Kurita America

What Kurita America does

Kurita America Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and operating since 1949 (formerly U.S. Water Services), is the North American subsidiary of Japan's Kurita Water Industries Ltd. The company delivers integrated industrial water treatment solutions combining proprietary chemical programs, engineered equipment systems, and lifecycle services. Its chemistry portfolio includes patented technologies such as Cetamine (film-forming amines), DReeM Polymer (silica and hardness scale removal), Kuriverter IK-110 (RO membrane biofilm control), PhosZero with E-FeX (non-phosphorus corrosion inhibition), pHytOUT (biofuels deposit control), and Kurifloc (bio-based circular-economy coagulant). Equipment offerings include FLUX RO reverse osmosis platforms, Avista membrane systems, clarification systems (DAF, plate, solids-contact), packaged treatment systems (Dualator, UTS, DTS, Water-in-a-Box), and the EnergyOUT integrated boiler solution available through an operating-lease model. Supporting capabilities include engineering services, full on-site O&M contracts, drumless chemical delivery programs, aftermarket parts, and the eLink cloud-based monitoring and reporting platform.

The business model is built on recurring chemical consumption from installed accounts, supplemented by hardware sales/leases and professional services. The go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales targeting large industrial facilities, municipal water systems, healthcare institutions, and commercial customers, supported by an inside sales team for order processing and aftermarket service. Customer segments span thirteen verticals including Heavy Industry, Biofuels, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Microelectronics, Municipal Drinking Water, Power Generation, Mining, Oil Refining, Steel, Geothermal, Light Industry, and Commercial & Institutional. Operations extend across the US and Canada through Kurita Canada Inc., with a new Mexican subsidiary (Kurita Water Industries Mexico) established in December 2025 and a new Engineering Center opened in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2026 to support lifecycle services across North America.

Recent strategic activity includes the April 2026 investment in Cyclopure Inc. with exclusive US sales rights for the DEXSORB PFAS adsorbent, plus the construction of a Michigan regeneration plant. The company maintains certifications including NSF/ANSI 60, Kosher approval, and FSMA compliance, and is positioned within Kurita Group as a key North American platform for industrial water treatment, recycling, and emerging contaminant remediation.

Name

Kurita America

Legal name

Kurita America Inc.

Website

https://kuritaamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kurita America is the North American subsidiary of Japan's Kurita Water Industries Ltd., providing integrated industrial water treatment chemicals, equipment, and lifecycle services to heavy industry, biofuels, healthcare, microelectronics, municipal, and food & beverage customers across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment Solutions

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Services (BPALAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ), Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC), Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG), PFAS & Emerging Contaminants Removal (AFFF/Trace Organics) (EUANADAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Boiler water chemicals
• Cooling water treatment
• Water treatment equipment
• Membrane filtration systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Treatment Chemicals: Kurita America sells proprietary water treatment chemical products including boiler water chemicals, cooling water treatments, wastewater treatment chemistries, membrane chemicals, and process chemicals. Revenue is generated through direct product sales with recurring consumption patterns from established customer relationships.
2. Equipment Systems and Solutions: Sale and lease of water treatment equipment including reverse osmosis systems (FLUX RO), filtration systems, clarification systems, chemical feed systems, and packaged treatment plants. EnergyOUT is specifically offered through an operating lease model with monthly pricing including equipment, standard service, chemicals, and consumables.
3. Operating Lease - EnergyOUT: EnergyOUT integrated boiler efficiency solution available through operating lease model. Includes equipment, standard service, chemicals, and consumables for a set, monthly price. Available in three or five year contracts.
4. On-Site Services and O&M: Operation and maintenance services for water treatment facilities including full O&M contracts with around-the-clock operating personnel, maintenance services, and O&M consulting. Contracts may include consumables and replacement components.
5. Engineering Services: Engineering and consulting services including system evaluation agreements, treatment recommendations, water balance analysis, and design support for water treatment systems from licensed Professional Engineers.
6. Chemical Delivery Programs: Drumless delivery programs (EZ Feed, Mini Bulk, Truckload, Flex Bulk) for chemical supply with regular delivery schedules. Revenue from ongoing chemical supply through delivery programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kurita America delivers integrated industrial water treatment solutions combining proprietary chemical programs (e.g., Cetamine, DReeM Polymer, Kuriverter IK-110, PhosZero), engineered equipment systems (reverse osmosis, clarification, filtration, packaged plants), and lifecycle engineering, O&M, and monitoring services. The company targets boilers, cooling towers, membrane systems, and wastewater streams at heavy industrial, municipal, healthcare, food & beverage, microelectronics, biofuels, and power generation sites across North America.

Product overview

Kurita America is a leading provider of industrial water treatment solutions offering an integrated portfolio of chemicals, equipment, engineering services, and monitoring systems. The core offerings include specialized chemical treatments such as Cetamine film-forming amine technology, DReeM Polymer for boiler deposit control, PhosZero non-phosphorus corrosion inhibitor, and pHytOUT for biofuels deposit control, alongside equipment solutions including FLUX RO membrane systems, clarification systems (DAF, plate clarifiers, solids contact clarifiers), and packaged equipment (Dualator, UTS, DTS). The company provides comprehensive water treatment solutions including Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD), water reuse and reclamation, ultrapure water production, desalination, and ion exchange/adsorption systems. Supporting services include Engineering Services for design and evaluation, On-Site Services for full O&M, Chemical Delivery programs, Aftermarket Parts support, and eLink cloud-based monitoring and reporting platform. The integrated approach combines technologies, engineering, equipment, and services to address complex water challenges across diverse industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simul-Wash: Simultaneous air and water backwash system for optimal cleaning of media filters while minimizing water waste, implemented for over 40 years with hundreds of installations.
• S.sensing CS
• pHytOUT
• Kuriverter IK-110
• EnergyOUT
• Dropwise Condensation Technology
• DReeM Polymer
• Cetamine
• PhosZero
• Cetamine Technology
• Kurifloc
• Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)

Products and services

• Cetamine® Film-forming amine (FFA) technology providing complete protection for steam generators, hot water boilers, closed systems, and corrosion protection in open cooling systems. Creates a hydrophobic protective film on metal surfaces that inhibits corrosion without affecting heat transfer. Sold to industrial facilities running steam and boiler systems.
• DReeM Polymer™ Award-winning polymer chemistry that removes silicate and hardness scale from boiler water side surfaces up to four times more efficiently than conventional polymers. Maximizes heat transfer surface cleanliness and reduces fuel use in low- to medium-pressure boilers.
• PhosZero™ with E-FeX Technology Non-phosphorus corrosion inhibitor for cooling towers that delivers scale and corrosion protection equivalent to or better than traditional phosphorus chemistries, without discharge or aquatic toxicity concerns. Replaces the most common use of phosphorus in cooling water applications.
• pHytOUT® Patented liquid deposit control inhibitor developed for the biofuels industry, typically dosed into fermenters. Reduces an ethanol plant's dependency on sulfuric acid while providing process fouling inhibition, supporting integrated Zero Liquid Discharge (iZLD) programs.
• Kurifloc® Circular economy coagulant and flocculant made from bio-stock-derived material (leftover crab shells) that replaces petroleum-derived raw materials. Used in liquid-solid separation processes for industrial and municipal effluents, reducing waste and energy use in production.
• Kuriverter® IK-110 Patented biofilm control agent for reverse osmosis membrane systems. Specifically targets biofilm, encouraging it to release from surfaces into bulk water where it can be flushed from the system. Decreases pressure drop, stabilizes salt rejection, and reduces CIP frequency and energy costs.
• EnergyOUT™ Fully integrated membrane pretreatment system with boiler feed program offered through an operating lease model. Available in 7.5, 15, 30, and 50 gpm sizes; monthly pricing covers equipment, standard service, chemicals, and consumables under 3- or 5-year contracts with renewal options.
• Dropwise Condensation Technology Sustainable chemistry dosed continuously into the steam line in front of a target heat exchanger, creating a water-repellent film on heat transfer surfaces. Reduces steam consumption by 5-10% through decreased thickness of the condensed water film and removes existing deposits while preventing new corrosion.
• Simul-Wash™ Simultaneous air and water backwash system for media filter cleaning with an innovative trough design that prevents media loss during combined backwash. Reduces water waste by 50% compared to conventional methods; deployed for over 40 years across hundreds of installations.
• S.sensing® CS Automatic chemical injection monitoring system for wastewater applications using patented laser-based technology to measure turbidity between flocculated particles and provide real-time monitoring with immediate chemical dose adjustments for consistent effluent quality.
• FLUX™ RO Technology Industrial reverse osmosis systems available in three customizable platforms: FLUX VR (1-10 gpm, light industrial), FLUX LR (10-30 gpm, industrial), and FLUX HR (50-450 gpm, large boilers and power plants). Stainless steel construction with 97-99% rejection rate.
• Packaged Treatment Equipment (Dualator, UTS, DTS, Water-in-a-Box) Complete treatment systems combining multiple processes for ease of installation. Includes Dualator groundwater systems with integrated aeration, detention, and media filtration; Unitized Treatment System (UTS); Delivered Treatment System (DTS); and Water-in-a-Box containerized systems.
• Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and Water Reuse Solutions Strategic wastewater management systems combining reverse osmosis, cold lime softening, ion exchange, evaporation, and crystallization to eliminate liquid discharge to the environment. Supports water recycle, recovery, and reuse for facilities facing source water constraints and tightening regulation.
• Ultrapure Water Production State-of-the-art separation, removal, and purification technologies including ion exchange and oxidation for producing ultrapure water (UPW) for semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, and thermal power industries.
• Desalination Seawater purification using reverse osmosis systems to safely produce drinking water in arid regions and coastal areas. Includes membrane treatments, RO membrane rejuvenation, biofilm control, and scale inhibitors.
• Boiler Water Treatment Programs Integrated boiler water solutions maintaining steam purity and quality by eliminating scale and fouling deposits. Includes oxygen scavengers, deposit controls, steam/condensate systems, carryover prevention, closed systems treatment, and fuel conditioning for industrial steam systems.
• SolidPro™ Solid chemical treatment solution for small cooling and steam boiler applications that combines specially designed solid chemical feeders with the Crystal Delivery System and Ultra Series crystal technology, eliminating drum handling and storage concerns.
• Drumless Chemical Delivery Programs Chemical delivery programs (EZ Feed totes, Mini Bulk, Truckload, Flex Bulk) that minimize chemical handling risks by transferring chemicals directly to customer tanks. Includes tank level monitoring and automatic delivery scheduling.
• DEXSORB PFAS Remediation Solution PFAS adsorbent offering targeted removal with consistent performance in diverse water conditions, resistant to natural organic matter, inorganic ions, and pH effects. Includes regeneration and PFAS waste concentration capabilities; sold to industrial and municipal water applications with PFAS contamination concerns.
• On-Site Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Services Full operation and maintenance contracts for customer water treatment facilities, including around-the-clock operating personnel, maintenance services, and O&M consulting. Contracts may include consumables and replacement components.
• Engineering and Consulting Services Engineering services including system evaluation agreements, treatment recommendations, water balance analysis, and design support for water treatment systems from licensed Professional Engineers.
• Aftermarket Consumable and Replacement Parts Parts and service support for any water treatment system, including filter refurbishments, inspection trips, operator training, troubleshooting, media analysis, controls upgrades, valve and media replacement, and chemical feed components.
• eLink Monitoring and Reporting Platform Cloud-based reporting and monitoring system providing 24/7 access to system operational data, online operator logs and service reports, alarms, and notifications for plant engineers to ensure asset sustainability and operational efficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel use reduction of up to 15% within months of DReeM Polymer implementation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and notable.

• Kurita Water Industries Ltd.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Parent company Kurita Water Industries Ltd. (Japan) established Kurita Water Industries Mexico subsidiary in December 2025, with 99.9% ownership through Kurita America Holdings Inc. Parent company also announced investment in Cyclopure with exclusive sales rights expansion for the Kurita Group.
• Cyclopure Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 30 September 2025Kurita America entered into a partnership agreement with Cyclopure in September 2025 to expand PFAS removal solutions. In April 2026, Kurita invested in Cyclopure and obtained exclusive sales rights for DEXSORB PFAS adsorbent for industrial and certain municipal water applications in the United States. Kurita America is also designing and constructing equipment for a regeneration plant in Michigan to process spent DEXSORB for reuse and concentrate PFAS waste for destruction. DEXSORB is based on plant-derived beta-cyclodextrin offering targeted PFAS removal with consistent performance in diverse water conditions.
• 3MnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 20233M participated as keynote speaker at Kurita Water and Environment Event webinar in March 2023. Global Sustainability Vice President Anila Prabhu and Director of Sustainability Operations Tina Berg spoke about 3M's sustainability journey with water resiliency and net positive water impact.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ecolab: Ecolab operates NALCO Water, the largest direct competitor to Kurita America in industrial water treatment chemicals and on-site service across boilers, cooling, and process water. Overlaps on chemicals, equipment, digital monitoring, and full O&M contracts for heavy industry, food & beverage, and healthcare — making Ecolab the closest reference competitor.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia (post-Suez merger) competes with Kurita across industrial water and wastewater treatment, including chemicals, engineered systems (RO, ZLD, ion exchange), and full O&M services. Comparable scope on municipal and industrial customers and on integrated chemistry-plus-equipment programs.
• Xylem: Xylem provides industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment solutions including pumps, filtration, disinfection, and digital monitoring (via its acquisition of Evoqua). Overlaps with Kurita on equipment, ZLD systems, and the digital water-monitoring/eLink-like telemetry layer.
• BASF Water Solutions: BASF supplies water treatment chemistries and process chemicals for industrial and municipal applications through its broader chemicals portfolio. Comparable on chemicals supplied to industrial water and wastewater customers, though not a dedicated water pure-play.

Direct peers

• Ovivo:
• Solenis: Solenis is a specialty-chemical-led water and process treatment provider serving pulp & paper, mining, oil & gas, power, and food & beverage with direct overlap on boiler, cooling, and wastewater chemistries. Closest specialty-chemical peer to Kurita's chemicals business model.
• Kemira: Kemira is a Nordic specialty chemicals company with a major water treatment chemicals franchise serving pulp, paper, municipal, and industrial customers. Direct overlap with Kurita's chemistry portfolio and similar focus on pulp/paper and industrial process water.
• Pentair: Pentair's Water Treatment segment delivers commercial and industrial water treatment equipment, including RO and filtration systems, with overlapping industrial and commercial customer profiles. Comparable on the equipment-systems side of Kurita's FLUX RO and packaged systems portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kurita-america
• Xx.com/kurita_america

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kurita America