BKT

What BKT does

BKT Co., Ltd. is a South Korean wastewater treatment technology company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Daejeon, with wholly-owned subsidiaries Tomorrow Water (Anaheim, California, established 2008) handling global sales, project design, procurement, delivery, and O&M support, and BKT Vietnam (Hanoi, established 2014) functioning as a manufacturing hub. The company develops and supplies a portfolio of six core process technologies covering the full wastewater treatment value chain: Proteus (up-flow biofiltration with patented EPP media and gravity-based backwash), AMX (a two-stage anammox nitrogen-removal system using a proprietary Candidatus 'Brocadia sinica' JPN1 bacterial strain), DRACO (thermal hydrolysis for sludge reduction), AAD (advanced anaerobic digestion for biogas production), vDAF (vortex dissolved air flotation), and SBR (sequencing batch reactor). BKT also markets the Tomorrow Water Project (TWP), a UN SDG-aligned initiative aimed at equatorial developing regions, and Co-Flow Campus, an integrated infrastructure concept that bundles biogas, smart farming, and data centers with sewage treatment.

BKT serves four primary customer segments: municipal water utilities (its dominant segment, with reference plants including Seoul Seonam at 720,000 m³/day, Seoul Jungnang at 250,000 m³/day, Busan Noksan, Daejeon, and Sudokwon Landfill), industrial manufacturers (Samsung Electronics for high-load nitrogen wastewater), livestock and organic waste operators (Miryang, Daegu, Goesan), and emerging data center / sustainable infrastructure clients pursued through Co-Flow Campus. The company holds 170+ registered patents and has executed 40+ government-funded R&D projects, with R&D spending at approximately 25% of total budget and 40%+ of employees holding Masters or PhD degrees.

Revenue is generated through a mix of technology licensing and royalties, equipment supply, system integration, turnkey design-build services, O&M contracts, and equity participation in project special purpose companies — the last exemplified by BKT's role in the Suyeong Sewage Treatment Plant modernization SPC in Busan, a USD 400+ million flagship project representing the first deployment of BKT's entire process portfolio at a single facility. The company is a private, founder-controlled entity that received a strategic equity investment from Samsung Group in August 2023. Geographic operations are concentrated in South Korea, the United States, and Vietnam, with EU market entry initiated in late 2025 through an exclusive distribution partnership with Stereau (France).

Name

BKT

Legal name

BKT Co., Ltd.

Website

https://bkt21.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BKT Co., Ltd. is a South Korean wastewater treatment technology company serving municipal utilities, industrial facilities, agricultural operators, and emerging data center infrastructure clients with proprietary biofiltration, anammox, sludge processing, and biogas platforms across Korea, the United States, and Vietnam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wastewater Treatment Technology

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced/Nutrient Removal (BNR/ENR: N, P) (EUANADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biogas/RNG Plant Development, EPC & Project Delivery (EUAAAEAH), Biogas/RNG Plant Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (EUAAAEAI), Sludge/Biosolids Handling & Treatment Facilities Construction (IMAFAGAJ), Landfill Gas (LFG) Collection & RNG Upgrading (EUAAAEAB)

Keywords

• Wastewater treatment technology
• Anammox nitrogen removal
• Sludge reduction solutions
• Anaerobic digestion systems
• Water resource recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Anaheim

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wastewater Treatment Technology Supply: BKT supplies its complete suite of liquid and solids-line treatment technologies for municipal and industrial wastewater modernization projects. Revenue generated through technology licensing, equipment supply, and system integration services.
2. Engineering and Turnkey Solutions: Comprehensive solutions including unit technologies, fully integrated processes, and complete design-build, operate, and financed turnkey solutions. Company participates as equity partner in project SPCs.
3. O&M and Project Financing: Local post-startup service and operational support for treatment facilities. Project financing capabilities for infrastructure development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BKT designs, develops, and supplies proprietary wastewater and biosolids treatment technologies to municipal utilities, industrial operators, and EPC partners. Its portfolio spans advanced biological nitrogen removal (AMX anammox), biofiltration (Proteus), thermal sludge hydrolysis (DRACO), anaerobic digestion for biogas (AAD), micro-bubble flotation (vDAF), and sequencing batch reactors (SBR), deployable as standalone units or integrated turnkey solutions (Tomorrow Water Project, Co-Flow Campus).

Product overview

BKT is a wastewater technology solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of core treatment technologies and integrated solutions. The product portfolio includes six primary technology platforms: Proteus (biofiltration), AMX (two-stage Anammox for nitrogen removal), DRACO (thermal hydrolysis for sludge reduction), AAD (advanced anaerobic digestion for biogas production), vDAF (vortex dissolved air flotation), and SBR (sequencing batch reactor). These technologies can be deployed individually or as integrated processes through the Tomorrow Water Project (TWP) initiative and the Co-Flow Campus sustainable infrastructure concept, which combines wastewater treatment with biogas plants, smart farms, and data centers to create carbon-neutral multifunctional facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tomorrow Water: Subsidiary operating as Global Sales & Marketing headquarters, providing local project design, procurement, delivery, and O&M support
• Tomorrow Water Project (TWP)
• Co-Flow Campus (CFC)

Products and services

• Proteus State-of-the-art biofiltration system using a single up-flow reactor that combines physical and biological treatments with patented EPP (expanded polypropylene) media for biofilm attachment and gravity-based backwash. Removes BOD, TSS, and supports nitrification/denitrification for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.
• AMX (Two-Stage Anammox System) Pioneering two-stage anammox system combining partial nitritation with anammox bacteria for energy-efficient nitrogen removal from municipal sidestreams, mainstreams, livestock wastewater, food processing wastewater, landfill leachate, and industrial wastewater. Uses proprietary Candidatus 'Brocadia sinica' JPN1 strain; reduces OPEX by 83%, CAPEX by 64-93%, and footprint by 70-90% versus conventional technologies.
• DRACO (Thermal Hydrolysis Process) Thermal hydrolysis process that uses temperature and pressure to break down cell walls, reducing sludge volumes by a minimum of 70% after dewatering and up to 85% after drying. Features patented multi-steam spargers and central agitator for even heat distribution; handles concentrated sludge up to 22% dry solids and increases biogas production in plants with anaerobic digesters.
• AAD (Advanced Anaerobic Digestion) High-efficiency anaerobic digestion system for biogas production with full mixing and no dead space. Handles solid concentrations up to 8%+ and delivers 120%+ biogas production increase versus non-solubilization, enabling sludge solubilization, organic waste-to-energy conversion, and energy self-sufficiency for WWTPs.
• vDAF (Vortex Dissolved Air Flotation) Vortex Dissolved Air Flotation system producing micro-bubbles under 25μm in diameter with concentration above 100,000 ea/mL. Achieves 55%+ power reduction and 150% increased capacity compared to conventional DAF systems; includes vDAF-O3 variant combining flotation with ozone oxidation.
• SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) Sequencing Batch Reactor performing inflow, reaction, precipitation, and discharge in a single reactor for advanced sewage treatment. Offers 25% power consumption saving and lowest OPEX process.
• Co-Flow Campus Integrated sustainable wastewater infrastructure model combining biogas plants, smart farms, and data centers with sewage treatment plants to create carbon-neutral multifunctional facilities where water, energy, data, and economic benefits flow together.
• Tomorrow Water Project (TWP) UN SDG-aligned initiative (SDG Action #40493) combining twp (Tomorrow Water Process) and Co-Flow Campus at sewage treatment plants for developing regions near the equator. Addresses UNSDG goals 6 (Clean Water), 7 (Clean Energy), 9 (Infrastructure), and 13 (Climate Action).
• twp (Tomorrow Water Process) Trademarked mainstream AMX-based sewage treatment process for developing regions, enabling compact and energy-efficient water treatment solutions as part of the Tomorrow Water Project.
• IUP (Integrated Upstream Process) Integrated upstream solution for sludge volume reduction, energy production, and OPEX reduction in sewage treatment plants. Combines DRACO, AAD, and AMX technologies for full sludge management value chain; applied at Daejeon STP achieving site area reduction from 404,334 m² to 141,861 m².

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% operating cost reduction with AMX technology vs. conventional treatment
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Stereau (France)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 November 2025Exclusive Proteus partnership agreement with France's Stereau, accelerating BKT's entry into the EU water market. Stereau will distribute and deploy Proteus biofiltration technology across European territories.
• AECOMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Tomorrow Water partnered with AECOM on DOE-funded PdNA (partial denitrification-anammox) project to advance net-zero wastewater treatment technologies. Combines BKT's anammox expertise with AECOM's engineering capabilities for U.S. market deployment.
• Samsung Group (Samsung C&T Corporation)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 August 2023Samsung Group made equity investment in BKT Korea (parent of Tomorrow Water) and signed MOU for climate change response technology collaboration. Focuses on BKT's 'Co-Flow' water technology and 'AMX' wastewater treatment solution to advance ESG management at Samsung affiliates. Samsung C&T also listed as global partnership for Co-Flow Campus commercialization.
• Busan Metropolitan City (Suyeong SPC)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBKT will supply complete treatment technologies and participate as equity partner in the Suyeong Sewage Treatment Plant modernization project valued over USD 400 million. This represents first deployment of BKT's entire process treatment portfolio at a single facility.
• Samsung C&T CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamsung C&T Corporation is listed as a global partnership for Co-Flow Campus commercialization, bringing construction and infrastructure development expertise to the sustainable wastewater infrastructure concept.
• ArcadismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership with Arcadis for Co-Flow Campus commercialization, combining BKT's treatment technologies with Arcadis's engineering and consulting capabilities for sustainable infrastructure projects.
• Capture6majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Capture6 for Co-Flow Campus commercialization, supporting the sustainable wastewater infrastructure vision with circular economy expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions: Global leader in municipal and industrial water treatment with biological nitrogen-removal offerings (AnoxKaldnes MBBR/anammox). Directly comparable as the dominant water-tech incumbent BKT competes against, with broader portfolio and global footprint.
• Xylem (incl. Evoqua): Major US-based water technology company offering biological treatment, filtration, and integrated wastewater solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping biological nitrogen-removal capabilities and municipal utility customer base.
• Kurita Water Industries: Major Japanese water and wastewater treatment solutions provider with industrial focus and Asian presence. Broad incumbent with comparable municipal/industrial customer overlap and Asian distribution.
• Suez Water Technologies & Solutions (now Veolia): Legacy global water-treatment major with biological nutrient removal and anammox reference installations. Comparable broad incumbent whose scope overlaps directly with BKT's municipal and industrial nitrogen-removal focus.

Direct peers

• Organica Water: Hungarian-US biological wastewater treatment specialist using attached-growth biofilm reactor technology for municipal and industrial applications. A direct competitor to BKT in nature-based and biofiltration nitrogen removal.
• Fluence Corporation: Provider of decentralized packaged wastewater and anaerobic digestion/MBR systems for municipalities and industrial sites. Direct comparable in packaged/biological wastewater with overlapping anaerobic digestion technology.
• Paques (Paques Biomix): Dutch company specializing in anaerobic, biogas and biological wastewater treatment technologies including Anammox (ANITATMOx). Direct competitor in BKT's anammox and biogas/biogas-to-energy markets.

Emerging players

• Cambrian Innovation: US biotech company applying anaerobic/microbial solutions for industrial wastewater with energy recovery. Emerging player with overlapping anaerobic digestion and resource-recovery themes targeting industrial sites.

Regional players

• Thermax Limited: Indian engineering company providing wastewater treatment solutions including anaerobic digestion and ZLD systems. Regional player with comparable process technology but primarily serving India and Middle East rather than Korea/US.

Others

• Stereau: French water treatment engineering firm and BKT's exclusive Proteus channel partner for the EU. While not a direct technology competitor, it operates in the same municipal wastewater EPC space and is materially tied to BKT's European expansion strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/2morrowwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 BKT