Adaptive electromembrane separation
A dynamic system that shifts in real time to handle the variability of industrial water.
How it works
Most of what stops water being reused is dissolved: salts such as sodium, chloride and sulphate, hardness from calcium and magnesium, and metals. None of it can be filtered out.
Our system uses an electric field to pull those charged ions out of the water and through selective membranes. One stream comes out with them removed. The other carries them away in concentrated form.
The water itself never has to be pushed through a membrane at high pressure, which is why the approach copes with water that would quickly foul reverse osmosis.
Why adaptive matters
Industrial water changes by the hour: with production rates, products, raw materials, temperature and season. A system tuned for one condition is either over-designed or failing for much of the time.
Ours monitors the incoming water and adjusts how it operates as conditions change. That keeps the output on target and the energy use down, and lets us treat only to the level each use needs.
Our industrial pilot puts this to the test on real, changing paper mill water, at 60 m³ a day on a system built for 400 m³ a day.
- 95%+ water recoveryfrom industrial wastewater, tuned to each site
- Low-energy operationno heat and no high-pressure pumping
- No direct CO₂ emissionsthe system runs on electricity alone
- Brine reductiona concentrate typically under 10% of the inlet, so disposal energy and costs are dramatically reduced
- Built for messy watersolids, scaling and variability that defeat other approaches
- Continuous and unattendeddesigned to run 24/7 without an operator
- Long membrane life3+ years expected in normal use; 5+ years likely in many operating conditions, and longer in some cases
Complete systems, not just stacks
We design and deliver the whole system around your site: the electromembrane units, any pre-treatment your water needs, and the controls that keep it on target. You tell us what you need the water to do, and we take responsibility for getting it there.
Systems are modular. Start at the capacity you need today and add modules at scheduled maintenance as you grow, without losing efficiency.
System sizes
| Module | Operating range |
|---|---|
| Compact | 0.4–4 m³/day |
| Standard | 4–40 m³/day |
| Industrial | 40–400 m³/day |
| Enterprise | 400–4,000 m³/day |
| Enterprise+ | Over 4,000 m³/day, with units in parallel |
Exact sizing and configuration follow an assessment of your site's water.
How we work with you
Every project starts with your data and ends with a full system. Bench tests and pilots are optional: whether you need them depends on what has already been proven on similar water and what you need to be confident. Some projects go straight from your data to a full system.
Share your data
Your flow rates, a water analysis if you have one, and what you need the treated water to do.
- Optional
Bench test
Where it's needed, we run your samples through our system and firm up the numbers for your site.
- Optional
On-site pilot
Where you want extra confidence, a skid on one stream proves the case under real conditions.
Full system
Sized to your site and installed alongside your process, with modules added as you grow.
No green premium
Industrial wastewater treatment has long been seen as technically intractable, expensive, or both. Danu Water is designed to pay for itself: through lower freshwater and discharge costs, less downtime from scaling and corrosion, process chemicals that work better when water quality is tuned to what the process needs, and in some cases valuable products recovered from the concentrate. When the business case stands on its own, sustainability follows.
Team
Kyra Sedransk Campbell
Co-founder and CEO
Formerly Professor of Chemical Engineering and a Royal Society Research Fellow, Kyra left academia in October 2024 to build Danu Water. She leads the business, commercial strategy and partnerships.
Jack Ledingham
Co-founder and CTO
One of the world's leading experts in electrodialysis, Jack designed Danu Water's adaptive electromembrane separation system. He leads the technical build, from system design to running our industrial pilot on site.
Backed by SFC Capital.
Have a water problem we should look at?
Tell us about your site and your water, and we will tell you honestly where Danu Water fits.