Magna Imperio Systems

About Magna Imperio Systems

Magna Imperio Systems (MI Systems) was a water technology company established to address global water scarcity with an efficient and sustainable desalination solution.

The company was founded on June 3rd, 2014, by Grant Page, who conceived of the core technology while still in high school. Page discovered that passing salt water between two electrified plates made of different alloys could effectively remove the salt. This initial discovery was further developed while he was a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, where he utilized the Naval Research Laboratory to refine the process. His firsthand observations of water scarcity and the inefficiencies of existing reverse osmosis systems during his naval service motivated him to commercialize the technology. After receiving approval from the Navy to launch a business while on active duty, Page founded MI Systems, initially working out of his garage.

MI Systems designed, developed, and manufactured water treatment systems centered around its patented Electrochemical Nano Diffusion (END®) process. The END® process was a progression of the established electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technique, designed to separate dissolved salts, heavy metals, and certain pathogens from water using an electrochemical potential and porous membranes. This method offered significant energy savings, reportedly up to 60% less than traditional pressure-driven reverse osmosis systems, and achieved very high water recovery rates of up to 99%. Unlike conventional EDR which is limited to brackish water, the END® technology could treat a wider range, including seawater and industrial produced water, turning it into potable or ultra-pure water. The company's business model included selling equipment and offering long-term water service agreements (WSAs), where clients could pay on a per-gallon basis, reducing their initial capital expenditure.

The firm targeted a diverse client base across industrial, municipal, and agricultural sectors. Key markets included chemical plants, power plants, mining operations, oil and gas, food and beverage producers, and municipalities dealing with contaminated groundwater or needing to manage reverse osmosis brine. The system's modular, containerized, and scalable design allowed for customized deployment to fit operations of any size, from industrial applications to providing drinking water for entire communities. The company had notable projects with wineries in California, a Texas brewery, and various municipalities, demonstrating the technology's effectiveness in achieving high water recovery and meeting stringent discharge requirements. By 2019, the company had secured $22 million in funding. However, despite its technological advancements and market penetration, Magna Imperio Systems Corp. filed for voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy on November 1, 2023.