What Aqua free does

Aqua free is a Hamburg-based specialist manufacturer of medical-grade water hygiene solutions, founded in 1999 as a producer of sterile water filters for healthcare. Its core offerings span reusable and disposable sterile filters for medical facilities, point-of-use Legionella filters for taps and showers, and microfiltration cartridges (Micro 5/10/20), all built around proprietary asymmetric hollow-fiber membrane technology validated to ASTM F838 with >99.99999% (7-log) bacterial retention. Complementary products include the HygieneSiphon drain-aerosol device, Germlyser W and Baclyser WG inline filters for birthing baths, and the distributed Neoperl NEOSTRAHL Clinic Snap hygienic flow regulator.

The business operates across six wholly-owned European entities (Germany, UK, Belgium, Spain, France, Netherlands) with manufacturing in Belgium, distributing through direct enterprise sales and an authorized partner network; ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and ISO 14001 certifications underpin access to hospital and medical-device channels. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales, recurring filter replacement services (Replacement Service, Tap Adaptor and Silt Density Index surveys), OEM membrane cartridges and complete filtration solutions for medical-device manufacturers, and licensing arrangements. In December 2025 the company extended into the consumer travel market with the Shower2go portable shower, applying its core Legionella-prevention technology to B2C travelers. The firm is privately held by founders and management, with Dr. Florian Dibbern and Dr. Matthias Sauer as managers of the UK entity.

Name

Aqua free

Legal name

Aqua free GmbH

Website

https://aqua-free.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Aqua free is a Hamburg-based, privately held manufacturer of medical-grade water hygiene filters built on proprietary hollow-fiber membrane technology, serving hospitals, hospitality, transportation, and drinking-water customers across six European countries, with a December 2025 consumer launch of the Shower2go travel shower.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Water Filters

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Air Quality & Environmental Hygiene (Legionella/IAQ) (BPABAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Hot & Cold Water System Hygiene (Potable Water) (BPABAJAD), Legionella Risk Assessment & Compliance Audits (BPABAJAA)

Keywords

• Medical water filters
• Sterile filtration products
• Legionella prevention systems
• Hollow fiber membranes
• Water hygiene solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Filter Products: Sale of reusable and disposable sterile water filters for medical applications, Legionella filters for taps and showers, and filter cartridges for microbiologically pure water.
2. Membrane Products: Sale of membrane technology products including microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes for various applications.
3. Water Hygiene Services: Comprehensive range of services focused on water hygiene including replacement service, tap adaptor surveys, and silt density index surveys.
4. OEM Solutions: Customized OEM membrane cartridges and complete filtration solutions for medical devices and other applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aqua free develops, manufactures, and services sterile water filters, Legionella point-of-use filters, and hollow fiber membrane products for medical facilities, drinking water systems, and industrial applications. The portfolio spans reusable and disposable sterile filters for medical use, Legionella filters for taps and showers, microfiltration cartridges (Micro 5/10/20), drinking water hygiene solutions, OEM membrane cartridges, and complementary devices such as HygieneSiphon, Germlyser W, and Baclyser WG. The company also provides a comprehensive range of water hygiene services including tap adaptor surveys, silt density index surveys, and filter replacement services.

Product overview

Aqua free is a specialist for water hygiene solutions with a diversified product portfolio centered on membrane filtration technology. The core offerings include reusable and disposable sterile filters for medical applications (providing 7 log bacterial reduction), Legionella point-of-use filters for taps and showers, and microfiltration cartridges (Micro 5/10/20) with hollow fiber membranes. The company has recently expanded into the B2C market with Shower2go, a portable travel shower for consumers. Complementary products include HygieneSiphon for drain aerosol prevention, Germlyser® W and Baclyser® WG for specialized bathing applications, and third-party hygienic flow regulators (Neoperl® NEOSTRAHL®). The portfolio is organized around medical facility solutions, immediate Legionella response products, and membrane technology competence, with the new consumer launch extending the technology into travel and hospitality markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shower2go: Portable travel shower designed to reduce exposure to Legionella bacteria, targeted at travelers staying in hotels, holiday rentals, campsites, and cruise ships.

Products and services

• Reusable Sterile Filter - Medical Application Reusable water filter designed for medical facilities to deliver microbiologically safe water with bacterial retention rates exceeding 99.99999% (7-log reduction). Targets hospitals, clinics, and healthcare institutions for wound cleaning, medical procedures, dialysis water, and hand hygiene.
• Disposable Sterile Filter - Medical Applications Single-use sterile water filter for medical applications, providing the same high-level bacterial protection as the reusable variant for short-duration or single-patient use cases in hospitals and clinics.
• Legionella Filter - Tap and Shower Point-of-use membrane filter designed to prevent Legionella contamination at taps and showers. Targets hotels, holiday rentals, campsites, cruise ships, and other travel or commercial accommodations responding to Legionella findings or seeking preventive protection.
• Micro 5, Micro 10, Micro 20 Filter Cartridges High-performance microfiltration cartridges with hydrophobic hollow fiber membranes featuring asymmetric pore structure, max pore size 0.20 μm, and bacterial retention >99.99999% (>log 7). Micro 10 delivers 46 l/min at 2 bar with 12,000L service life; Micro 20 delivers 63 l/min at 2 bar with 38,000L service life. Fits standard 5", 10", or 20" housings with EPDM seals.
• Products for Drinking Water Hygiene Comprehensive solutions for maintaining drinking water quality and safety across healthcare, hospitality, and residential applications. Includes point-of-use filters and complementary devices for compliance with drinking water regulations.
• Membranes (Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration) Hollow fiber membrane technology products including microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes for water purification applications. Serves as the technology platform underlying Aqua free's sterile filters and OEM cartridge offerings.
• Shower2go (Portable Travel Shower) Portable travel shower for consumers designed to reduce exposure to Legionella bacteria when showering in hotels, holiday rentals, campsites, and cruise ships. Sold via consumer e-commerce and retail channels.
• OEM Membrane Cartridges for Filters Customized OEM membrane cartridges supplied to filter manufacturers and medical device OEMs integrating Aqua free's hollow fiber membrane technology into their own products.
• OEM Filters - Complete Filtration Solutions Complete custom filtration solutions combining Aqua free's membrane technology with housings and integration support for OEM customers across various applications.
• OEM Filters for Medical Devices Customized OEM filtration solutions designed for integration into medical devices, supporting medical device manufacturers with validated sterile filtration components including inline filters for birthing baths and therapeutic equipment.
• Germlyser W (Terminal Membrane Filter) Terminal membrane filter with hollow fibers for installation at water tap outlets, providing sterile filtration for birthing baths and therapeutic applications in medical settings.
• Baclyser WG (Inline Hollow Fiber Membrane Filter) Inline hollow fiber membrane filter for water hygiene at water inlets of birthing baths, providing additional protection against bacterial contamination in obstetric and therapeutic settings.
• HygieneSiphon Hygiene device that prevents aerosol contamination from drain siphons, helping prevent healthcare-associated infections in medical facilities by blocking pathogen transmission from wastewater drains.
• NEOSTRAHL Clinic Snap (by Neoperl) Hygienic flow regulator for clinical applications distributed by Aqua free as part of its comprehensive water hygiene solutions, featuring a click-system by Neoperl.
• Tap Adaptor Survey Service On-site survey service to assess tap adaptor configurations and ensure proper fit and compliance for sterile filter installations in medical and commercial water systems.
• Silt Density Index Survey Service Water quality assessment service measuring silt density index to evaluate feed water suitability for membrane filtration installations and inform filter sizing.
• Filter Replacement Service Scheduled replacement service for Aqua free sterile and Legionella filters at customer sites, ensuring continuous validated performance and compliance with filter service life specifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7-log (99.99999%) bacterial reduction validated per ASTM F838 using Brevundimonas diminuta
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SHK Hamburg (Fachverband Sanitär, Heizung Klempner Hamburg e.V.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Member since 2021 of Hamburg plumbers' guild ensuring up-to-date trade association knowledge and water sector requirements, with regular in-service training.
• FIGAWA (Bundesvereinigung der Firmen im Gas- und Wasserfach e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Full member since 2020, represented in professional groups for 'water use', 'water analysis', and 'membrane technology'. Active in 'terminal filters' working group developing product standards and certification procedures for terminal filters as medical devices.
• DVQST (Deutscher Verein der qualifizierten Sachverständigen für Trinkwasserhygiene e.V.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Supporting member since 2020, focused on emphasizing hygiene security in drinking water installations and sensitizing public to German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) compliance requirements.
• DVGW (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAqua free Service GmbH is a member of DVGW, a 150-year-old association committed to public welfare. DVGW makes technical rules and submits legislative proposals for water/gas/sanitary sector, providing technical consultancy, R&D, standardization, testing, and professional knowledge transfer.
• GoBanyocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile shower bus startup for homeless people. Aqua free provides advice and advanced membrane filtering technology for the shower bus to ensure constant good water hygiene. Active in Paris, Athens, and Berlin.
• MOBALNI (Malteser Hannover)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile bathroom project for homeless people by Malteser Hannover and the city of Hannover. Aqua free provides Micro 20 filter free of charge with approximately 38,000 liters flow capacity.
• Ronald McDonald House Hamburg-EppendorfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial responsibility partnership where Aqua free covers maintenance costs for an apartment in the Ronald McDonald House near UKE hospital, providing free accommodation for relatives of seriously ill children.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia provides water treatment solutions for hospitals, industry, and municipal clients, including Legionella control and building water hygiene. Its integrated offerings and global service network compete with Aqua free at the facility level.
• Sartorius AG: Sartorius supplies laboratory and bioprocess water purification systems including ultrapure water units used in hospitals, pharma, and research. It overlaps with Aqua free's medical-sterile filtration offering at a larger institutional scale.
• Donaldson Company: Donaldson produces filtration systems for industrial and life-science markets including liquid filtration cartridges and membranes. It is a broader competitor with comparable cartridge filtration capabilities and a larger geographic footprint.
• Pentair: Pentair is a major water filtration and treatment company serving residential, commercial, and industrial markets with membrane and cartridge filtration products. It overlaps with Aqua free's cartridge and point-of-use offerings at broader scale.
• Pall Corporation (Cytiva): Pall, now part of Cytiva/Danaher, is a global leader in filtration, separation, and purification including medical and bioprocess water filters. It is the dominant large-scale competitor to Aqua free in sterile water filtration for healthcare and life-science applications.
• 3M Purification: 3M's separation and purification sciences division manufactures a broad range of water filtration products for industrial, healthcare, and consumer use. Its scale, brand, and channel breadth make it a structural competitor in any medical or building water filter bid Aqua free contests.
• Eaton Filtration: Eaton offers industrial liquid filtration products including cartridge filters and housings. While broader in industrial focus, its cartridge product line overlaps with Aqua free's Micro 5/10/20 line at the OEM and industrial customer level.

Direct peers

• ELGA LabWater (Veolia): ELGA, part of Veolia, specializes in laboratory and medical-grade water purification systems with similar membrane-based technology and healthcare/critical-environment focus, making it a closely comparable specialist to Aqua free.
• BWT (Best Water Technology): BWT is an Austrian/European water technology company specializing in building water hygiene, Legionella prevention, point-of-use filters, and drinking water treatment. It is the most directly comparable European specialist to Aqua free and a key competitor in hospitality, healthcare, and facility water hygiene.
• Porvair Filtration Group: Porvair manufactures membrane and cartridge filters for healthcare, laboratory, and industrial applications including sterile filtration. Its product portfolio and OEM/custom-engineering approach closely parallel Aqua free's hollow-fiber cartridge and OEM businesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqua-free-membrane-technology-gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries6 records

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 Aqua free