Kubota Invests in U.S. Startup Developing Deep-Sea Desalination Technology Addressing Water Scarcity Through Sustainable Water Production Systems

Kubota Corporation (Headquarters: Naniwa-ku, Osaka; President and Representative Director: Yuichi Kitao) has announced its investment in OceanWell Co. (California, USA), a U.S. startup developing innovative deep-sea desalination technology.

• Of all water on Earth, only about 2.5% is freshwater, and merely 0.01% of that is readily accessible for human use. This limited resource is unevenly distributed, and concerns are growing about depletion and scarcity due to global population growth and climate change.
• In regions already facing freshwater shortages, such as the Middle East, water production through desalination technology is increasing yearly. However, the current mainstream reverse osmosis (RO) method, which pumps seawater to the surface and applies high pressure to filter it through RO membranes, creates both high energy costs and environmental challenges due to the high-salinity discharge it produces. This has raised sustainability concerns, particularly in areas like California where environmental regulations are strict.
• In response, Kubota has focused on deep-sea desalination, an innovative water production technology that offers significant energy savings and reduces environmental impact compared to conventional methods.

OceanWell’s deep-sea desalination technology utilizes the natural high pressure present at approximately 400 meters depth for RO membrane filtration, significantly reducing power consumption. The technology is also able to maintain lower salinity levels in discharge water, offering a solution that minimizes environmental impact.

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  Conventional seawater desalination plant on the left and OceanWell‘s ｍodular deep-sea desalination farm

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  Modular deep-sea water farms installed at a depth of 400 meters *image picture

• Kubota provides a comprehensive range of water infrastructure solutions, encompassing products such as water pipes, pumps, valves, and water treatment plants, as well as design, construction, operation, and maintenance services.
• Recognizing that offering solutions through water production to combat global water scarcity is a new frontier in our mission, our Innovation Center, which leads our open innovation initiatives, will spearhead collaboration with OceanWell to achieve real-world implementation of deep-sea desalination technology, one of the sustainable water production technologies.
• By combining OceanWell’s technology, which can provide a stable long-term supply of potable water to water utilities in water-scarce regions, with our existing solutions, we aim to contribute to the entire water circulation loop, from water production and supply to wastewater treatment and reclamation.
• Given our expertise developed in advanced pump technology, we are also exploring joint development with OceanWell of long-lasting, highly reliable, and efficient pumps capable of operating under deep-sea high-pressure conditions.