015: Less facial hair. Less trees.

No more mustache Nick? NOPE! I’m saying hello to a smooth face, but not for personal reasons. I recently annihilated my most distinguished facial feature to serve my local community as an interior firefighter. I just completed Firefighter 1 course and I’m now an interior firefighter! I’ve been a volunteer firefighter in Alfred for a few years, but this new training means that I’m able to go inside a structure that is on fire to put it out. To do this I need to bring my own air with me, and the mask that I use needs to make a good seal with my face. It’s better to say goodbye to a beloved (and rather large) mustache than to risk damage to your lungs!

In rural america, the homes are made of flammable material such as wood. Because the towns have such small populations, there is not enough money to have paid firefighters. Therefore fire departments in small towns and rural areas are completely volunteer. I am one of these volunteers. I have been a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician on the ambulance with Alfred, since I was in college. This course took 130 hours of my time over the last 3 months.

There are about 15 minor fires in my small town per year, and there are about 4 major fires which generally cause a total loss of the building. A quick skillful response from firefighters is often what keeps a minor fire from becoming a major fire.

I believe strongly in supporting the communities that we live and work in. Alfred is my community, and we need dedicated and physically strong individuals who volunteer to protect the community. I’m proud to call myself a volunteer firefighter.

Read about Nick’s Volunteer work with Friends Peace Teams

Between June 2011 and June 2012 Nick Rozard spent a year in Indonesia transferring water filter technology, that he had developed, to SHEEP Indonesia. The following articles detail that volunteer work with Friends Peace Teams: