H2nanO

What H2nanO does

H2nanO Inc. is a Canadian cleantech startup founded in 2015 and headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, with operations support in Acheson, Alberta. The company develops passive, low-energy water treatment and reuse technologies that combine proprietary nanomaterials with nature-inspired process designs to harness natural and surplus energy sources (sunlight, wind, waste heat) for contaminant destruction without chemical or external energy inputs.

Its product portfolio centers on three offerings: SolarPass, a passive advanced oxidation process that uses sunlight-driven photocatalysis to destroy recalcitrant organics such as naphthenic acids, BTEX, PAHs, and 1,4-dioxane; SolarPass Stratus, an in-situ variant targeting methane, H2S, and VOC emissions from industrial lagoons; and Oasis, a photothermal evaporation enhancement technology using buoyant sunlight-absorbing beads for brine management and zero-liquid discharge. Supporting offerings include mobile laboratory pilots, modular reactor systems, and in-situ pond/lagoon deployment systems. Pilot-scale data reports 70-100% odor and GHG emission reductions and toxicity elimination within 1-2 days of sunlight exposure for oil sands process-affected water.

H2nanO operates an enterprise field sales motion with primary verticals in Oil & Gas and Metals Mining & Processing, plus secondary applications in Power Generation, Agribusiness, Site Remediation, and Municipal Wastewater. The company follows a structured three-phase engagement model (Treatability Assessment, Field Pilot Trial, Full-Scale Process Integration) with multi-year deployment contracts, generating revenue through hardware sales and process integration services. The company has no disclosed revenue, 11-50 employees, and has been funded primarily through non-dilutive Canadian government grants (SDTC, CRIN, ERA, MICA, Alberta Innovates) totaling over $8.5M CAD from 2019 through 2026, alongside accelerator participation in Velocity, Imagine H2O, and Creative Destruction Lab.

Name

H2nanO

Legal name

H2nanO Inc.

Website

https://h2nano.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

H2nanO Inc. is a Canadian cleantech startup that develops passive, solar-driven nanotechnology for industrial water treatment, brine management, and emissions reduction, primarily serving the oil & gas and metals mining sectors through enterprise hardware sales and pilot-led deployment contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (325180)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Produced Water Management & Treatment (Handling, Disposal, Reuse) (EUAAAAAN), Produced Water & Condensate Handling at Gas Plants (Stabilization, Treatment, Disposal/Reuse) (EUAAABAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Nanomaterial water purification
• Passive advanced oxidation
• Photothermal brine evaporation
• Solar photocatalytic treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitchener

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water Treatment Technology Equipment & Deployment: H2nanO generates revenue through the sale and deployment of its SolarPass and Oasis water treatment technologies to industrial clients. Revenue is derived from equipment sales, pilot trial programs, and full-scale process integration services. The business model follows an enterprise sales motion with treatability assessment, field pilots, and long-term operational deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

H2nanO designs, manufactures, and deploys proprietary passive water treatment technologies that use advanced nanomaterials and sunlight, wind, and waste heat to destroy hard-to-treat industrial contaminants and manage brine without chemical or external energy inputs. Its core platforms, SolarPass (passive advanced oxidation) and Oasis (photothermal evaporation), are sold as hardware systems and integrated full-scale into oil & gas, mining, and power generation operations, supported by treatability assessments, field pilot trials, and process integration services.

Product overview

H2nanO offers a portfolio of low-energy, passive water treatment technologies designed for industrial applications. The core offerings include SolarPass (a passive advanced oxidation system using sunlight for contaminant destruction), Oasis (photothermal evaporation enhancement for brine management and desalination), and SolarPass Stratus (variant for greenhouse gas and malodorous emissions treatment). These technologies harness natural and surplus energy sources to treat and reuse water without intensive chemical or energy inputs, serving the energy, mining, and power generation industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SolarPass: Passive advanced oxidation process that harnesses sunlight to produce oxidants in-situ without energy and chemical inputs. Targets hard-to-degrade compounds including naphthenic acids, BTEX, PAHs, and other contaminants.
• Oasis

Products and services

• SolarPass Passive advanced oxidation process that harnesses sunlight to produce oxidants in-situ without energy or chemical inputs; targets hard-to-degrade contaminants including naphthenic acids, BTEX, PAHs, 1,4-dioxane, phenolics, cyanotoxins, ammonia, reduced sulfur compounds, manganese, organometallics (organoselenium), pesticides, and pharmaceuticals; used by oil & gas, mining, and power generation operators for process water and emissions treatment.
• Oasis Buoyant treatment technology using floating sunlight-absorbing beads that leverage capillary transport and photo-thermal properties for passive brine management and desalination capable of zero-liquid discharge; used for tailings dewatering, brine pond footprint reduction, and resource recovery (lithium, potash) in mining and oil & gas operations.
• SolarPass (Stratus) Passive in-situ variant of SolarPass designed to intercept and treat methane, reduced sulfur compounds (H2S), and VOCs at storage ponds and lagoons to reduce carbon footprint and improve local air quality; deployed as configurable surface coverage for emissions control.
• Water Treatment Treatability Assessment, Pilot Trial & Process Integration Services Consultative enterprise service offering for industrial clients: a 20–50L sample treatability assessment to inform pilot decisions, a 1–100m³ on/off-site field pilot trial for process scaling and benchmarking, and full-scale process integration of SolarPass/Oasis technologies into new or existing site water and emissions systems under multi-year deployment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces odour and GHG emissions by 70-100%
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and flagship.

• Velocity (University of Waterloo)supportingOthersH2nanO is a proud member of the largest free startup incubator in the world, located at the University of Waterloo. The Velocity incubator provides access to top talent, mentorship, and high-tech startup ecosystem support for company growth.
• Imagine H2OflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2nanO was selected for Imagine H2O's 2018 cohort, which brings together the world's most exciting water start-ups. Imagine H2O is a leading water innovation accelerator providing resources and networks for water technology ventures.
• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2nanO is an alumnus of CDL, Canada's largest high tech venture accelerator. The program provides access to mentorship, investor networks, and structured business development for high-growth technology ventures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Solenis: Solenis produces specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries including pulp & paper, mining, and oil & gas. It overlaps with H2nanO's customer base and competes against H2nanO's passive approaches by selling chemical-intensive treatment programs.
• Kurita Water Industries: Kurita supplies specialty water treatment chemicals and equipment to industrial customers worldwide. Comparable as an established specialty chemicals/equipment player whose offerings H2nanO's passive technologies could displace for hard-to-treat streams.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: SUEZ (now part of Veolia) supplies water treatment chemicals, equipment, and digital services to industrial customers globally, including in O&G, mining, and power. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in the same industrial verticals.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia is a global water treatment incumbent offering chemicals, equipment, and services across industrial and municipal segments. It is the broad incumbent against which H2nanO competes when its passive technologies displace conventional chemical/energy-intensive treatment.
• Ecolab: Ecolab provides water treatment chemicals and services for industrial customers, including heavy industry and O&G. It is the dominant chemicals-based incumbent whose ongoing chemical dosing approach contrasts with H2nanO's no-chemical passive treatment value proposition.

Direct peers

• Gradiant: Gradiant provides industrial water and wastewater treatment solutions, including produced water management for oil & gas and mining. It competes most directly with H2nanO on advanced treatment for hard-to-treat industrial streams using novel chemistry and process designs.
• OriginClear: OriginClear offers modular water treatment systems targeting industrial customers, including oil & gas produced water. It overlaps with H2nanO in deployment model (modular systems, enterprise sales) and customer base (industrial water users).
• 374Water: 374Water deploys supercritical water oxidation systems for industrial wastewater and waste destruction, targeting hard-to-treat organics. It is a direct comparitor in the industrial AOP/waste destruction category where H2nanO's SolarPass also competes.
• Axine Water Technologies: Axine developed electrochemical advanced oxidation processes for destroying recalcitrant organic contaminants in industrial wastewater. It is a closely comparable AOP-based, industrial-focused water treatment peer with similar target contaminants (organics, ammonia, phenolics) and verticals.
• Solaris Water (formerly Highlight Industries): Solaris Water provides produced water treatment and recycling solutions for oil & gas operators. It is directly comparable in produced water management for upstream energy — one of H2nanO's primary verticals.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/h2nano
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h2nano

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds15 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H2nanO