Honors Gallery

Electro-osmotic pulse (EOP) control of moisture in below-grade concrete structures

Award: Excellence in Technology Transfer

Year: 2006

Award Type:

Region: Midwest

Laboratory:
USACE - ERDC - Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

Electro-osmotic pulse (EOP) technology has been used to suc-cessfully remedy damp basement syndrome in military and govern-ment buildings. Through inten-sive technology development and transfer efforts by the ERDC laboratory, EOP is now becoming available for diversified and far-reaching commercial applications throughout the nation. EOP eliminates mois-ture in below-grade structures, preventing the occurrence of mold, mildew, bacteria, corro-sion, and standing water. It uses the concrete itself as the waterproofing agent by exploiting the fundamental properties of electro-osmosis.In 2004, a new CRADA was implemented with industry partner Drytronic. The parent compa-ny created the spinoff, OsmoTech, to maximize EOP commercialization. The novel inter-rela-tionship between the ERDC, Drytronic and its licensee, OsmoTech, has seen client applica-tion potential grow to include projects such as highway construction and tunnels. Complex intellectual property and research decisions have moved between the CRADA partners to optimize the new applications and project op-portunities. EOP is better, faster and 40% less costly to install than conventional moisture control solu-tions. Combining the EOP technology with up-to-date crack and repair techniques completely resolves the problem of water intrusion, thereby mitigating millions of dollars of impact on fed-eral, residential and business structures. The ERDC team is planning an aggressive fu-ture development of EOP capabilities following the demands made by the Hurricane Katrina disaster.