What PPU Umwelttechnik does

PPU Umwelttechnik GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of packaged and containerized wastewater treatment systems, headquartered in Bayreuth, Bavaria, and operating commercially for approximately twenty years under managing partner Wolfgang Pöhnl (Dipl. Ing. (FH)). The company's portfolio, marketed internationally under the ClearFox® brand, covers three size tiers: small residential plants (ClearFox® nature energy-free biofilm units for 1–8 person equivalents [p.e.], ClearFox® SBR up to ~200 p.e., and QuickONE+ for 1–6 p.e. with a patented backflush); modular municipal and industrial systems in 20'/40' ISO containers handling 100–3,000+ p.e. (up to 4,000–5,000 EW and 600 m³/day); and engineered industrial treatment trains for the food and beverage sector built around dissolved air flotation (DAF) and fixed-bed biofilm reactors (FBR).

The underlying technology stack combines Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) batch processes, cascaded plug-flow biofilm biology, submerged fixed-bed media made of UV-stabilized polyethylene, and non-clogging Mamutpump (airlift) pumping. Products are differentiated on durability (jointless one-piece plastic tanks, no filter-media replacement over the unit's lifetime), energy efficiency (the ClearFox® nature plant runs without electricity when gravity is sufficient; QuickONE+ consumes 60W per person), and rapid deployment (factory-pre-installed, plug-and-play container units). Multiple systems are certified to EN 12566-3, ATV/DWA M-210, CE, and German ABZ approvals (Z-55.31-418, Z-55.31-419, Z-55.41-420, plus classes P/H).

The business model blends one-time equipment sales (small plants via a European network of regional specialist firms, or Fachfirmen; container and industrial systems sold direct or via international ClearFox® partners) with recurring revenue from leasing/rental of mobile containers, certified-partner service contracts, spare parts, and technology licensing for SBR-Kits, DAF, and non-electric systems. Customers span private homeowners, small and mid-sized municipalities, food and beverage processors (fish, dairy, meat, wineries, breweries), and operators of temporary or remote sites such as refugee camps, construction sites, events, and oil rigs. Systems are deployed in over 50 countries across Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia, with more than 20 containerized reference installations completed in the last five years and over 2,000 SBR-Compact units produced cumulatively.

Name

PPU Umwelttechnik

Legal name

PPU Umwelttechnik GmbH

Website

https://ppu-umwelttechnik.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PPU Umwelttechnik GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer, based in Bayreuth, that designs and builds packaged, containerized, and industrial wastewater treatment systems under the ClearFox® brand. It serves private homeowners, municipalities, food and beverage processors, and temporary-site operators across more than fifty countries via a partner channel plus direct sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bayreuth

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wastewater Treatment Equipment Sales: One-time sale of packaged sewage treatment plants including small Kleinkläranlagen (1-16 p.e.), SBR systems (4-3000 p.e.), container plants (100-3000 p.e.), and fixed bed modules. Sales through European distribution network and direct consultation.
2. Leasing and Rental: Container sewage treatment plants available for leasing or rental operation. Mobile units for temporary deployments at events, construction sites, and refugee camps. Long-term rental options mentioned.
3. Service Contracts and Maintenance: Maintenance services by certified partners. Service network covering optimization, training, maintenance contracts, and spare parts supply through regional partners.
4. Technology Licensing: License contracts awarded for SBR-Kits, dissolved air flotation systems, non-electric wastewater treatment systems, and cascaded fixed bed reactors. Companies can manufacture and market their own products under license.
5. Retrofit Kits: Factory prefabricated kits (4-3000 p.e.) for upgrading existing septic tanks. Made individually for customer's existing tank (concrete, fiberglass, plastic). Complete factory-prefabricated solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PPU Umwelttechnik designs, manufactures and sells packaged and containerized wastewater treatment plants under the ClearFox® brand, covering capacities from 1-person energy-free residential systems to multi-thousand-person municipal and industrial container plants. Core technologies include Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR), Fixed Bed Bio Reactor (FBR), and Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF), delivered as factory-preinstalled, plug-and-play systems with associated planning, commissioning, service, retrofit-kit upgrades, leasing, and technology licensing.

Product overview

PPU Umwelttechnik GmbH, based in Bayreuth, Bavaria, manufactures wastewater treatment equipment marketed under the ClearFox® brand. The company operates three divisions covering small packaged systems (ClearFox nature, ClearFox SBR, QuickONE+), modular municipal solutions (Containerplants, Kommunale Kläranlagen), and industrial wastewater treatment (Industriekläranlagen, DAF, FBR). The portfolio includes SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) and fixed bed biological technologies, with capacities ranging from 1 person equivalent (ClearFox nature) to 5000+ persons (containerized systems). Products are available as complete package plants, retrofit kits for existing tanks, or rental/leasing options. Systems are deployed in over fifty countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ClearFox® nature: Energy-independent (stromlos) small sewage treatment plant using biofilm technology, designed for 1-8 persons, operating without electricity using gravity-based flow
• ClearFox® SBR
• ClearFox® Containerplants
• QuickONE+
• ClearFox® fixed-bed technology
• ClearFox® DAF

Products and services

• ClearFox® nature Prefabricated small sewage treatment plant using cascaded plug-flow biofilm technology that operates without electricity when sufficient gravity is available; certified to EN 12566-3 for 1–8 persons and intended for private homes, weekend houses and holiday homes without municipal sewer access.
• ClearFox® SBR Sequencing Batch Reactor package plant in modular construction for small-to-medium sewage treatment (4–200+ p.e.), featuring fully automatic operation, energy-saving circuits, and Mamutpump (airlift) pumps; tested to EN 12566-3, CE, and German ABZ Z-55.31-418 / Z-55.31-419 approvals.
• ClearFox® Containerplants Complete mobile wastewater treatment systems installed in 20' or 40' ISO shipping containers, with all equipment (screening, sludge treatment, biological, secondary clarification) preinstalled and plug-and-play; capacities 100–3,000 p.e. (up to ~5,000 persons or 600 m³/day) using fixed-bed technology with non-clogging Mamutpumps.
• QuickONE+ Compact SBR-based domestic sewage treatment system for 1–6 persons using a single chamber and patented backflush mechanism, with intelligent controller in the domeshaft, integrated sludge stabilization, less than 41 dB noise, and the lowest energy consumption in the range (60 W per person); also sold as a retrofit kit for existing tanks, approved to EN 12566-3.
• Retrofiting Kits Factory-prefabricated retrofit kits (4–3,000 PE) for upgrading existing septic tanks regardless of original tank material; based on SBR technology with Mamutpumps and automatic operation with energy-saving circuit, designed to EN 12566-3 or ATV/DWA-210.
• Leasing / Rental Plants (Mietanlagen) Rental and leasing of mobile containerized wastewater treatment plants for temporary deployments, including delivery, end assembly, commissioning, operator training and service contracts; available from 100 to 4,000 EW, transportable and immediately deployable for events, construction sites, refugee camps and emergencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Container sewage treatment plants available from 100 to 4000 residents (EW)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Klaro GmbH: German manufacturer of small SBR-based wastewater treatment plants (Kleinkläranlagen) with comparable containerized and packaged plant offerings. Closest direct competitor in the EN 12566-3 small-plant segment across Europe.
• WPL Limited: UK-based packaged and containerized wastewater treatment plant manufacturer serving municipal, construction and emergency applications. Comparable product architecture (containerized, packaged SBR/biological systems) and channel model.
• Mall GmbH: German manufacturer of small, municipal and rainwater treatment systems including concrete and PE-tank SBR plants. Directly comparable in the Kleinkläranlagen and municipal retrofit segment.
• ATB Water GmbH: German decentralized and package wastewater treatment plant manufacturer offering SBR and biological systems for residential, municipal and industrial clients. Highly comparable product breadth and target segments to PPU.
• Orenco Systems: US-based decentralized wastewater treatment equipment manufacturer specializing in packaged residential and community systems. Comparable in decentralized segment with similar target end-customers.

Emerging players

• BioMicrobics: US decentralized wastewater treatment manufacturer with packaged biological systems for residential and small commercial sites. Comparable end-customers and small-scale biological technology focus.
• Premier Tech Water and Environment: North American provider of packaged wastewater and stormwater treatment solutions, including Ecoflo biofiltration. Overlap with PPU in decentralized/package residential and small commercial systems.

Broad incumbents

• Kingspan Environmental: Division of Kingspan Group offering packaged wastewater treatment systems (e.g., BioDisc, BioTec) across residential, commercial and municipal segments. Larger incumbent with broader geographic reach than PPU.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water and wastewater treatment major offering packaged, containerized and large-scale solutions including mobile and emergency systems. Broad incumbent whose portfolio overlaps with PPU's industrial and emergency offerings.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water technology provider with packaged and containerized wastewater offerings for industrial and municipal clients. Competes with PPU in industrial F&B and temporary/emergency deployments as a much larger incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 PPU Umwelttechnik