7 promising European tech startups that are using desalination to solve the global water crisis

Water is the elixir of life but it is becoming increasingly challenging to access clean water for millions of people all over the world. Understanding that there is a necessity for clean water, many European tech startups are striving to resolve these challenges in accessing clean water. Many of these startups work on purifying wastewater or by desalinating seawater.

Desalination startups in Europe

While access to clean water has been a challenge for many years, the current pandemic crisis has resulted in an added urgency with the need to guarantee basic sanitation to curb the spread of infectious diseases. Having said that, here is a list of European tech startups that are dealing with desalination right now as sourced from Dealroom.

Salinnova (Germany)

CEO: Tobias Schmucker
Founded year: 2017
Funding: NA

Salinnova is known for the innovations in seawater desalination. Its main product, SALINO is a 4-in-1 technology product, which combines a high-pressure pump, a booster pump, an electrical drive, and an energy recovery device into a unique technical solution. As per the company, this significantly increases energy efficiency and reliability and reduces life cycle costs and simplifies assembly and operation. SALINO is touted to be ideal for small and medium-sized desalination plants for shipping, industry, and hotels.

Watly (Italy)

Founder/s: Marco Attisani
Founded year: 2013
Funding: €50k

Watly intends to provide access to clean water and sanitation, connectivity, and free-energy. The company claims that its mission is to improve global living standards for people who are in need all over the world. Watly’s technological solutions are powered by renewable and clean energies. It has built the most advanced solar water purifiers and micro-power stations in the world.

Useful Wastes (Spain)

Founder/s: Cristina Varona Anta, Ricardo Martinez Vives
Founded year: 2016
Funding: €50k

Useful Wastes develops a desalination technology, which is designed to make useful products from brines. The company’s technology offers a novel and disruptive system involving the reuse of reverse osmosis rejection giving these brines a second shelf life to achieve a greater amount of permeate and a zero discharge. This enables customers to desalinate water sans producing harmful brines and boost the circular economy.

Solar Water (UK)

Founder/s: Malcolm Aw
Founded year: 2016
Funding: €50k

Solar Water’s technology is claimed to generate unlimited fresh water via an innovative, carbon-neutral, and completely sustainable technology. Unlike other desalination solutions, this technology does not rely on fossil fuels or harm ocean life by dumping salt into the sea. It positively affects climate change via unlimited water recovery, reforestation, and generation.

Sealeau (Netherlands)

Founder/s: Dimitris Xevgenos, Konstantina Makrythanasi
Founded year: 2015
Funding: NA

Sealeau is a Dutch startup, which has designed, developed, and demonstrated technology for efficient salty wastewater management and recovery of resources. As per the company, this technology will provide a highly innovative solution in the industrial wastewater market. It is concentrated on dissolved solids removal, which is touted to be 15% of the market. Sealeau eliminates wastewater and recovers high-quality and fit-for-purpose water.

Elemental Water Makers (Netherlands)

Founder/s: Reinoud Feenstra, Sid Vollebregt
Founded year: 2012
Funding: NA

Elemental Water Makers claims to provide the most cost attractive renewable energy-driven desalination solutions for the production of freshwater. At the same time, the company intends to provide a long-term sustainable solution for water supply. It provides solutions that utilise renewable energy sources. As per the company, its solutions are affordable and reliable and ensure you get high-quality water at your location.

Desolenator (UK)

Founder/s: Alexei Levene
Founded year: 2014
Funding: €150k

Desolenator touts to develop tech products that harness sunshine and seawater to produce high-quality drinking water. The concept designed by Desolenator is the most cost-effective and sustainable solution in areas of complex water types, high solar irradiation, and high-cost of water provisioning. The company aims to resolve one of the major global challenges by providing access to clean water. Furthermore, it claims to use the world’s first solar-thermal desalination technology in a modular way.

Stock photo from paulfleet/Deposit Photos