QUA

What QUA does

QUA is a Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based developer and manufacturer of advanced membrane technologies for industrial, municipal, and commercial water treatment, founded in 2010 and operating as a subsidiary of Aquatech. The company builds five proprietary core membrane platforms: FEDI® fractional electrodeionization for ultrapure water production, EDR-Q™ electrodialysis reversal for high-recovery desalination and water reuse, Q-SEP® hollow fiber ultrafiltration for removal of suspended solids and pathogens, EnviQ® submerged ultrafiltration for membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems, and CeraQ™ alumina-based ceramic ultrafiltration for oil-, organic-, and high-temperature-laden streams. These are complemented by modular rack systems (Q-Connect, FEDI GIGA, EnviQ RF) designed to reduce installation complexity for high-capacity plants.

QUA generates revenue through direct enterprise sales of membrane systems and equipment, plus professional services covering system design, commissioning, installation, training, and lifecycle optimization. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company distributes globally through its own field sales force and via its parent company Aquatech, which acts as an OEM/system integration partner for larger turnkey water treatment projects. Customers span power generation, semiconductor, solar, data centers, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, mining, steel, carbon black, hospitality, sugar/energy, and municipal water reuse — with 1,000+ installations across 30+ countries.

The customer base includes Tata Steel Meramandali (steel ZLD, 345 m³/hr), Niobec Mine (world's first underground niobium mine ZLD, 120 m³/hr), a global pharmaceutical leader (capsule manufacturing ultrapure water), Marriott (wastewater recycling, 120 m³/day), PCMC municipal corporation (Indian mega-city, multi-location UF), and a sugar mill in Guatemala (100 gpm ultrapure water for steam generation). In 2024, the Niobec Mine project won the ESWP Water and Wastewater Project of the Year award, providing third-party validation of Q-SEP UF in a high-salinity mining application. The company holds CE certification on its FEDI-SV-45X module under EU Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU.

Name

QUA

Legal name

Qua Group

Website

https://quagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

QUA, a Canonsburg, PA-based subsidiary of Aquatech, develops and manufactures advanced membrane technologies — FEDI electrodeionization, EDR-Q electrodialysis reversal, Q-SEP ultrafiltration, EnviQ MBR, and CeraQ ceramic systems — serving industrial, municipal, and commercial water treatment customers across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment Membrane Filtration

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ), Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable) (EUANABAC), Effluent Polishing & Filtration (MBR/UF/RO/GAC) (EUANADAL)

Keywords

• Membrane filtration technology
• Industrial water treatment
• Ultrafiltration systems
• Electrodeionization solutions
• Zero liquid discharge

Headquarters

HQ city

Canonsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membrane Systems and Equipment Sales: QUA generates revenue through the sale of advanced membrane technology systems including ultrafiltration modules, electrodeionization stacks, and related water treatment equipment. The company provides complete solutions from manufacturing through equipment selection, installation, training, and ongoing technical support.
2. Professional Services: End-to-end support services including system design, commissioning, installation, training, and lifecycle optimization for membrane water treatment systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

QUA develops and manufactures advanced membrane technology products for industrial, municipal, and commercial water treatment applications. Its portfolio includes ultrafiltration membranes (Q-SEP®, EnviQ®, CeraQ™), fractional electrodeionization systems (FEDI®), and electrodialysis reversal technology (EDR-Q™), supported by pre-engineered modular rack systems (Q-Connect series) for simplified installation. The company provides end-to-end support from system design through commissioning and lifecycle optimization.

Product overview

QUA delivers a comprehensive portfolio of advanced membrane technologies for water treatment applications. The product line centers on five core membrane technologies: FEDI® (Fractional Electrodeionization) for ultrapure water production; EDR-Q™ (Advanced Electrodialysis Reversal) for high-recovery desalination; Q-SEP® (Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration Membranes) for reliable removal of suspended solids; EnviQ® (Submerged Ultrafiltration Membranes) for MBR optimization; and CeraQ™ (Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes) for demanding wastewater and high-temperature operations. These technologies are complemented by modular rack systems (Q-Connect series) and specialized variants (FEDI GIGA, EnviQ RF) that offer pre-engineered solutions for specific industrial applications across power, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FEDI®: Fractional Electrodeionization technology for high-purity water production
• EDR-Q™
• Q-SEP®
• EnviQ®
• CeraQ™

Products and services

• FEDI® Fractional Electrodeionization Fouling and scaling-resistant fractional deionization technology for consistent production of high-purity water under wide range of feed conditions, including options for high flow rates, high-temperature cleaning, and modular delivery. Designed for industrial and commercial customers requiring ultrapure water.
• EDR-Q™ Advanced Electrodialysis Reversal Next-generation electrodialysis reversal (EDR) technology engineered for high-recovery desalination, water reuse, and specialty process applications. Designed for industrial water treatment customers handling challenging industrial streams.
• Q-SEP® Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration Membranes High-strength, low-fouling ultrafiltration membrane units and multi-unit modules engineered for reliable removal of suspended solids, microorganisms, and viruses without risk of fiber breakage. Used in industrial and municipal water treatment applications.
• EnviQ® Submerged Ultrafiltration Membranes Flat-sheet and high-strength reinforced hollow fiber membranes designed to improve ease of operation and maintenance of Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) performance. Used in industrial and commercial wastewater treatment.
• CeraQ™ Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes Alumina-based ceramic membranes designed to maintain high performance when treating oil, organics, or COD-laden wastewater and for high-temperature operations. Used in demanding industrial wastewater applications.
• FEDI GIGA Q-Connect Pre-engineered modular electrodeionization solution with rack-based assembly featuring only three headers, designed for high-flow ultrapure water and boiler feed applications in power generation, semiconductor, solar, and data center industries.
• Q-SEP® Q-Connect Pre-engineered outside-in ultrafiltration rack system with innovative header design that eliminates external piping, reducing leak points and installation complexity for high-capacity plants.
• EnviQ® RF Reinforced Hollow Fiber Membrane Reinforced PVDF hollow fiber membrane system designed for challenging wastewater applications, providing durability and handling variations in MLSS with ease.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved resistivity of up to 18 MΩ·cm with FEDI technology
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AquatechcoreOthersAquatech is the parent company of QUA. QUA operates as Aquatech's membrane technology division, with Aquatech implementing QUA's membrane solutions in water treatment projects globally. Aquatech serves as the OEM partner for system integration and deployment of QUA technologies.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water Technologies: Following the acquisition of Suez, Veolia Water Technologies is the largest global water-treatment equipment and services provider with a broad membrane, EDI and process-water portfolio. Overlaps with QUA across UF, RO and ultrapure water for industrial, semiconductor and municipal customers, but operates at materially larger scale and service scope.
• Pentair: Pentair is a diversified water treatment company offering filtration, RO systems and membrane housings for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal markets. Overlaps with QUA on industrial UF and process-water side but also operates a much broader installed-base business.
• Xylem: Xylem is a large global water technology company combining pumps, treatment systems and membrane-based solutions (including legacy Wedeco ozone and Leopold brands) for industrial and municipal customers. Competitively positioned against QUA in integrated industrial water projects and ZLD.

Direct peers

• Hydranautics (Nitto Denko): Nitto Group company specializing in RO/NF membrane elements used in desalination, industrial water reuse and ultrapure water — the same core applications QUA serves. Hydranautics sells membrane modules directly to OEMs and engineering firms, with similar go-to-market mechanics as QUA.
• Koch Membrane Systems: Koch designs and manufactures hollow-fiber UF, spiral-wound RO/NF and MBR membrane products serving industrial, food-and-beverage and municipal end markets. Highly comparable to QUA's Q-SEP and EnviQ product lines in terms of membrane chemistry, customer profile and replacement-cycle revenue model.
• Toray Membrane (Toray Industries): Toray is one of the world's largest membrane manufacturers with RO, NF, UF and MF products used in desalination, water reuse and industrial process water. Directly competes with QUA in UF and high-purity water for power, semiconductor and municipal buyers.
• DuPont Water Solutions: DuPont Water Solutions (including FilmTec and inge brands) supplies RO, NF, UF and ultrafiltration membrane technologies for industrial and municipal applications. Directly comparable to QUA's membrane portfolio and customer base across pharmaceutical, semiconductor and ZLD projects.
• LG Water Solutions: LG Water Solutions (part of LG Chem) manufactures RO/NF membrane elements for desalination, water reuse and industrial process water — comparable operating model and customer overlap with QUA's RO and high-purity water offerings.
• Asahi Kasei (Microza): Asahi Kasei supplies Microza UF and MF membranes, hollow-fiber filtration modules, and water-treatment systems for industrial, semiconductor and pharmaceutical customers. Directly comparable to QUA's EnviQ submerged UF and CeraQ ceramic UF product positions.

Emerging players

• H2O Innovation: H2O Innovation is a smaller specialty water treatment company offering UF, RO and integrated systems to industrial, municipal and oil & gas customers. Comparable in size and product focus, making it a relevant emerging specialist peer rather than a direct same-tier competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/quagroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/quagroupllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qua

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 QUA