Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year
Shortlisted Nominees
AM-Team
What is it?
A Dutch company specialising in adapting computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to analyse a range of water sector metrics. Its combination of CFD with (bio)chemical process kinetics provides 3D process insights into treatment plant operations.
What has it done?
Last year AM-Team focused on shining a light on the water sector’s emissions challenges, with a particular emphasis on elevating understanding of nitrous oxide (N2O) at wastewater treatment plants. Following the launch of its CFD-N2O solution in May 2022, the company announced a strategic partnership with engineering firm Binnies in September to investigate nitrous oxide emissions at wastewater treatment plants in the UK.
What makes it special?
CFD-N2O is a gamechanger for nitrous oxide analysis, enabling utilities to augment measurements, identify hotspots and consolidate these findings into emissions reporting. With GWI research estimating that N2O accounts for over 60% of process emissions in wastewater treatment, AM-Team’s model is spearheading efforts to better understand and mitigate a critical element of utility climate targets.
Riding the rising wave of scrutiny of process emissions from the water sector, CFD-N2O was swiftly implemented at 15 sites across five countries in only eight months following its launch. This rapid adoption trajectory is set to continue: already, AM-Team anticipates that N2O-related work will account for over 50% of its turnover in 2023.
AM-Team is pioneering the use of CFD for virtual piloting, setting the stage for the next generation of water technologies by slashing the amount of time typically spent evaluating solutions under different operating conditions. Alongside the use of CFD to pilot technologies including membrane bioreactors and ultrafiltration membranes, its Amozone simulation model is designed to virtually evaluate ozone and advanced oxidation processes, helping utilities battling micropollutant removal challenges.
FIDO Tech
What is it?
A UK start-up specialising in artificial intelligence-driven leak detection. Its AI model can identify and size leaks in utility networks, allowing repairs to be targeted more efficiently. While this model works with any sensor, FIDO Tech also offers its own acoustic sensors, or “Bugs”, to relay leak localisation data to the cloud.
What has it done?
FIDO Tech unlocked multi-million dollar funding in 2022 through its strategic acquisition by SKion Water, with follow-on investment from Emerald Technology Ventures. Having detected over 650,000 points of interest in networks across five continents between November 2019 and December 2022, the company is now processing up to 35,000 points per week and is poised to scale even more rapidly.
What makes it special?
FIDO Tech is breaking new ground by pioneering leak sizing, which until now had proven beyond the capabilities of other detection methods. Its unique AI models are able to identify the noise characteristics of different leakage points, enabling utilities to efficiently prioritise addressing the most severe – and expensive – sources of water loss within their networks.
The company is directly addressing the critical need for utilities to better manage their resources by reducing reliance on ‘boots-on-the-ground’ methods of leak detection. Claiming an accuracy of 92%, its algorithm is offered under a subscription-based data-as-a-service model and can also extract vital insights from existing audio files.
A core component of FIDO Tech’s strategy and ethos is to broaden the accessibility of effective leak detection to utilities which are less mature on the digital adoption curve. While the company offers its own sensors which can be deployed in as little as 90 seconds, the AI model itself is hardware-agnostic and works seamlessly with any pipe material and pressure.
Pani
What is it?
A Canadian start-up offering a cloud-based machine learning software platform which leverages artificial intelligence to optimise the operations of wastewater treatment and desalination plants. Offered under a software-as-a-service model, its proprietary algorithms are used to create digital twins of facilities.
What has it done?
Pani rapidly accelerated its activities over the past year, with 150 plants signing up to its Process Operations AI platform by the end of 2022, while its team doubled in size to 45 members. With a firm foothold established in providing energy, water and cost savings for treatment plants, its next target is to boost its emissions reduction efforts.
What makes it special?
Pani’s core value proposition lies in uncovering optimisations in existing treatment processes, claiming a raft of efficiencies including reducing operating costs and energy consumption by up to 15% and 20%, respectively. With a particular focus on enhancing the performance of reverse osmosis membranes, its digital twin can be used to hone process improvements to cleaning cycles and chemical consumption.
Process Operations AI is scaling to new heights and is now deployed across ten countries at a range of the largest and most innovative treatment plants. Pani’s solution is optimising operations at Orange County Water District’s pioneering large-scale Groundwater Replenishment System and Sojeco South Jeddah Corniche Desalination Plant in Saudi Arabia Meanwhile, partnerships with Coca-Cola and Aquatech were also cemented in 2022.
Pani is setting its sights on contributing to the decarbonisation of the water sector, committing to a lofty target of reducing global emissions by 510 million tons/year by 2032. To achieve this, the company is targeting facilities in emerging markets to integrate Process Operations AI alongside existing sensors and resources, to maximise return on investment in regions contributing to a large proportion of the water sector’s emissions.
ZwitterCo
What is it?
A US start-up company harnessing the properties of zwitterions – molecules with an equal number of positively- and negatively-charged groups – to create robust polymeric membranes for industrial applications. Its flagship spiral-wound superfiltration (SF) membrane is hydrophilic and immune to fouling, enabling it to treat the most challenging industrial wastewater streams.
What has it done?
2022 saw ZwitterCo reach new heights, with an injection of $33 million of funding in September billed as the largest ever Series A round for a water technology start-up. The company also rapidly scaled up its commercial activities, delivering 4 million gallons a day of treatment capacity and booking 16 projects with a range of industrial clients.
What makes it special?
ZwitterCo is taking membrane technology to new frontiers, enabling access to applications where treatment options were previously confined to dissolved air flotation or effluent hauling. The fouling-resistant SF membrane is more durable than conventional PES and PVDF options, offers a longer lifecycle at reduced operating costs and can be easily retrofitted into existing treatment systems.
Capitalising on a growing appetite for recovering value from waste, ZwitterCo is unlocking revenue from the wastewater streams of its high-profile industrial clients. Its addressable markets span from protein recovery from pet food processing to fat separation from the dairy industry, enabling synergies across treatment processes while also boosting water reuse rates. A partnership with Digested Organics, announced last October, opened up new growth markets in treating digestate to support the recovery of 50% of the stream for water reuse and the other half as a high-value fertiliser.
ZwitterCo rapidly exceeded growth expectations in 2022, and is set to continue building on an impressive pipeline of seven commercial projects and 13 pilots. Key commercial contracts driving the growth of the company included a five-year subscription deal with a major biotechnology firm.