STEFFEN HARTMANN

What STEFFEN HARTMANN does

STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN GMBH is a German engineering firm that designs and manufactures custom industrial plants and technologies for wastewater treatment and surface treatment, headquartered in Thale OT Allrode, Saxony-Anhalt. Founded in 1992 by Steffen Hartmann as a sole proprietorship and restructured into its current GmbH form in 2007, the company remains founder-owned (managing partner Steffen Hartmann) with a 47-person in-house team. It is best known for being the first to implement Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology in 1998 and for a granted European patent on a process that produces NPK fertilizer from biogas digestate using pre-filtration, ion exchange, and evaporation stages.

The product portfolio is built around industrial evaporation systems (vacuum, falling film, multi-stage, ZLD, digestate) with capacities from 10 to 10,000 l/h, complemented by ceramic membrane filtration (micro/ultra/nano/reverse osmosis), ion exchange systems, oil-water coalescers, containerized modular plants, industrial cooling with heat recovery, and chemical-physical wastewater treatment (cyanide/chromate detoxification, neutralization, sludge dewatering). Manufacturing is fully in-house, including R&D, automation, plastics technology, and welding in stainless steel, titanium, and Hastelloy up to 1,600mm diameter.

The business model is direct B2B enterprise sales of custom-engineered, one-time capital equipment with process guarantees, supplemented by remote-control service and a potential licensing/royalty angle on the NPK digestate process. Customers are industrial production companies, biogas plant operators, and landfill operators, primarily in Europe, served through a multilingual (German/English/Chinese) web presence, direct field sales, and project-based marketing. Reference projects include evaporator installations for waste management operators and digestate evaporator plants across Europe.

Name

STEFFEN HARTMANN

Legal name

STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN GMBH

Website

https://steffenhartmann.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN GMBH is a German engineering firm that designs and manufactures custom industrial wastewater treatment and recycling plants. It serves industrial production companies, biogas plant operators, and landfill operators with evaporation, membrane filtration, and ion exchange systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Equipment

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ), Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB), Industrial Wastewater Reuse (Cooling/Process/Boiler Feed) (EUANADAM), Water Reuse & Reclamation Infrastructure Construction (Recycled Water Systems) (IMAFAGAH), Solvent Recovery & Recycling Services (BPALAHAC)

Keywords

• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Evaporation technology systems
• Zero liquid discharge
• Membrane filtration solutions
• Industrial water recycling plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Thale

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Plant Systems: Custom-designed and manufactured plant systems and technologies for wastewater treatment and surface treatment. Systems are sold as capital equipment with process guarantees, representing significant one-time investments for industrial customers.
2. Remote Service and Support: Remote-control service capabilities for ongoing plant support and maintenance.
3. Fertilizer Production Technology: Technology for producing high-value NPK fertilizer from biogas digestate, potentially creating additional revenue streams for biogas plant operators.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN is a specialized developer and manufacturer of custom industrial plant systems and technologies for wastewater treatment and surface treatment, including evaporation systems (vacuum, falling film, multi-stage, ZLD, digestate), membrane filtration, ion exchange, oil-water coalescence, and chemical-physical treatment plants. The plants are designed and built to industrial standards according to customer-specific requirements, delivered with process guarantees as capital equipment investments for industrial production companies, biogas plant operators, and landfill operators.

Product overview

STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN GMBH is a specialized developer and manufacturer of industrial wastewater treatment and recycling systems. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of evaporation, filtration, and treatment technologies including Evaporator Systems (vacuum, falling film, multiple-stage, ZLD, landfill, digestate), Membrane Filtration (micro/ultra/nano-filtration, reverse osmosis), Ion Exchanger systems, Coalescer oil-water separators, Container Solutions, Industrial Cooling Systems, and Chemical-Physical Waste Water Treatment. These products work together as integrated treatment solutions for industrial processes, with a focus on Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) orientation and environmental sustainability. Manufacturing capabilities include stainless steel and titanium processing up to 1,600mm diameter, plastic processing, and pipe assembly. The company employs 47 people and holds patents for fertilizer production from digestate in key European countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evaporator Systems Custom industrial evaporation systems with capacities from 10 to 10,000 l/h, including vacuum evaporators, falling film evaporators, multi-stage evaporation plants, Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems, landfill evaporators, and digestate evaporators, engineered for industrial wastewater treatment with process guarantees. Customers are industrial production companies, biogas plant operators, and landfill operators.
• Membrane Filtration Systems Membrane filtration systems using ceramic filter elements for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis applications to produce pure water from industrial streams. Customers are industrial enterprises needing water purification as part of their treatment train.
• Ion Exchanger Systems Ion exchange systems with composite or steel tanks for water softening, deionization, recirculation, selective ion exchange, retardation, and chromic acid decontamination. Customers are industrial water treatment users requiring targeted ion removal.
• Coalescer (Oil-Water Separator) Coalescence-based oil-water separation systems for coolant-emulsion maintenance and water de-oiling applications, separating oil and water cleanly for industrial fluids management.
• Container Solutions (Modular Container Plants) Container-based modular wastewater treatment plants delivered as complete systems with building included, enabling flexible installation at customer facilities that lack dedicated wastewater infrastructure.
• Industrial Cooling Systems Split-system industrial cooling plants with heat recovery for maximum energy efficiency, designed to integrate with industrial process cooling needs.
• Chemical-Physical Wastewater Treatment Systems Treatment systems for large wastewater streams covering cyanide detoxification, chromate detoxification, neutralization, and sludge dehydration. Targeted at industrial facilities needing chemical-physical finishing steps within their treatment chain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digestate volume reduction of more than 50%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nordhausen University of Applied SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2024Cooperation between Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and STEFFEN HARTMANN RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIEN launched for a dual study programme. The partnership enables practical training and education in industrial wastewater treatment technologies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Water Technologies: Global industrial water treatment incumbent offering evaporation, membrane, and chemical-physical treatment as part of a much broader portfolio. Overlaps on technology stack and target customers but operates at far greater scale.
• GEA Group: German process equipment manufacturer with separation and evaporation technologies used in dairy, food, chemicals, and wastewater applications. Competes on plant engineering scale rather than ZLD specialty.
• Kurita Water Industries: Japanese industrial water and process treatment specialist with strong chemicals-plus-equipment offering. Comparable on industrial wastewater and reuse customer base, larger on chemicals integration.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish separation, heat transfer, and fluid handling equipment maker with industrial wastewater and process water offerings. Overlaps on evaporation/heat-exchange technology and serves similar industrial verticals.
• Andritz: Austrian process equipment group with separation, membrane, and evaporation technologies serving industrial water and wastewater customers. Comparable on plant engineering scope, broader on portfolio.

Direct peers

• DAS Environmental Experts: German-headquartered industrial wastewater treatment specialist focused on evaporation and ZLD systems for landfill leachate, industrial effluents, and digestate. Highly comparable on geography, technology stack, and customer profile.
• Aquatech International: US-based specialist in industrial water treatment and Zero Liquid Discharge systems serving power, oil & gas, mining, and chemicals. Closest direct competitor in the ZLD/evaporation niche for industrial wastewater reuse.
• Envirogen Group: UK/US industrial water and wastewater treatment company with biological, membrane, and ion-exchange systems. Direct competitor for industrial process water and effluent treatment customers.
• Aqua-Chem: US industrial water and wastewater treatment specialist with evaporation, membrane, and reuse systems for industrial process water. Comparable on ZLD/evaporation engineering for industrial customers.
• H2O Innovation: Canadian water treatment solutions provider serving industrial and municipal clients with membrane filtration and specialty systems. Overlaps on industrial water reuse and custom plant delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akvola-technologies

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&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STEFFEN HARTMANN