Algaewheel

What Algaewheel does

Algaewheel, developed and commercialized by OneWater Group Ltd. (UK) through its US operating entity OneWater Inc. (Cary, NC), is a nature-based wastewater treatment technology platform built around Rotating Algal Contactors (RAC™). The core Algaewheel® system uses rotating wheels colonized by an algae-bacteria biofilm that performs biological aeration through photosynthesis, eliminating the energy-intensive mechanical blowers used in conventional activated sludge treatment. The product is designed for decentralized municipal and commercial flows between 25,000 and 750,000 gallons per day, with modular greenhouse-enclosed configurations that can serve as standalone facilities, retrofits, or lagoon-mounted systems. Sub-product lines Bacpac (pretreatment) and Maxpac (secondary/tertiary) extend the technology through an exclusive licensing arrangement with Oldcastle Precast (part of CRH).

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) one-time design, construction, and installation of treatment plants ranging from smaller-scale commercial systems up to ~$11 million municipal projects such as Naples, NY; (2) recurring treatment services and annual sewer fees for municipal customers (~$600-$634 per household per year in Naples); and (3) licensing royalties from OEM partners embedding the technology in decentralized wastewater systems. The company sells through a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting municipalities and government entities, supplemented by an extensive manufacturer's representative network covering all US states and Mexico, engineering-specifier partnerships, and a Barcelona-based Sustainable Finance group that structures capital for municipal buyers.

The company serves municipalities, government parks and conservation entities, commercial facilities (campgrounds, schools, RV parks), and select industrial customers across the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain, Egypt, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. Its primary value proposition centers on up to 90% electricity reduction versus conventional systems, net-zero carbon treatment via algal carbon sequestration, methane emissions abatement, no chemical inputs, 25% less sludge production, and minimal operator requirements. Algaewheel was first approved by the USEPA in 2011, has secured state-level Alternative Technology acceptances in Colorado and Vermont, and has delivered or is developing over 50 projects worldwide.

Name

Algaewheel

Legal name

OneWater Inc.

Website

https://algaewheel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Algaewheel, commercialized by OneWater Group, is a nature-based wastewater treatment platform using rotating wheels of algae-bacteria biofilm that perform photosynthesis-driven biological aeration, serving municipalities, government parks, and commercial customers across the US, Mexico, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wastewater Treatment Systems

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Decentralized/Package Wastewater Systems (Small/Remote) (EUANADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Wastewater & Effluent Treatment Services (BPALAHAD)

Keywords

• Algae wastewater treatment
• Rotating algal contactors
• Decentralized wastewater systems
• Biological aeration technology
• Nature-based water treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

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 Plant Construction & Installation: Design, construction, and installation of Algaewheel treatment facilities for municipalities, commercial operations, and industrial clients. Projects range from $11 million (Naples, NY) to smaller-scale installations. Revenue from initial capital deployment.
2. Wastewater Treatment Services: Ongoing treatment services for communities and facilities. Municipal customers pay annual sewer fees (approximately $600/year per household in Naples, NY). Long-term service relationships with municipal clients.
3. Licensing & Technology Deployment: Exclusive technology licensing arrangements with partners like Oldcastle Precast for US market distribution. Partners incorporate Algaewheel technology into their decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Algaewheel designs, manufactures, and deploys Rotating Algal Contactor (RAC) wastewater treatment systems that use algae-bacteria biofilms on rotating wheels to perform biological aeration via photosynthesis, replacing energy-intensive mechanical aeration. The product line covers municipal, commercial, industrial, and agricultural wastewater applications for flows of 25,000–750,000 GPD, with licensing embedded in Oldcastle Precast's Bacpac and Maxpac systems for US decentralized distribution.

Product overview

Algaewheel offers a nature-based wastewater treatment technology platform centered on the Algaewheel® rotating algal contractor (RAC). The core Algaewheel® system uses algae growing on rotating wheels that utilize light, CO2 and nutrients in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria to treat wastewater. The product line includes the Bacpac for commercial pretreatment and the Maxpac for larger secondary/tertiary treatment applications. All products use biological aeration through photosynthesis rather than energy-intensive mechanical aeration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAC (Rotating Algal Contactor): The core technology component - rotating wheels covered with algal biofilm that provide biological aeration for wastewater treatment.

Products and services

• Algaewheel®
• Bacpac
• Maxpac

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% less electricity compared to conventional activated sludge systems
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Oldcastle Precast (CRH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2009Exclusive national agreement with Oldcastle Precast (part of CRH, international building materials company) to sell Algaewheel technology as part of its decentralized wastewater treatment systems in the US. Oldcastle incorporates Algaewheel's 'green' algal growth process into its Bacpac (pretreatment) and Maxpac (secondary/tertiary) systems.
• Coombs-Hopkins CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDenver-based manufacturer's representative serving as Algaewheel's regional partner in Colorado, facilitating state acceptance of the technology.
• Champlin AssociatescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEssex Junction, Vermont-based manufacturer's representative for Algaewheel in Vermont and other New England states. Led approval process with Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
• Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.strategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering firm that worked with Indiana DNR and OneWater Group to install algae-based wastewater treatment systems at Indiana state parks. Led technical design and implementation.
• Fehr Graham Engineering & EnvironmentalstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and environmental consulting firm serving as lead design engineer and project manager for the City of New Albin wastewater treatment facility project.
• Shive-Hattery Architecture & EngineeringstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDubuque, Iowa-based engineering firm that specified Algaewheel technology for the Scott County Conservation Board's West Lake Park project. Provided architectural and engineering design services.
• Vessco Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManufacturer's representative for Algaewheel in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Facilitated the West Lake Park project in Iowa.
• Gasvoda & AssociatescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManufacturer's representative for Algaewheel in Northwest Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northern Illinois.
• G.P. Jager Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManufacturer's representative for Algaewheel in New York. Facilitated the Village of Naples project.
• Manufacturer's Representative NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorComprehensive network of regional representatives covering all US states including: Beaver Equipment (AK, OR, WA), Henry P. Thompson (IN, KY, OH), Heritage Water (NC, SC), Hydro-Kinetics (IL, MO), Riordan Materials (PA, NJ, MD, DE), TC Sales (ID, MT, UT), TDH Company (AL, FL, GA, TN), William Reid Ltd (WI).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Orenco Systems: Orenco Systems is a leading manufacturer of decentralized wastewater treatment systems using advanced fiberglass tanks and proprietary recirculating media filters. It directly competes with Algaewheel for municipal and small-community wastewater projects, sharing a similar decentralized, small-flow GPD focus and engineering-channel GTM.
• BioMicrobics: BioMicrobics designs and manufactures decentralized and clustered wastewater treatment systems (e.g., MicroFAST, BioBarrier) for residential, commercial, and small municipal applications. Like Algaewheel, it serves the small-flow decentralized market with packaged treatment plants distributed through engineering channels.
• Fluence Corporation: Fluence Corporation delivers decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions using modular MABR, SUBRE, and NIROBOX packages for small-to-mid communities and industrial clients. Its product breadth and geographic footprint overlap directly with Algaewheel's small-flow, decentralized municipal/industrial focus.
• Premier Tech Water and Environment: Premier Tech offers Ecoflo and other packaged decentralized wastewater treatment systems for residential and small commercial applications in North America and Europe. It competes head-to-head with Algaewheel in the small-flow, decentralized treatment space with strong distribution and installer networks.

Broad incumbents

• Xylem: Xylem is a global water technology leader encompassing brands such as Wedeco, Flygt, and Evoqua, with broad portfolios in municipal and industrial water/wastewater treatment including advanced filtration and biological systems. It is a broad incumbent whose biological aeration and treatment products compete with Algaewheel's RAC technology across the municipal market.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia is a global environmental services giant offering municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, including nature-based and decentralized solutions through its Water Technologies division. It competes with Algaewheel at the multi-national, large-flow end and increasingly in smaller community deployments worldwide.
• Suez Water Technologies & Solutions: Suez delivers water and wastewater treatment solutions, including decentralized and packaged plants, and operates a global services network. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Algaewheel in decentralized municipal projects, with much larger scale and geographic reach.
• Kubota Membrane USA: Kubota Membrane USA supplies submerged membrane filtration systems widely deployed in small municipal and decentralized wastewater treatment plants across the US. It is a direct substitute for Algaewheel's biological treatment on the same municipal RFPs, despite using a different core technology (membranes vs. rotating algal biofilm).

Emerging players

• Aqua-Aerobic Systems: Aqua-Aerobic Systems designs activated sludge and biological treatment equipment for municipal and industrial wastewater applications, including small-flow configurations. It is comparable to Algaewheel as a niche small/mid municipal player with a focus on biological treatment, albeit with conventional rather than algae-based technology.
• Clearford Water Systems: Clearford Water Systems provides decentralized and small-community wastewater infrastructure using packaged MBR and collection systems across North America. It targets the same small-flow municipal and septic-to-sewer conversion market as Algaewheel and offers a comparable recurring-service revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/algaewheel
• Facebookfacebook.com/algaewheel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onewater-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

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 Algaewheel