Harbauer

What Harbauer does

Harbauer GmbH is a Berlin-based German environmental technology company that designs, builds, and operates process-engineering systems for the purification of water, soil, and air. The company delivers integrated treatment solutions from initial planning through plant construction to long-term operation and maintenance, serving industrial enterprises (BASF Coatings, DOW Olefinverbund, Altana, Berlin Chemie), municipalities, and government entities across Germany, India, Brazil, and Kenya. Its technology portfolio spans 13+ complementary processes including desorption, wet and air activated carbon adsorption, biological degradation, ion exchange, arsenic removal (AdsorpAs), fluoride removal (HAPaqua hydroxyl apatite), heavy metal precipitation, UV oxidation, regenerative thermal oxidation, catalytic exhaust gas processing, soil air exhaustion, iron/manganese removal, and chamber filter presses, enabling it to address complex multi-contaminant sites such as chlorinated hydrocarbons (LHKW, CKW), BTEX, PAK, arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals.

The business operates on a project-based revenue model combining one-time plant engineering and construction contracts with ongoing managed services for operation and maintenance, supplemented by sales of specialty filter materials (HAPaqua, AdsorpAs). Projects are custom-designed and custom-priced, with multi-year contract cadences typical of municipal and industrial remediation work. Harbauer monetizes through wholly-owned subsidiaries including Harbauer India Ltd. (est. 2003), Harbauer do Brasil, Harbauer Limited Kenya (est. 2021), and NEUTRALOX Umwelttechnik GmbH (UV oxidation), operating within the family-run KF Group conglomerate (Kemmer/Fischer family, 400+ employees across portfolio companies).

The company holds EN ISO 9001, EN ISO 14001, and SCC certifications, maintains documented 98-99%+ plant availability at multiple long-running sites, and is privately held as a GmbH with no external institutional investment evidenced. Its core competitive position rests on 30+ years of specialized remediation expertise, embedded multi-decade customer relationships, and proprietary filter media that support both operational reliability and regenerable/reusable consumption economics in newer product lines.

Name

Harbauer

Legal name

Harbauer GmbH

Website

https://harbauer-berlin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harbauer GmbH is a Berlin-based German environmental engineering company that designs, builds, and operates custom process-engineering systems for water, soil, and air purification, serving industrial, municipal, and government clients across Germany, India, Brazil, and Kenya.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Remediation and Process Engineering Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Groundwater Extraction, Treatment & Discharge (Pump-and-Treat, reinjection) (BPALAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chlorinated Solvent & VOC Groundwater Remediation (e.g., PCE/TCE) (BPALAKAC), Water Treatment Plant Construction (Drinking Water) (IMAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Water treatment systems
• Environmental remediation services
• Soil and groundwater cleanup
• Air purification systems
• Process engineering solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plant Engineering and Construction: Design and construction of environmental treatment plants for water, soil and air purification, from planning through to operational deployment
2. Operation and Maintenance Services: Ongoing operation and maintenance of treatment plants, providing continuous environmental remediation services to clients
3. International Operations: Subsidiary operations in India, Brazil, and Kenya providing local environmental technology solutions and filter systems
4. Specialty Filter Materials: Production and supply of specialized filter media including hydroxyl apatite (HAP) for fluoride removal and AdsorpAs for arsenic removal

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harbauer develops, builds, and operates process-engineering plants and systems for the purification and treatment of water, soil, and air. The company delivers end-to-end environmental technology solutions covering planning, construction, and ongoing operation of remediation and filtration facilities for industrial, municipal, and governmental clients.

Product overview

Harbauer provides a comprehensive portfolio of environmental technology processes for water, soil, and air purification, organized into core treatment technologies and application areas. The core technologies include Desorption (for transferring pollutants from liquid to gas phase), Wet Activated Carbon Adsorption, Biological Degradation, Ion Exchange, Arsenic Removal (using AdsorpAs), Catalytic Exhaust Gas Processing, Regenerative Thermal Oxidation (RTO with 97%+ efficiency), UV Oxidation, Air Activated Carbon Adsorption, Soil Air Exhaustion, Iron Removal, Chamber Filter Presses, and Heavy Metal Precipitation. These are applied through three main application areas: Groundwater and Lake Decontamination, Drinking Water and Process Water Treatment, and Air Purification. Special products include HAPaqua (hydroxyl apatite filter material for fluoride removal). The company operates internationally through subsidiaries in Kenya, India, and Brazil. Harbauer offers complete solutions from planning through construction to operation and maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HAPaqua: Special filter material (synthetic hydroxyl apatite granules) developed by Harbauer for fluoride removal from groundwater and drinking water. The material can be regenerated and reused after being loaded with fluoride.

Products and services

• Water Treatment Plant Engineering Design, construction, and commissioning of process-engineering plants for industrial and municipal water purification, including treatment of contaminated groundwater and process water. Targeted at industrial operators, municipal utilities, and public-sector clients.
• Soil and Groundwater Remediation In-situ and on-site remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater using proprietary process-engineering methods, delivered to industrial site owners, brownfield redevelopers, and public environmental authorities.
• Air Purification Systems Engineering and delivery of air treatment and filtration systems for the removal of contaminants from industrial off-gas and process air streams. Targeted at industrial facilities with emission-control obligations.
• Plant Operation and Maintenance Services Long-term operation, monitoring, and maintenance of environmental treatment plants built by the company, provided to industrial and municipal clients as an ongoing contracted service.
• Filter Materials and Adsorbents Proprietary filter and adsorbent materials used in Harbauer's water, soil, and air treatment processes, sold as consumables for use in delivered plants and remediation sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% plant availability for arsenic removal systems
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• German Foundation (Customer)Others · 1 December 2021German foundation funding the Lake Baringo fluoride removal project in Kenya, commissioning Harbauer Limited Kenya for filter plant construction.
• Harbauer Limited KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Subsidiary established early 2021 located about 170 km north of Nairobi (Nakuru). Produces synthetic hydroxyl apatite (HAP) filter material and builds filtration systems for fluoride removal from groundwater and surface water in Kenya.
• Harbauer India Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003100% owned subsidiary established 2003 as focus market for BRIC group market development, providing local environmental technology implementation in India.
• KF Group (KF Unternehmensgruppe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company grouping multiple medium-sized environmental technology companies under the Kemmer/Fischer family with over 400 employees. Provides comprehensive services for removal and prevention of environmental pollution in water, air, soil and special solutions. Harbauer is part of this family-run group.
• NEUTRALOX Umwelttechnik GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubsidiary company implementing further applications in UV oxidation for exhaust air purification. Harbauer transfers UV oxidation technology development to NEUTRALOX for commercial implementation.
• Harbauer do Brasil – Tecnologias Ambientais Ltda.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary in Brazil providing environmental technology solutions, with competent local partner for implementation as part of BRIC market development strategy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ANDRITZ Separation: ANDRITZ is a global industrial equipment supplier including sludge dewatering, filtration, and separation technologies relevant to water and wastewater treatment. Overlaps with Harbauer's chamber filter press and sludge dewatering offerings but at much larger industrial scale.
• Bilfinger Engineering & Maintenance: Bilfinger is one of the largest European industrial services providers with a significant environmental services and water/wastewater treatment practice. Directly comparable to Harbauer in delivering plant engineering and operation for industrial clients, but at substantially greater scale and breadth across multiple geographies.
• WABAG (VA Tech Wabag): VA Tech Wabag is an Indian-headquartered global water treatment specialist with significant operations in municipal and industrial drinking water and wastewater plants. Comparable to Harbauer on water treatment plant construction but with much larger international footprint.
• Remondis Aqua: Remondis is one of Europe's largest private water and recycling service companies, offering industrial water treatment, groundwater remediation, and environmental services. Overlaps with Harbauer in groundwater decontamination but operates at substantially larger scale across all of Europe.

Direct peers

• BAUER Resources: BAUER Resources is the environmental division of BAUER Group, offering groundwater remediation, contaminated site cleanup, and water treatment engineering in Germany and internationally. Directly comparable to Harbauer's groundwater decontamination and soil remediation business.
• EnviroChemie: EnviroChemie is a German engineering company specializing in industrial water and wastewater treatment plants, including process engineering, plant construction, and operation. Closely comparable to Harbauer's drinking water and process water treatment business, with overlapping customer base in German chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
• Dürr AG: Dürr operates in environmental technology and industrial air purification, including VOC abatement via thermal and catalytic oxidation. Directly comparable to Harbauer's exhaust gas cleaning and catalytic/RTO oxidation business.
• De.mem: De.mem is an international water and wastewater treatment specialist with German operations rooted in the legacy EnviroChemie business. Comparable to Harbauer in delivering decentralized water treatment systems using proprietary membrane and biological technologies.

Others

• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia Water Technologies is the global leader in water treatment engineering and chemical solutions, including mobile water services, groundwater remediation, and arsenic/fluoride removal. Compares to Harbauer as a broad incumbent that overlaps on industrial water and groundwater treatment.
• Jacobi Carbons: Jacobi Carbons is a global manufacturer of activated carbon products used in water and air purification, including municipal drinking water and industrial remediation. Comparable as an enabler/adjacent supplier to Harbauer's activated carbon adsorption processes, but operates one step upstream in the value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100070015665485
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harbauer-gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Harbauer