Snowflake Pure Water is a small consulting firm specializing in control systems and technical service for advanced water treatment. Our principal, Carl Hickman, has been active in various types of water treatment since earning a degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1964.

Since 1970, Carl has been specializing in reverse osmosis and ion exchange. He has provided major input to over 100 treatment systems. Some of the highlights include:

Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas, the plant where the value of reverse osmosis in the production of water for semiconductor manufacturing was proven. Reverse osmosis was added to one of several ion exchange systems producing wafer rinse water. Yield results from the parallel production lines demonstrated the need for membrane in the ultrapure water production process.

Ocean Reef Club on Key Largo, Florida, the first reverse osmosis plant to produce potable water for domestic use from the vast Florida brackish aquifers.

Mobil Nufuels, Crown Point, New Mexico, the first commercial reverse osmosis system to use synthetic scale inhibitor (Flocon 100).

SWCC sea water desalting plant, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the first large sea water reverse osmosis system using spiral wound membrane.

Argo Scientific, San Marcos, California, development and licensing of a complete line of membrane cleaning chemicals still being manufactured by Betz Division of General Electric.

Minnkota Power, Center, North Dakota, a coal burning power station that transformed itself from a frequent condensate purchaser to an occasional condensate seller without increasing water withdrawal from its surface supply. Carl was a member of the design team that corrected numerous problems in the lime softening, filtration, electrodialysis, ion exchange makeup water treatment system.

Tampa Bay sea water desalting plant, the largest membrane based sea water desalting plant in North America.