Aqua Membranes
Aqua Membranes manufactures patented 3D-printed spacer reverse osmosis membrane elements for industrial water treatment. It serves semiconductor, mining, power generation, food and beverage, and water OEM customers via direct enterprise sales and Osmoflo channel distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Aqua Membranes does
Aqua Membranes is an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based environmental technology company that manufactures spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements featuring its patented Printed Spacer Technology®. Founded circa 2018, the company replaces legacy plastic mesh feed spacers with 3D-printed spacer features deposited directly onto the membrane surface, creating open flow channels that reduce pressure drop, minimize fouling and dead zones, and increase active membrane area per element to 515-550 sq ft in standard 8040 form factors.
The company sells hardware products — brackish water elements (ECO-BW515 8-inch and AM-BW4040 4-inch), the Low Energy element (ECO-LE515), and a forthcoming seawater element — alongside two software tools (Cliir design platform and an ROI calculator) and a CoCreation technology licensing program that grants partners access to its proprietary resin and printing processes. Revenue is generated through direct enterprise sales with technical consultation and pilot programs, supplemented by an exclusive distribution partnership with Osmoflo for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
Aqua Membranes serves industrial water treatment customers in semiconductors (Micron), mining and water remediation (Legacy Mine), power generation and higher education (University of New Mexico), food and beverage (Coca-Cola), and water treatment OEMs. The company raised an oversubscribed Series B in October 2024 led by Burnt Island Ventures and opened a 200,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Knoxville, Tennessee in November 2025 to scale automated production twenty-fold.
Aqua Membranes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aqua Membranes
- Legal name
- Aqua Membranes Inc.
- Website
- https://aquamembranes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Aqua Membranes manufactures patented 3D-printed spacer reverse osmosis membrane elements for industrial water treatment. It serves semiconductor, mining, power generation, food and beverage, and water OEM customers via direct enterprise sales and Osmoflo channel distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aqua Membranes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Water Treatment Membranes
- akta.pro primary industry
- Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable) (EUANABAC), Membrane Treatment Chemicals (RO/NF/UF) (IMAEAJAF)
Keywords
Where Aqua Membranes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Aqua Membranes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- RO Membrane Element Sales: Direct sales of spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane elements with Printed Spacer Technology. Products include brackish water models (ECO-BW515, AM-BW4040), low energy elements (ECO-LE515), and upcoming seawater elements. Customers purchase elements as replacements or for new installations.
- CoCreation Technology Licensing: Licensing of patented 3D Printed Spacer Technology for in-house production. Partners gain access to resin and printing processes for integration into existing operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Standard membrane elements with Printed Spacer Technology |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Aqua Membranes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aqua Membranes manufactures spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements featuring patented Printed Spacer Technology®, which replaces legacy plastic mesh spacers with 3D-printed features on the membrane surface. The product line includes 8-inch and 4-inch brackish water elements (ECO-BW515, ECO-LE515, AM-BW4040) and seawater elements, sold to industrial customers in semiconductors, mining, power generation, food & beverage, and water recycling. The company also licenses its printing technology through a CoCreation program and offers design software (Cliir) and an ROI calculator.
Product overview
Aqua Membranes offers a portfolio of spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane elements featuring its proprietary Printed Spacer Technology®, which replaces legacy mesh spacers with 3D-printed flow channels. The product line includes three commercial brackish water elements (ECO-BW515 8-inch, ECO-LE515 Low Energy 8-inch, and AM-BW4040 4-inch), plus seawater elements launching later in 2026. Supporting tools include the Cliir design software platform for system modeling and an ROI Clarity Calculator. The company also offers CoCreation licensing for partners to adopt the technology in-house.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Printed Spacer Technology®: The company's core patented technology that replaces traditional mesh spacers with 3D-printed features directly on membrane surfaces for improved RO performance.
- Cliir
- CoCreation
Products and services
- ECO-BW515 An 8-inch brackish water reverse osmosis element (8040 format) with 515 sq ft of active membrane area and 99.5% minimum salt rejection, optimized with Printed Spacer Technology® flow dynamics to reduce fouling while maintaining high rejection rates. Sold to industrial customers in semiconductors, mining, power generation, and food & beverage.
- ECO-LE515 An 8-inch low energy reverse osmosis element optimized for lowest possible operating pressures and energy usage, with 99.2% minimum salt rejection. Delivers reduced energy, increased flow, fewer cleanings, and longer life. Targeted at industrial RO systems prioritizing energy efficiency.
- AM-BW4040 A 4-inch brackish water reverse osmosis element (4040 format) with 105 sq ft of surface area, designed to optimize flow dynamics while maintaining high rejection rates within standard 4-inch housing systems. Sold for smaller-scale industrial water treatment applications.
- Seawater Reverse Osmosis Elements Seawater desalination RO elements with reduced feed spacer channel height (16 mil) enabling 550 sq ft of active membrane area per 8040 element. Achieves 99.8% salt rejection and 41% output increase in testing, selected as Track A semifinalist in the $119 million XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition.
- CoCreation & Technology Licensing A licensing program allowing partners to access Aqua Membranes' patented 3D Printed Spacer Technology® for in-house production of printed spacer elements, including access to proprietary resin and printing processes. Targeted at OEMs and water treatment companies seeking to integrate the technology into their own operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% energy reduction in RO operations
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Aqua Membranes
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Aqua Membranes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Aqua Membranes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Renaissance Water ConsortiumminorXPRIZE Water Scarcity competition consortium led by Harmony Desalting. Aqua Membranes is one of four industry partners (alongside Protec-Arisawa, DuPont, Danfoss) deploying technology for testing at Dhekelia Desalination Plant in Cyprus.
- OsmoflocoreExclusive partnership agreement for distribution across Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific region. Osmoflo will distribute Aqua Membranes' RO membranes with 3D-printed spacer technology to clients, asset owners, and OEMs. Also utilizes membranes within own integrated water treatment systems. Osmoflo shareholder Kanadevia Corporation (Osaka, Japan) also took an investment position in Aqua Membranes Series B.
- The Coca-Cola CompanycoreSelected for 100+ Accelerator Cohort 5 to pilot Printed Spacer Technology for water and energy conservation during brackish water treatment. Aqua Membranes was one of 7 startups selected by Coca-Cola from global applicants.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Aqua Membranes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Industrial water treatment OEM offering RO membranes, system design, and aftermarket services. Competes broadly with Aqua Membranes across semiconductor, F&B, mining, and power generation customers with bundled system offerings.
- Veolia Water Technologies: Global water treatment OEM and service provider offering RO systems, membrane elements, and aftermarket services across mining, F&B, power, and industrial customers. Competes with Aqua Membranes as an integrated solutions provider rather than element-only specialist.
- Hydranautics (Nitto Denko): Established RO membrane manufacturer owned by Nitto Denko, offering brackish, seawater, and specialty elements. Direct competitor with global commercial reach and significant R&D resources for feed spacer and membrane chemistry innovation.
- Toray Industries (Toray Membrane): Major global supplier of RO, NF, UF, and MF membrane elements including brackish and seawater grades. Competes directly in industrial RO with decades of installed base and significant patent portfolio around membrane chemistry and element construction.
- DuPont Water Solutions (FilmTec): Market-leading manufacturer of FilmTec™ RO membrane elements serving industrial water treatment globally. Direct competitor in spiral-wound RO elements with vastly larger R&D budget, manufacturing scale, and installed base — the primary incumbent Aqua Membranes is competing against.
- LG Chem (NanoH2O): South Korea-based RO membrane manufacturer originating from NanoH2O acquisition. Competes in industrial RO with thin-film nanocomposite membranes; notable because CTO CJ Kurth's previous company Nano H2O is now part of LG Chem.
Others
- Pentair: Global water treatment equipment company with X-Flow membrane portfolio. Strategic investor in Aqua Membranes and competitor in adjacent membrane markets; relationship is partly partnership and partly competitive across RO elements.
- Kurita Water Industries: One of the world's largest industrial water treatment equipment and chemical suppliers. Strategic investor in Aqua Membranes and a key distribution/customer partner; competes indirectly through integrated water treatment systems that incorporate third-party membrane elements.
- Osmoflo: Australia-based integrated water treatment solutions provider and Aqua Membranes' exclusive distribution partner for Australia, NZ, and Pacific. Acts partly as customer (integrates elements into own systems) and partly as channel partner; competitor in some bid scenarios where Osmoflo offers full skid solutions.
Emerging players
- Gradiant: Water technology company specializing in industrial water treatment and reuse with proprietary separations technology including membrane and non-membrane solutions. Comparable as an emerging-to-growth-stage water technology innovator addressing semiconductor, F&B, and mining customers with sustainable water solutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Aqua Membranes social profiles
Digital presenceAqua Membranes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aqua Membranes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Aqua Membranes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aqua Membranes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aqua Membranes
What does Aqua Membranes do?
Aqua Membranes manufactures spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements featuring patented Printed Spacer Technology®, which replaces legacy plastic mesh spacers with 3D-printed features on the membrane surface. The product line includes 8-inch and 4-inch brackish water elements (ECO-BW515, ECO-LE515, AM-BW4040) and seawater elements, sold to industrial customers in semiconductors, mining, power generation, food & beverage, and water recycling. The company also licenses its printing technology through a CoCreation program and offers design software (Cliir) and an ROI calculator.
Is Aqua Membranes a public or private company?
Aqua Membranes is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Aqua Membranes founded?
Aqua Membranes was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Aqua Membranes based?
Aqua Membranes is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aqua Membranes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. RO Membrane Element Sales are the primary driver. The others are coCreation Technology Licensing.
Who are Aqua Membranes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, Veolia Water Technologies, Hydranautics (Nitto Denko), Toray Industries (Toray Membrane), DuPont Water Solutions (FilmTec) and LG Chem (NanoH2O). Others are Pentair, Kurita Water Industries and Osmoflo. Gradiant is listed as an emerging player.
Does Aqua Membranes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aqua Membranes.
What industry is Aqua Membranes in?
Aqua Membranes's product category is Industrial Water Treatment Membranes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUANAFAJ, Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning), with a secondary code of EUANABAC, Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable).