What VunaNexus does

VunaNexus AG is a Swiss cleantech company incorporated in 2022 as a spin-off from the VUNA research project (2010-2015) conducted at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. The company commercialises a patented urine treatment and recovery system that converts human and livestock urine into a certified liquid fertiliser branded Aurin. The underlying process combines source separation, controlled biological nitrification using Ammonium and Nitrite Oxidising Bacteria (5-10 day treatment time), activated carbon filtration to remove micropollutants and pharmaceuticals, pasteurisation, and industrial distillation. Outputs are reusable distilled water and a ready-to-use NPK fertiliser with trace elements. Aurin holds definitive regulatory approval in Switzerland (Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, 2018), Liechtenstein, and Austria, described as the world's first urine fertiliser with such multi-jurisdictional clearance.

The company monetises through a hybrid B2B/B2C model: (i) hardware and service sales of building-scale urine treatment systems to real estate developers (with planning, installation, remote operation, and twice-yearly fertiliser collection — minimum 300 users/day per installation, target ROI under 15 years); (ii) livestock urine separation and treatment systems sold to agricultural operators via a partnership with Schauer Agrotronic (~3,000 litres/day pilot capacity); (iii) ongoing maintenance and fertiliser logistics contracts; and (iv) D2C e-commerce sales of Aurin fertiliser through aurin.green to home gardeners. Customer segments include municipal governments (Zurich, Lausanne, Winterthur for landscaping), real estate developers (Blue Factory Fribourg, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Paris, Ecovillage Hannover), institutional clients (European Space Agency HQ Paris, Eawag pilot), and agricultural operations.

VunaNexus operates from Zurich, Switzerland, with a headcount of 1-10 employees. It is backed by a sister-company lineage: Vuna GmbH (founded 2016 for decentralised sanitation installations) and the original Eawag VUNA project. Distribution and integration partnerships include Laufen/EOOS Design (urine-diverting toilets), Schauer Agrotronic (livestock stable design), Innosuisse-funded research programmes, ETH Zurich, and Horizon Europe-funded projects. The technology has been recognised by the Solar Impulse Foundation (2023) as an efficient solution, and independent lifecycle assessments indicate potential CO2 reductions of 1-1.5 kg per square metre per year at building scale.

Name

VunaNexus

Legal name

VunaNexus AG

Website

https://vunanexus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VunaNexus AG is a Swiss cleantech company that commercialises a patented biological process to recycle human and livestock urine into certified liquid fertiliser (Aurin). It serves real estate developers, municipalities, and agricultural operators across Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wastewater Nutrient Recovery Technology

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Nitrogen Fertilizers (Ammonia/Urea/UAN) (IMAEAEAA)

Keywords

• Urine recycling
• Nutrient recovery
• Liquid fertilizer production
• Decentralised sanitation
• Wastewater treatment systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubendorf

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fertiliser Sales (Aurin): Sale of Aurin liquid fertiliser produced from recycled urine. Product is approved and sold in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. Sold through online shop at aurin.green.
2. Building Urine Treatment Systems: Sale of urine treatment technology and installation services to real estate developers. Company handles planning, building, installing, maintaining, and operating the systems. Revenue comes from system sales and ongoing service contracts.
3. Maintenance and Logistics Services: Ongoing maintenance services including remote operation of systems, fertiliser collection twice per year, and local resale of fertiliser produced. Distilled water recovered from concentration can also be re-used.
4. Livestock Urine Technology: Treatment systems for livestock urine separation and processing, targeting agricultural operations to reduce ammonia emissions and increase manure nutrient concentration.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VunaNexus develops and commercialises a patented urine treatment technology that converts human and livestock urine into a certified liquid fertiliser called Aurin. The company sells and installs complete decentralised building treatment systems to real estate developers, municipalities, and agricultural operators, and operates an online shop for the finished Aurin fertiliser product. Full-service offerings cover planning, installation, remote operation, maintenance, and fertiliser collection/logistics.

Product overview

VunaNexus offers a suite of products and technologies for urine recycling and fertiliser production. The core offering consists of the patented Vuna Process technology, which transforms human and livestock urine into certified liquid fertiliser 'Aurin' through biological nitrification, carbon filtration, and pasteurisation. The company provides end-to-end solutions including source separation hardware (urine-diverting toilets), biological reactors, and the finished Aurin fertiliser product. The product portfolio includes core urine treatment technology, the Aurin fertiliser product, controlled nitrification systems, activated carbon filtration components, and livestock urine separation solutions developed with partners. VunaNexus AG was created in 2022 to commercialise technology originally developed through the VUNA research project (2010-2015) at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aurin: The world's first urine fertiliser with full approval in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. A certified liquid fertiliser produced from processed human urine containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements.

Products and services

• Vuna Urine Treatment Technology (Building Systems) Patented end-to-end urine treatment and recovery system installed in buildings; converts human urine into certified Aurin fertiliser and reusable distilled water via source separation, biological nitrification, activated carbon filtration, pasteurisation, and concentration. Targets real estate developers, building projects, and municipalities; minimum 300 users/day recommended.
• Aurin Liquid Fertiliser Certified liquid fertiliser produced from recycled human urine, containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. Approved with no restrictions for fertilising all plants in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. Sold to municipalities for public green spaces and to home gardeners via the Aurin online shop (aurin.green).
• Livestock Urine Separation & Treatment System Stable-based system for separating liquid and solid livestock waste, coupled with a biological reactor to treat livestock urine; reduces ammonia emissions and increases manure nutrient concentration. Targets agricultural operations and livestock farmers.
• System Maintenance, Operation & Fertiliser Collection Service Ongoing full-service contract for installed treatment systems, including remote operation, low-maintenance support, twice-yearly on-site fertiliser collection, and local resale of the Aurin produced. Distilled water recovered from the concentration step can be re-used by the building.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces CO2 emissions by 1 to 1.5kg per m2 per year at building scale
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner15-year research partnership that developed the patented urine treatment technology. VUNA project (2010-2015) led by Eawag with goal to recover nutrients from urine. First pilot installation at Eawag 10 years ago. Sister company Vuna GmbH founded in 2016 from Eawag spin-off. VunaNexus AG created in 2022 to focus on urine treatment technology.
• Schauer AgrotroniccoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for livestock urine separation technology. Schauer developed stable design for easy separation of liquid and solids, coupled with VunaNexus biological reactor. First pilot installation operational since October 2022 with treatment capacity of ~3000 litres per day.
• Innosuisse (Swiss Innovation Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with various Swiss research institutes on Innosuisse-funded project to determine emissions reductions impact of livestock urine installations and secure eco-friendly fertiliser production. In 2023, working on reducing gaseous nitrogen emissions from agriculture.
• MELiSSA Foundation (ESA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Space Agency's MELiSSA foundation focuses on nutrient recovery and closed-loop life support systems. ESA prioritises nutrient recovery for space applications.
• ETH ZurichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with ETH Zurich. Scientific paper on nitrification process published in ETH research collection.
• European Union (Horizon Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcovillage Hannover project part of Horizon Europe initiative with multiple partners. EU funding for sustainable development and circular economy projects.
• Engineering Firms (Various)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaboration with specialised engineering firms to deliver feasibility studies, project planning, and environmental studies for building installations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez: French-headquartered water and waste-services major with municipal wastewater and nutrient-recovery programmes; an incumbent comparable that shapes regulation and partnership opportunities in France and across Europe.
• REMONDIS: German recycling, water, and waste-services group with nutrient-recovery activities (including phosphorus recovery); comparable incumbent for decentralised nutrient-recovery market context in the DACH region.
• Geberit: Swiss-listed sanitary technology incumbent with deep plumbing, installation, and building-trade channels across Europe; relevant as the dominant sanitary-equipment context VunaNexus must sell into for new builds.
• Veolia: Global water and waste-management incumbent operating centralised wastewater treatment assets; comparable as the broad incumbent whose nutrient-recovery roadmap defines the addressable opportunity for decentralised players.

Direct peers

• Toopi Organics: French startup that upcycles human urine into agricultural biostimulants and fertilisers; directly competes with VunaNexus on the urine-to-fertiliser proposition and European regulatory expansion path.
• Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies: Canada-based company that recovers nutrients (struvite, Pearl fertilizer) from municipal wastewater for fertilizer use; comparable in taking wastewater nutrient streams to market-ready fertilizer products.
• Vuna GmbH: Swiss sister company spun off from the same Eawag VUNA research lineage; focuses on decentralised sanitation installations, giving it the closest technology and customer overlap with VunaNexus.

Others

• Laufen Bathrooms: Swiss bathroom manufacturer whose 'Save!' urine-diverting toilet (with EOOS Design) is the source-separation fixture integrated into VunaNexus systems; an enabling hardware partner rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Schauer Agrotronic: Austrian livestock equipment partner that co-developed the stable urine separation hardware coupled with VunaNexus's biological reactor; comparable as a technology and channel partner in the livestock vertical.
• Anua International: Ireland-based sustainable sanitation company focused on urine collection and nutrient recovery systems for agriculture; overlaps with VunaNexus on the source-separation / urine-as-resource thesis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Vunanexus
• Instagraminstagram.com/vunanexus
• Xx.com/Vunanexus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/vunanexus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vunanexus

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 VunaNexus